The Conquest of Bread

This book might be part of the Working Classics series.

The Conquest of Bread (French: La Conquête du Pain; Russian: Хлѣбъ и воля, tr. Khleb i volja, "Bread and Freedom"; Хлеб и воля in contemporary spelling), also known colloquially as The Bread Book, is an 1892 book by the Russian anarcho-communist Peter Kropotkin. Originally written in French, it first appeared as a series of articles in the anarchist journal Le Révolté. It was first published in Paris with a preface by Élisée Reclus, who also suggested the title. Between 1892 and 1894, it was serialized in part in the London journal Freedom, of which Kropotkin was a co-founder. In the work, Kropotkin points out what he considers to be the defects of the economic systems of feudalism and capitalism and why he believes they thrive on and maintain poverty and scarcity. He goes on to propose a more decentralized economic system based on mutual aid and voluntary cooperation, asserting that the tendencies for this kind of organization already exist, both in evolution and in human society. The Conquest of Bread has become a classic of political anarchist literature. It was heavily influential on both the Spanish Civil War and the Occupy movement.

72 editions

241 pages

English language

Published Nov. 28, 2006 by AK Press.

ISBN:: 978-1-904859-10-9
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OCLC Number:: 213384207

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Subjects

economics
anarchism

Reviews

navtis@bookwyrm.social reviewed The conquest of bread by Peter Kropotkin (Penguin classics)

Anniversary reread

No rating

Reread for the (sad) 100th anniversary of Kropotkin's death.

jarizleifr reviewed The conquest of bread by Peter Kropotkin

Review of 'The conquest of bread' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Required reading for anyone exchanging labor for wages.

I found the book quite sharp and still thought-provoking for something written a century ago. Its message is relevant as ever, as we're plunged into the dystopia of corporatism and decay by those at the top exploiting the labor force. It is radical and revolutionary and I would heartily recommend it for anyone interested in the actual meaning and nature of work and its dynamics and how societies organize and form around both labor and culture.

Talya (she/her) reviewed The conquest of bread by Peter Kropotkin (Penguin classics)

There's a reason this book is synonymous with anarchist communism

5 stars

Sure, some parts are out of date. But so much of it remains true even today. There's a saying about lectures that say that the best questions a lecturer can get are the ones answered by the very next slide. Well, that is exactly what happened to me, again and again, with the chapters of this book. Most amazingly, a question a friend raised in a discussion we had about chapter 8 was answered by the very first sentence of chapter 9. Can't be better than that.

Cook@bookwyrm.social reviewed The Conquest Of Bread by Peter Kropotkin

Cook's review of "The Conquest of Bread"

4 stars

Basically the introduction to anarcho-communism. A relatively short and digestible read that presents many interesting ideas but be prepared to struggle your way through pages of calculations that aim to show you that an anarchist society is possible in the late 19th century.