The Haymarket Tragedy

This is the definitive account of the Haymarket riot and the trial of the anarchists who were arrested for inciting the resulting riot that resulted in the deaths of several police officers. Had the police not attempted to disperse the crowd in such a heavy handed manner, it is most likely that no outrage would have occurred at all. Despite their radical views, the labor activists and political agitators who were put on... Read Full Review

Avrich details the events of the Haymarket affair, which devastated the anarchist community in 1886. On May 4, 1886, anarchists and workers conducted a meeting in Haymarket Square. They protested the police shooting of striking workers at the McCormick Reaper Works. At the conclusion of demonstration, police interrupted the last speaker and told crowd to disperse. A bomb was thrown at the police and exploded. The police... Read Full Review

This history of the Haymarket affair traces the lives and development of the principles in the drama from their earliest exposure to the labor movement, socialism, and anarchism and up to the tragic bombing in which they were falsly accused and ultimately executed. What makes Avrich special is in the way he does not shy away from the uncomfortable truth while strill retaining the idealistic values of the players in this... Read Full Review