An Appeal to the Young is a revolutionary, anarchist pamphlet published in 1880 and written by the Russian anarchist
Peter Kropotkin
Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin (; russian: link=no, Пётр Алексе́евич Кропо́ткин ; 9 December 1842 – 8 February 1921) was a Russian anarchist, socialist, revolutionary, historian, scientist, philosopher, and activis ...
. It is one of the most successful and moving tracts by Kropotkin in favor of a Socialized economy.
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."
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
Victor Serge (; 1890–1947), born Victor Lvovich Kibalchich (russian: Ви́ктор Льво́вич Киба́льчич), was a Russian revolutionary Marxist, novelist, poet and historian. Originally an anarchist, he joined the Bolsheviks fi ...
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."
China
Ba Jin
Ba Jin (Chinese: 巴金; pinyin: ''Bā Jīn''; 1904–2005) was a Chinese writer. In addition to his impact on Chinese literature, he also wrote three original works in Esperanto, and as a political activist he wrote '' The Family''.
Name
He w ...
, later a well-known writer, converted to anarchism after reading the pamphlet.
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. In the Labour Press of the United Kingdom, this work has been reproduced, among other revolutionary pamphlets. 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."
United States
In the United States, an edition was smuggled in by
Charles H. Kerr
Charles Hope Kerr (April 23, 1860 – June 1, 1944), a son of abolitionists, was a vegetarian and Unitarian in 1886 when he established Charles H. Kerr & Co. in Chicago. His publishing career is noted for his views' leftward progression towar ...
in 1899, "in the wake of the great Anarchist's first U.S. speaking tour."
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
Howard Zinn (August 24, 1922January 27, 2010) was an American historian, playwright, philosopher, socialist thinker and World War II veteran. He was chair of the history and social sciences department at Spelman College, and a political scien ...
has recommended this book as ''recommended reading'' to his readers.
India
In India, its message and influence spread through
Sunder Lal
Sunder Lal ( – 3 January 1987) was an Indian independence activist and politician. A member of the Indian National Congress, he served as a Member of Lok Sabha six times. For the first 5 Lok Sabha elections, Lal represented the Saharanpur co ...
, the Indian independence activist.
Ireland
In modern books, An Appeal to the Young has also been connected with anarchist revolutionary movements in Ireland in the 1800s.
References
{{reflist
External links
Appeal to the Young (at Revoltlib.com)
Works by Peter Kropotkin