# Rothschild — The Conquest of Bread character guide

> Rothschild in The Conquest of Bread by Peter Kropotkin.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** the Rothschilds, Rothschilds

**First appearance:** 0001-the-conquest-of-bread

## Snapshot

The name that stands for concentrated wealth in Kropotkin's argument, a symbol of the few who profit from the inheritance of all humanity.

## Who they are

Rothschild represents the capitalist class whose fortunes rest on the accumulated labour of generations, the small elite who own what everyone produced. Kropotkin uses the name to expose the absurdity of private ownership over a common inheritance, contrasting the banker's hoard with the plenty already within reach. This figure matters because the book's central case, that we are richer than we think, requires a villain to explain why that wealth feeds so few.

## Relationships

### [The Socialists](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conquest_of_bread_se/characters/the_socialists)

_rivalry_

Rothschild, as a symbol of capitalist finance, was a frequent target of socialist critique and class struggle rhetoric.

### [Murillo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conquest_of_bread_se/characters/murillo)

_social_

Murillo, a painter, and Rothschild, a banker, likely crossed paths in art patronage circles, with Rothschild collecting art.

## In the story

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conquest_of_bread_se/chapters/i)

Cited in an anecdote about his stratagem during the Revolution of 1848 to avoid expropriation by offering to return four shillings to anyone who asked.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conquest_of_bread_se/chapters/ii)

Referenced as a symbol of the wealthy capitalist whose gold cannot breed more in an anarchist society where no one would work for starvation wages.

### [Free Agreement](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conquest_of_bread_se/chapters/xi-free-agreement)

Cited as a financier whose capital, backed by European states, gives him undue advantage in railway enterprises.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conquest_of_bread_se/chapters/ii)

Cited as an example of a wealthy financier whose investments in railways are favored by state ministers to increase his profits.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conquest_of_bread_se/characters/rothschild
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conquest_of_bread_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conquest_of_bread_se/characters