The Knights Errant of Anarchy

Abstract

The political diaspora played a major part in the history of the international anarchist movement. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, hundreds of militants, escaping from domestic persecution and following their internationalist ideals, took the path of exile and established colonies in European and non-European countries. This book unveils the intriguing world of anarchist refugees in London from the second half of the nineteenth century to the outbreak of World War I. It combines an investigation of anarchist political organisations and activities with a study of the everyday life of militants by identifying the hitherto largely anonymous anarchist exiles from Italy who settled in London. Central to the book is an examination of the processes and associations through which these Italian anarchist exiles created an international revolutionary network which European and American governments and police forces esteemed to be an extremely dangerous threat. By investigating the political, social and cultural aspects of the colony of Italian anarchist refugees in London, the nature of the transnational anarchist diaspora and its relevance in the history of anarchy are made evident.