Reading Kropotkin (1903, Mutual Aid, ch on the medieval city) sing the praises of the Medieval free city, of the principles of cooperation, localism, independence and interdependence enjoyed by its citizens, lamenting the nation state building of 16th century 1/
He thinks guilds are a natural and spontaneous way for people to organize themselves. Guilds respond "to a deeply inrooted want of human nature ; and it embodied all the attributes which the State appropriated later on for its bureaucracy and police, and much more than that." 2/
Contrast Kropotkin's sunny view of guilds with more negative appraisals, e.g., Adam Smith "People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices" 3/
Whereas, to Kropotkin, guilds were unavoidable, as people spontaneously into ("guilds of serfs, 3 guilds of freemen, and guilds of both serfs and freemen ; guilds called into life for
the special purpose of hunting, fishing, or a trading"), and desirable 4/
the special purpose of hunting, fishing, or a trading"), and desirable 4/
More broadly, Kropotkin thought "medieval city was a fortified oasis amidst a country plunged into feudal submission"
It's interesting how he anticipated localism, the idea of public interests and organizations (cf Dewey) and many more contemporary ideas /end
It's interesting how he anticipated localism, the idea of public interests and organizations (cf Dewey) and many more contemporary ideas /end
(@nescio13 did you blog about Smith and guilds?)
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