# The Statists — The Conquest of Bread character guide

> The Statists in The Conquest of Bread by Peter Kropotkin.

**Role:** minor

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

## Who they are

Advocates of state control, critiqued in the text.

## In the story

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

Criticized for focusing on political reorganization and neglecting the people's need for bread.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conquest_of_bread_se/chapters/iv)

Critics who predict food shortages and advocate for government control.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conquest_of_bread_se/chapters/vi)

Advocates of centralized authority who would rely on police, army, and guillotine to enforce food distribution.

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

Referenced as those who advocate state intervention to regulate railways and canals, against whom Kropotkin argues.

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

Addressed as believers in government who doubt society can function without central authority.

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

Criticized for arguing that state intervention is necessary to end exploitation, while ignoring the state's role in creating proletarians and supporting capital.

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

Implied as the State that fixes the working day, owns land and factories, and mediates disputes.

### [The Fallacy of Wage Distinctions](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conquest_of_bread_se/chapters/iii)

Implicitly criticized as those who would use state power to enforce wage hierarchies.

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

Implied as part of the oppressive system that taxes and plunders the cultivator.

## Links

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