The Conquest of Bread

The Conquest of Bread is Peter Kropotkin's most extensive study of human needs and his outline of the most rational and equitable means of satisfying them. The most important and widely read exposition of anarchist economic theory, its combination of detailed historical analysis and far-reaching utopian vision is a step-by-step guide to social revolution: the concrete means of achieving it, and the new world that humanity is capable of creating. Writing in a style that he describes as "moderate in tone, but revolutionary in substance," Kropotkin adeptly translates complex ideas into common language, while rendering the often amorphous aspirations of social movements into coherent form.

As insightful as when it was first published over a century ago, The Conquest of Bread is essential reading for anyone interested in a pragmatic, yet visionary, approach to questions of economic justice.

This edition includes a new introduction that historically situates and discusses the contemporary relevance of Kropotkin's ideas.