Seething With the Ideal: Galleanisti and Class Struggle in Late Nineteenth‐century and Early Twentieth‐century Usa

Abstract

It is the purpose of this article to initiate a reevaluation of the place of the Galleanisti and insurrectionary anarchism in relation to working‐class struggle. Regardless of the breadth and weight of anarchist philosophy, the shady, bomb‐throwing, wild‐eyed, and bushy bearded fanatic is a caricature that still persists in coloring the movement. Accordingly, historical accounts of the Galleanisti tend to emphasize the “extremism” of their ideas as a means of accounting for the violence surrounding the group. I will highlight the relatively unexceptional nature of Galleanisti in the context of tactics commonly employed by labor militants of the era, the frequency of violence and revolutionary reprisal within leftist discourse, and the popularity and influence of Galleanisti ideals. Through this, I intend to reposition the Galleanisti as a political tendency situated within, articulating the demands of, and acting in defense of, their own working‐class communities.

In the Shell of the Old: Anarchist Geographies of Territorialisation

“…Early anarchists undertook “propaganda by the deed” as a proto‐prefigurative deconstruction of statist‐capitalist apparatus, often painted as terrorism due to some participation in targeted acts of political violence. Despite some broader working class support at certain points (Wellbrook 2009), later anarchists took inspiration from other prefigurative practices enacted in the era of classical anarchism such as co‐operative cultural and productive enterprises, libertarian schooling and member‐run anarchist unions and tenants’ groups.…”

The shape of geography to come

“…Springer is perhaps attempting to cover too much in too little space, leading to some simplifications that sometimes obscure the much more fundamental point he is trying to convey. I do not wish to dwell on these issues, but from an anarchist perspective, for example, discussions of violence are far more complex than a simple division between a violent and out-of-touch minority perpetrating 'propaganda of the deed' and the morally respectable non-violent majority (Wellbrook, 2009). Anarchist debates on violence have raged for over a century, and alongside Springer's persuasive argument, there are also convincing arguments indicating how an unyielding focus on non-violence can in fact serve to strengthen the oppressive structures and relations we seek to dismantle (Gelderloos, 2007).…”