James Guillaume (16 February 1844 – 20 November 1916) was a Swiss anarchist and writer who was a leading member of the Jura federation, one of the anarchist wings of the First International. Later, Guillaume would take an active role in the founding of the Anarchist St. Imier International.

Life

Guillaume was born in London on 16 February 1844, the son of George Guillaume and his wife Marie Suzanne Glady. George Guillaume ran the London branch of a Neuchâtel watchmaking factory. His brother, also named George, would later become a communard.

In 1909, James Guillaume assisted Peter Kropotkin with the research in preparing his book, "The Great French Revolution, 1789-1793," particularly helping with regards to the resolutions (arrêtés) of 4 August 1789, where the Assembly declared that it is acting with both constituent and legislative power. Guillaume is said to have played a key role in Peter Kropotkin's conversion to anarchism.

Writings

  • L'Internationale: Documents et Souvenirs (1864–1878), 4 vols., reprinted in 1969 by Burt Franklin Publishing, New York.
  • Ideas on Social Organization
  • Pestalozzi : étude biographique (1890), Hachette, Paris.
  • Michael Bakunin, a Biography (1907)
  • Karl Marx, pangermaniste, et l’Association internationale des travailleurs de 1864 à 1870 (1915), A. Colin, Paris.

He also edited five of the six volumes of Bakunin's collected works (in French), which included the first biography of Bakunin.

See also

  • Manifesto of the Sixteen
  • Paul Brousse
  • Lyon and Besançon Commune

References

Sources

Part of James Guillaume's archives are conserved in the "Archives de l'État de Neuchâtel". The collection contains correspondence, notes, articles and memorabilia.

About James Guillaume

  • Anarchy Archives, Guillaume page
  • Research blog dedicated to James Guillaume

James Guillaume works

  • James Guillaume Archive at Marxists.org
  • James Guillaume Archive at TheAnarchistLibrary.org
  • James Guillaume Archive at RevoltLib.com
  • Archive of James Guillaume Papers at the International Institute of Social History