An Appeal to the Young

An Appeal to the Young is a revolutionary, anarchist pamphlet published in 1880 and written by the Russian anarchist Peter Kropotkin.[1] It is one of the most successful and moving tracts by Kropotkin in favor of a Socialized economy.[2]

Content

The work has been appraised by numerous authors for its inspiration and devotion. Ruth Kinna, anarchist sympathizer, has written that this pamphlet "seeks to prompt individuals to enter into resistance struggles" and that it "emphasises the power of educated youth to alleviate the suffering of the poor."[3]

Legacy

An Appeal to the Young is known for the vast net of influence that it cast upon the world of thought.

Russia

In Russia, Victor Serge read the pamphlet, and said that it inspired him to untold heights. He described it as "certainly one of the most moving exhortations of its kind." It convinced him to become a revolutionary socialist, but, more than that, "its message remained close to his heart for the rest of his life."[3]

China

Ba Jin, later a well-known writer, converted to anarchism after reading the pamphlet.[4]

Europe

In Europe, after it was read by the "Rossetti Sisters", the two family members, along with their brother, Arthur, launched their own anarchist publication, called the torch.[5] In the Labour Press of the United Kingdom, this work has been reproduced, among other revolutionary pamphlets.[6] It was also translated and republished by pioneer British socialist H.M. Hyndman, whose "lush Victorian prose ably captures the eloquence, fervor and charm of this celebrated revolutionary classic."[7]

United States

In the United States, an edition was smuggled in by Charles H. Kerr in 1899, "in the wake of the great Anarchist's first U.S. speaking tour."[7] And yet, after going through the Kerr Press in 1910, it was still in reproduction with the Kerr pamphlets as late as 1930. Howard Zinn has recommended this book as recommended reading to his readers.[8]

India

In India, its message and influence spread through Sunder Lal, the Indian independence activist.[9]

Ireland

In modern books, An Appeal to the Young has also been connected with anarchist revolutionary movements in Ireland in the 1800s.[10]

References
  1. Peter Kropotkin (1880). "An Appeal to the Young". Le Révolté.
  2. Brian Morris (2018). "Kropotkin: The Politics of Community". PM Press. ISBN 9781629635255.
  3. Ruth Kinna (2016). Kropotkin. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 9781474405010.
  4. Ng, Mau Sang (1981). "Ba Jin and Russian Literature". Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR). 3 (1): 69. doi:10.2307/495337. ISSN 0161-9705. JSTOR 495337. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  5. Isabel Meredith (1992). A Girl Among the Anarchists. U of Nebraska Press. appeal to the young kropotkin.
  6. Maia Ramnath (2012). Decolonizing Anarchism: An Antiauthoritarian History of India's Liberation Struggle. AK Press. p. 139. ISBN 9781849350822.
  7. "An Appeal to the Young".
  8. James L. Harmon (2010). Take My Advice: Letters to the Next Generation from People Who Know a Thing or Two. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780743242875.
  9. George Alfred James (2013). Ecology Is Permanent Economy: The Activism and Environmental Philosophy of Sunderlal Bahuguna. SUNY Press. p. 19. ISBN 9781438446745.
  10. Deaglan O Donghaile (2011). Blasted Literature. Edinburgh University Press. p. 238. ISBN 9780748687695.
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