Peter Kropotkin

Biography

Peter Kropotkin (1842–1921) was a Russian prince, geographer, scientist, and anarchist philosopher—one of the most important political thinkers of the modern era. Rejecting his aristocratic privilege, he became the leading theorist of anarchist communism, arguing that mutual aid rather than competition is the fundamental principle of evolution and social organization. His major works—Mutual Aid, The Conquest of Bread, and Memoirs of a Revolutionist—combine scientific argument with political vision. Imprisoned in Russia and France for his activism, he lived in exile in England for decades before returning to Russia after the Revolution.