Portal:Anarchism/Selected article/December 2008

The Manifesto of the Sixteen (French: Manifeste des seize), or Proclamation of the Sixteen, was a document drafted in 1916 by anarchists Peter Kropotkin (pictured) and Jean Grave, which advocated an Allied victory over Germany and the Central Powers during World War I. It was the position of Kropotkin and the other signatories that the forces of German imperialism constituted a major threat to the working class of the world and must be defeated.

The document is named after the original number of signatories, but incorrectly counts sixteen names, rather than the proper fifteen, due to a misreading of the text. It was first published in La Bataille Syndicaliste. The position of the manifesto was in stark contrast to that of most anarchists of the day, many of whom denounced the signatories and their sympathizers, and accused them of betraying anarchist principles. (read more...)