About
Born a prince into an aristocratic family, Peter Kropotkin renounced his title to become one of the leading theorists of anarchist communism. As an officer and explorer in Siberia, he contributed to the geography of East Asia and predicted the existence of Franz Josef Land. Imprisoned in Russia and France, he lived in exile in England, where he wrote his major works, including Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution. Returning to Russia after the February Revolution of 1917, he opposed the Bolshevik seizure of power.
* 1842-11-27 — † 1921-02-08
Major works
- La Conquête du Pain (1892)essay
- Memoirs of a Revolutionist (1899)autobiography
- Fields, Factories and Workshops (1899)essay
- Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution (1902)essay
- The Great French Revolution 1789–1793 (1909)history
Key milestones
- 1864Awarded the Gold Medal of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society for his exploration in North Manchuria.
- 1872Visits Swiss watchmakers in the Jura Mountains, whose voluntary mutual-aid associations crystallize his anarchist convictions.
- 1917Returning to Russia after the February Revolution, he opposes the Bolshevik seizure of power.
Themes
Communist anarchismMutual aidCooperationCritique of the stateGeography
Sources: britannica.com · cambridge.org · archives.trin.cam.ac.uk
