Written by one of anarchism’s most influential theorists, this edition also highlights Kropotkin’s special connection to Sheffield, a city whose radical industrial history and working-class traditions closely echoed many of the principles he championed throughout his life. During his visits to the city, he closely observed its industrial organisation, workers’ associations, and traditions of collective production – experiences that helped shape and sharpen many of his economic ideas.

This edition includes a new introduction by Spontex, who reappraises Kropotkin’s arguments through the lens of contemporary communisation theory. They critically examine both the enduring strengths and unresolved tensions within Kropotkin’s vision: his faith in mutual aid, decentralised production, and revolutionary transformation, alongside the limitations of nineteenth-century anarchist optimism when confronted with modern capitalism, technological change, and the realities of contemporary class composition. This situates Kropotkin not simply as a historical figure, but as part of an ongoing debate about how communism might emerge and what obstacles continue to stand in its way.