 Print cover, 1892 | |
| Author | Peter Kropotkin |
|---|---|
| Original title | La Conquête du Pain |
| Language | French |
| Genre | Political theory |
| Publisher | Tresse et Stock |
Publication date | 1892 |
| Publication place | France |
Published in English | 1907 |
| 335.83 | |
| LC Class | HX632 .K7613 |
Original text | La Conquête du Pain at FrenchWikisource |
| Translation | The Conquest of Bread at Wikisource |
The Conquest of Bread[a] is an 1892 book by the Russian anarchistPeter Kropotkin. Originally written in French, it first appeared as a series of articles in theanarchist journalLe Révolté. It was first published inParis with apreface byÉlisée Reclus, who also suggested the title. Between 1892 and 1894, it wasserialized in part in theLondon journalFreedom, of which Kropotkin was a co-founder.
In the work, Kropotkin identified what he considered to be the defects of theeconomic systems offeudalism andcapitalism, and argued that these systems thrive on and maintainpoverty andscarcity. He proceeded to propose a moredecentralized economic system based onmutual aid and voluntarycooperation, asserting that the tendencies for this kind of organization already exist, both inevolution and inhuman society.
The Conquest of Bread has become a classic of politicalanarchist literature. It was heavily influential on theOccupy movement.[1]
In 1886, Kropotkin was released from French prison. Fearful of the anarchist scare that was grippingcontinental Europe following theassassination ofAlexander II and wishing to focus more time on composingtheory and arguing for his revolutionary ideals, Kropotkin moved to London in the same year.[2] Following the death ofMikhail Bakunin in 1876, anarchists desired a prominent and respected theorist to explain their ideas and—after the splitting of theFirst International betweenMarxists and anarchists—Kropotkin wished to formally explainanarchist communism in a way that would clearly differentiate the anarchists from the Marxists, but also help to correct what he saw as flaws in Bakunin's ideology ofcollectivist anarchism.[3] With this aim, Kropotkin spent a great deal of time in London writing multiple books and pamphlets, in between his international speaking tours to theUnited States andCanada. It was during this time of rapid literary output that Kropotkin wroteThe Conquest of Bread, which became his most well-known attempt to systematically explain the essential parts of anarchist communism.[2]
Kropotkin originally wrote the text in French and published in the French journalLe Révolté, where he served as the primary editor. Following its publication in France, Kropotkin published a serialized version in English in the London anarchist journalFreedom. The book would later be collected and published as a book in France in 1892 and in England in 1906.[4][2]
The publication of the text was a watershed moment in anarchist history, being the first time that a completed and in-depth theoretical work of anarchist communism was available to the public.[2] The publication of the text shifted the focus ofanarchism fromindividualist,mutualist andcollectivist strains tosocial andcommunist tendencies.[2] This shift would prove to be one of the most enduring changes in thehistory of anarchism as anarchism developed throughout the 20th century with Kropotkin andThe Conquest of Bread as firm reference points.[2]
Throughout the first three chapters, Kropotkin constructs an argument for thecommon ownership of allintellectual and useful property due to the collective work that went into creating it. Kropotkin does not argue that the product of a worker's labor should belong to the worker. Instead, Kropotkin asserts that every individual product is essentially the work of everyone since every individual relies on the intellectual and physical labor of those who came before them as well as those who built the world around them. Because of this, Kropotkin proclaims that every human deserves an essential right to well-being because every human contributes to the collective social product:[5]
No more of such vague formulae as "The right to work", or "To each the whole result of his labour." What we proclaim is the Right to Well-Being; Well-Being for All!
Kropotkin further contends that the central obstacle preventing humanity from claiming this right is the state's violent protection ofprivate property. Kropotkin compares this relationship to feudalism, saying that even if the forms have changed, the essential relationship between thepropertied and thelandless is the same as the relationship betweenfeudal lords and theirserfs. Kropotkin calls for the destruction of thestate and theexpropriation of all property into thecommons, where the right to well-being can be achieved for all people.[5]
Throughout the middle of the book, Kropotkin sketches a picture of what he feels an anarchist communist society could look like. He points to the huge levels of production that modern industrial society achieved in terms of food production, clothing production, and housing production, and he uses this as evidence of the feasibility of an anarchist communist society. More than enough of the essentials are produced for all people, Kropotkin argues; if they were only distributed properly, nobody would have any unmet needs. Kropotkin further argues that with the level of production output being so high, people should not have to work more than five hours a day and they should be able to reduce that as much as possible, giving them free time forleisure, socialization, and to work on innovations that would reduce their labor.[5]
Near the end of this section, Kropotkin discussesluxury items, recognizing that they are a necessity for a good life and affirming that luxury items would still be produced, even if production were taken under the purview of common need. Kropotkin claims that luxury items would be produced on a collective basis by those most interested in their production. He uses an example of a group ofpianists dedicating time to building luxurypianos with the help of a group of collectivecarpenters. Kropotkin argues that this system of collective production could produce necessary luxury items—on top of the production of the necessities—for everybody to live a fulfilling life.[5]
In the final chapters, Kropotkin lays out what he feels will be prominent objections to his theory as well as his responses to them. He figures that many critics will claim that people are naturally lazy and they would not work without aprofit incentive, even if it is only for five hours and for basic necessities. Kropotkin counters by saying that people are willing to work in jobs they enjoy and given the necessary free time to work on their own, with the guarantee of material stability, people will work willingly on collective gardens or in collective garment factories.[5]
Near the end of the work, Kropotkin cautions against the statecentralization of industry, warning people against moreauthoritarian strands of socialism and claiming that any revolution must guarantee bread and freedom to the workers and revolutionaries. He ends with a long chapter onagriculture, marveling at the many ways in which humans have cultivated and advanced agricultural production, dreaming about the ways that it could be used to feed everybody and guarantee a healthy and happy life for all people.[5]
The Conquest of Bread has made an impact which exceeds Kropotkin's own lifetime. It has played a prominent role in theanarchist militias of theSpanish Civil War as well as inspiring anarchist history, theory andpraxis throughout the 20th century. Due to theauthoritarian andsectarian violence ofMarxism–Leninism in theSoviet Union, some thinkers came to regard the book asprophetic, with Kropotkin anticipating the many pitfalls andhuman rights abuses that would occur with the centralization of industry.[6]
After the2008 financial crisis and the subsequentOccupy movement, Kropotkin's work took on increased prominence.[6]David Graeber, one of the intellectual leaders of the Occupy movement, cited Kropotkin directly as an inspiration for the world the Occupy protesters were attempting to create.[7] In 2015, David Priestland, writing forThe Guardian, called for a renewed look at Kropotkin andThe Conquest of Bread in the West, given thecollapse of theSoviet Union in 1991 and the2008 financial crisis.[6]
Sometimes the subject of leftistmemes, it is known as "The Bread Book" colloquially.[8] Since 2018, a loose group of left-leaningYouTubecontent creators have collectively been referred to asBreadTube, inspired by the title of the book.[9][10] The term "breadpilled" refers to the act of becoming ananarcho-socialist, alluding to thered pill and blue pill from the 1999 filmThe Matrix.[11]
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The Conquest of Bread public domain audiobook atLibriVox| International | |
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