Pyotr Kropotkin's Theory of Revolution

Abstract

The theory of the revolution, which reflects the world view and way of thinking of the prominent figure of the revolutionary movement, is difficult to assess unequivocally. Scattered across various texts, both scholarly and propagandistic, it had evolved markedly over time and appeared contradictory in some parts, which was ultimately due to the different factors under which it was formed. In all his work Pyotr Kropotkin defended the ideals of anarchism and socialism, seeing in the revolution the way to their fulfillment. The naturalistic view inherent in him, a natural scientist, conditioned his attitude towards revolution as an evolutionary process in the context of world-historical progressive development. In an evolutionary spirit, he considered the possibilities of mitigating social antagonisms, channeling their destructive energy in a positive direction. His humanism was an essential factor in his work, encouraging him to view all social phenomena through the prism of the realisation and development of moral principles. While resenting the suffering of the poor, Kropotkin reflected on the moral cost of retaliating against society's upper classes and the danger of mutual embitterment. Defending the dominant role of revolutions in history, Kropotkin admitted reform as an alternative in specific cases. The subject of revolution was to be the people, namely the workers and the oppressed social classes. The task of the progressive representatives of the educated sections of society was to point out the goals of the revolutionary struggle, to assist them in such an expression of their will. Justifying the spontaneous forms of mass protest, the thinker believed the enlightenment of the people to be necessary for the transformation of the destructive element embodied in the revolutionary acts into constructive creativity of the masses. Proclaiming socialist arrangement of society as the final goal of the revolution, Kropotkin allowed for a gradual transition to it. In the historical process, along with the interruptibility of progress, he noted the continuity of positive forms of sociality that had emerged in history, including those existing in bourgeois society.