"The chasm between the modern millionaire who squanders the produce of human labor in a gorgeous and vain luxury, and the pauper reduced to a miserable and insecure existence, is thus growing wider and wider, so as to break the very unity of society-the harmony of its life-and to endanger the progress of its further development.”
Peter Kropotkin, born to Russian royalty, is arguably one of the most notable Russian anarchists (Contending with Emma Goldman) ever to come out of the Motherland. Born to Prince Alexei Petrovich Kropotkin, who owned huge tracts of land and 1200 serfs, Peter was rarely allowed any interaction with his father and thus he was educated and raised by the nurses and servants. It was this, along with his dwelling in Moscow, that has sparked an interest in the peasantry which, as some may know, has formed the foundation of nearly every revoltution.
Kropotkin read simply on his own accord. He especially possessed a particular interest in French history and gave much attention to French encyclopaedists. It was probably his interest in French history that also contributed to his interest in Anarchism (keeping in mind the French Revolution and the Paris Commune). The years 1857-1861 beheld an affluent growth in the intellectual contingent during which Liberal-revolutionary literature had been purchased in Kropotkin's interest, which he felt sufficiently expressed his aspirations.
His views on Anarchism differ from some of his contemporaries (Then again, Anarchism is an elusive praxis; it's definition being subjective to the views of the subscriber). Whereas most Anarchists and even Anarcho-Syndicalists are opposed to Communist ideologies (That is, the authority that Communism instills, the consistent statism that Anarchists seeks to abolish and the ignorance and dismissal of the peasants and poor), Kropotkin embraced the more Socialistic apects: decentralization of workers, worker organization in the workplace, distribution of wealth, the abolition of the state, society owning means of production and so on.
Kropotkin was also the first to scientifically analyze Anarchism, which he did in his book, Mutual Aid. Kropotkin, also a geographer, was the first to find that mountains grow in the direction opposite of that which all previous scientists have noted. Kropotkin was highly intellectual and was a very notable scientist and political theorist, although that word possibly contradicts his belief concerning theory and action. He believes that, in moments of revolt, people who have not yet fully embraced the revolution are much more willing to follow someone who they have seen act than follow someone who quibbles and theorizes.
Suggested Reading:
Anarchism: A collection of Revolutionary Writings
