The new issue of Black Flag: Anarchist Review is now available:
This year’s third issue is a special dedicated to the life and work of Peter Kropotkin (1842-1921) to mark the 180th anniversary of his birth. As such, the issue contains many rare English-language texts by Kropotkin along with newly translated articles from the French newspapers he was intimately associated with – Le Révolté, La Révolte and Les Temps Nouveaux. We are also happy to announce that we have secured translations of his prefaces to the 1902 and 1919 Russian editions of The Conquest of Bread. The articles and letters cover a range of subjects, from anarchism to war, from revolution to eugenics. In addition we include evaluations of Kropotkin’s ideas and legacy by leading libertarian activists like Rocker, Berneri, Goldsmith and Malatesta.
We are currently going through something of a golden age for Kropotkin, with new complete editions of his first anarchist book (Words of a Rebel) and his last (Modern Science and Anarchy) along with a large and comprehensive anthology (Direct Struggle Against Capital). With these, it becomes impossible to accept the vision of Kropotkin as “anarcho-Santa” or some pacifist reformer – that he was a revolutionary class struggle anarchist cannot be denied by anyone familiar with these and the writings we include in this special edition.
Needless to say, his legacy is not one to be taken up uncritically – his rallying to the Allies in the Imperialist slaughter of the First World War is the most obvious example of how unwise that would be. However, as the writings we gather in our new issue show, there is much to appreciate and learn from Kropotkin – as long as we do so with a critical mind and a desire to learn from rather than parrot his contributions to anarchism.
Next year we aim to conclude to publish articles by Kropotkin but also on Anarchism and the General Strike, Rudolf Rocker, Marie Goldsmith, the 1882 Lyons Trial, the Chicago Anarchists of the I.W.P.A., Guy Aldred, Max Baginski, Albert Camus, Maurice Brinton, amongst other people and subjects.
Contributions from libertarian socialists are welcome on these and other subjects! We are a small collective and always need help in writing, translating and gathering material, so please get in touch if you want to see Black Flag Anarchist Review continue.
This issue’s editorial and contents are:
Editorial
The first issue of the relaunched Black Flag in 2021 marked the 100th anniversary of the death of Kropotkin with an article on his life by Robert Graham and the publishing of eight newly translated or rare articles by him. Now, to mark the 180th anniversary of the birth of one of anarchism’s greatest theorists, we dedicate a special issue to him and his ideas. With recent new editions of Modern Science and Anarchy and Words of a Rebel, our publishing newly translated or rare articles and pamphlets on a range of topics – anarchism, class war, Marxism, war, revolution, eugenics, amongst others – will help modern revolutionaries better understand his ideas and their importance.
Kropotkin’s legacy was undoubted harmed by his wrong position during the First World War but far more by his being championed by reformist anarchists after the Second World War. Rather than being remembered as the revolutionary class struggle anarchist he was, we were subjected to a sanitised account of a reformist, quasi-pacifist “anarcho-Santa” by the likes of George Woodcock and others associated with Freedom.
We start, however, with evaluations of Kropotkin’s ideas by Rudolf Rocker, Camillo Berneri, Marie Goldsmith, Errico Malatesta and Gaston Level. It should be noted that Berneri’s critique – better known as Peter Kropotkin: His Federalist Ideas – is translated in full (previously ones amounted to around three-quarters of the Italian original). Likewise, while Malatesta’s account of Kropotkin is well-known, Leval’s reply is less so and is of note. We hope this shows our special issue is not motivated by hagiography but rather by an awareness of the need to learn from his ideas rather than mechanically repeat or apply them today – as Kropotkin himself would have hoped, we are sure.
Then we move onto Kropotkin’s own writings, which we have grouped together by themes – On Anarchism, Class War, Marxism, Revolution, Other Libertarians, Eugenics, War – before ending with an interview and letters as well as prefaces to his most famous anarchist work, The Conquest of Bread. These are a combination of rare English-language texts and new translations, works which will hopefully help increase our understanding of Kropotkin’s ideas and show why he is still important and relevant today, 180 years after his birth.
Then there is a contribution to completing Kropotkin’s bibliography and why this is important to understanding his ideas and contribution to anarchism. We end with Wayne Price’s critique of those who have sought to defend Kropotkin’s infamous rallying to the Allied side during the imperialist slaughter of the First World War.
We should note that we will be publishing more translations of Kropotkin’s writings in future issues of Black Flag, for example when we discuss anarchism and the general strike in the next issue.
If you want to contribute rather than moan at those who do, whether its writing new material or letting us know of on-line articles, reviews or translations, then contact us:
Contents
On Kropotkin
o Introduction -- Rudolf Rocker
o A Russian Federalist: Peter Kropotkin -- Camillo Berneri
o Kropotkin’s Communism -- Marie Goldsmith
o Peter Kropotkin: Recollections and Criticisms of an Old Friend -- Errico Malatesta
o Kropotkin and Malatesta -- Gaston Leval
On Anarchism
o Annual Congress of the Jura Federation of the IWA
o Manifesto of the Socialists Tried in Lyons
o Selfishness or Solidarity
o Agreement
o Kropotkine on Anarchism
o Note to The Spirit of Revolt
o The Effects of Persecution
o Anarchy and its means of struggle, the International
o Kropotkin in The Commonweal
o The Anarchist Principle
On Class War
o The Social War
o Before The Storm
o The action of the masses and the individual
o The Labour Movement in England
o The English Strikes
o Co-operation and socialism
o The Labour War
o Anarchists and Unions
o The English Elections
o Worker Solidarity
On Marxism
o The Crisis of Socialism
o Collapse of anti-revolutionary Socialism
o The Coming Revival of Socialism
On Revolution
o The Paris Commune
o The Day after the Revolution
o Past and Future
o The Revolution’s Capital
o Will the Revolution be Collectivist?
On Other Libertarians
o In Memory of William Morris
o Bakunin
o A Reminiscence [of James Guillaume]
On Eugenics
o The Sterilisation of the Unfit
o Kropotkin’s Speech
o Discussion On “Eugenics”
o How to fight against degeneration
On War
o What to do?
o War or Peace?
o The Last War
o The Panamists of Patriotism
o Caesarism
o The British Workers and the War
o An Urgent Need: A Labour Convention
o One War Over — When is the Next?
o The Russo-Japanese War
o Antimilitarism and Revolution
An Interview and Letters
o Prince Kropotkin
o To Women of America
o Kropotkin on Proudhon
o Kropotkin on the Geneva Tragedy
o Meetings: Trafalgar Square Demonstration against the outrages of the Russian Government on Students and Workers
o An Anarchist’s Letter
o A Correction
o An Appeal to the American and British Workmen
o A Letter from Peter Kropotkin
o Another Letter
o A Greeting
o Celebration of Kropotkin’s Birthday
o Letter to an Anarchist Congress
o To Luigi Bertoni
o To Georg Brandes
o A letter from Peter Kropotkin
Prefaces to The Conquest of Bread
o Preface to the first French Edition of The Conquest of Bread (1892)
o Preface to the first Russian Edition of The Conquest of Bread (1902)
o Preface to the second English Edition of The Conquest of Bread (1913)
o Preface to the second Russian Edition of The Conquest of Bread (1919)
Towards a more complete Peter Kropotkin Bibliography
Kropotkin and War – Today
Parish Notices
Peter Kropotkin (The Syndicalist)