James Guillaume | |
|---|---|
 James Guillaume (date unknown) | |
| Born | (1844-02-16)16 February 1844 London, England |
| Died | 20 November 1916(1916-11-20) (aged 72) Marin-Epagnier,Neuchâtel, Switzerland |
| Resting place | Montparnasse Cemetery |
| Occupations | Writer,historian |
| Organization | International Workingmen's Association |
| Movement | Anarchism |
James Guillaume (16 February 1844 – 20 November 1916) was a Swissanarchist and writer who was a leading member of theJura federation, one of the anarchist wings of theFirst International. Later, Guillaume would take an active role in the founding of theAnarchist St. Imier International.[1]
Guillaume was born in London on 16 February 1844, the son of George Guillaume and his wife Marie Suzanne Glady.[2] George Guillaume ran the London branch of aNeuchâtel watchmaking factory.[3] His brother, also named George, would later become acommunard.[3] The family returned to Switzerland in 1848.[3]
From 1862 to 1864, he studied at theUniversity of Zurich, but did not complete his degree; he acquired a teaching diploma from Neuchâtel in 1865.[2] He taught inLe Locle from 1864, as a professor of French and history.[3] There, he andConstant Meuron founded the local section of theInternational in 1866.[2] He was active in the foundation of theJura Federation, which led to his expulsion from the First International.[2]
His political activities resulted in his dismissal from teaching in 1869, and he turned to operating his father's printing business until 1872.[3] He became editor ofLa Solidarité in April 1870, and editedBulletin de la Fédération jurassienne from February 1872 until March 1878.[3]
After his prosecution following demonstrations inBern in 1877, he moved to Paris and served as editor for various academic projects:Ferdinand Buisson'sDictionnaire de pédagogie,Revue pédagogique, andDictionnaire géographique et administratif de la France.[2]
His daughter Marguerite died in 1897.[2] Subsequently, Guillaume stayed at the psychiatric hospital of Waldau in Bern until 1898, thenNeuchâtel until 1901.[2] His wife, Elise Golay (married 1870)[2] died in 1901.[3]
A meeting withJean Jaurès prompted his return to politics. He was unimpressed by the direction socialism had taken, and favoured the direct action of syndicalists like theCNT.[2] WithMax Nettlau, he published six volumes ofBakunin's writings; he also editedL’Internationale, documents et souvenirs, 1864-1878 (Paris, 1905–1910).[3]
Guillaume left Paris in December 1914 to seek treatment in the Préfargier mental hospital in Neuchâtel, where he died on 20 November 1916.[2]
In his 1876 essay, "Ideas on Social Organization," Guillaume set forth his opinions regarding the form that society would take in a post-revolutionary world, expressing thecollectivist anarchist position he shared withBakunin and otheranti-authoritarians involved in the First International:
Only later, he believed, would it be possible to progress to a communist system where distribution will be according to need:
In 1909, James Guillaume assisted Peter Kropotkin with the research in preparing his book, "The Great French Revolution, 1789-1793," particularly helping with regards to the resolutions (arrêtés) of 4 August 1789, where the Assembly declared that it is acting with both constituent and legislative power.[5] Guillaume is said to have played a key role inPeter Kropotkin's conversion to anarchism.
He also edited five of the six volumes of Bakunin's collected works (in French), which included the first biography of Bakunin.[6]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)Part of James Guillaume's archives are conserved in the "Archives de l'État de Neuchâtel". The collection contains correspondence, notes, articles and memorabilia.
About James Guillaume
James Guillaume works
