THE CONQUEST OF BREAD by P. Kropotkin PREFACE ONE of the current objections to Communism and Socialism altogether, is that the idea is so old, and yet it could never be realized. Schemes of ideal States haunted the thinkers of Ancient Greece; later on, the early Christians joined in communist groups; centuries later, large communist brotherhoods came into existence during the Reform movement. Then, the same ideals were revived during the great English and French Revolutions; and finally, quite lately, in 1848, a revolution, inspired to a great extent with Socialist ideals, took place in France. "And yet, you see," we are told, "how far away is still the realization of your schemes. Don't you think that there is some fundamental error in your understanding of human nature and its needs?" At first sight this objection seems very serious. However, the moment we consider human his...
The growth of industry in Russia will be best seen from the following:- 1880-81. 1893-94. 1910. Cwts. Cwts. Cwts. Cast iron . . . . . 8,810,000 25,450,000 61,867,000 Iron . . . . . . . 5,770,000 9,700,000 (iron and steel) 61,540,700 Steel . . . . . . . 6,030,000 9,610,000 Railway rail . . . 3,960,000 4,400,000 10,408,300 Coal . . . . . . . 64,770,000 160,000,000 530,570,000 (imports of coal) from 80,000,000 to 100,000,000 Naptha . . . . . . 6,900,000 108,700,000 189,267,000 Sugar . . . . . . . 5,030,000 11,470,000 28,732,000 Raw cotton, home grown 293,000 1,225,000 3,736,000 (cont.) Cottons, gray, and yarn 23,640,000 42,045,000 86,950,000 Cottons, printed . 6,160,000 7,720,000 37,680,000 1900. 1908. All cottons . . . . . £56,156,000 £94,233,000 All woolens . . . . . 19,064,000 25,388,000 Linen . . . . . . . . 7,076,600 9,969,000 Silk . . . . . . . . . 3,335,000...