Deportation, its meaning and menace; last message to the people of America

by Alexander Berkman, Emma Goldman

Deportation, its meaning and menace; last message to the people of America (1919])

Genres: Nonfiction

30 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 22, 2010

About the author

Alexander Berkman was an anarchist known for his political activism and writing. He was a leading member of the anarchist movement in the early 20th century.

Berkman was born in Vilna in the Russian Empire (present-day Vilnius, Lithuania) and emigrated to the United States in 1888. He lived in New York City, where he became involved in the anarchist movement. He was the lover and lifelong friend of anarchist Emma Goldman. In 1892, Alexander Berkman tried to assassinate Henry Clay Frick for his role in violently suppressing the Homestead Steel Strike for which he served 14 years in prison. His experience in prison was the basis for his first book, Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist.

After his release from prison, Berkman served as editor of Goldman's anarchist journal, Mother Earth, and he established his own journal, The Blast. In 1917, Berkman and Goldman were sentenced to two years in jail for conspiracy against the newly instated draft. After their release from prison, they were arrested—along with hundreds of others—and deported to Russia. Initially supportive of that country's Bolshevik revolution, Berkman soon voiced his opposition to the Soviet's use of terror after seizing power and their repression of fellow revolutionaries. In 1925, he published a book about his experiences, The Bolshevik Myth.

While living in France, Berkman continued his work in support of the anarchist movement, producing the classic exposition of anarchist principles, Now and After: The ABC of Communist Anarchism. Suffering from ill health, Berkman committed suicide in 1936.

More: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/...

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/goldman/...

http://www.nndb.com/people/137/000165...

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly polemic, and occasional material which would be of interest to a historian. This was before she was disenfranchised with Bolshevism, so there is some sympathy for them here which I think ruins a lot of it. In fact when she lumps herself in with the state socialists she almost provides a cogent justification for her own deportation. In any case there is not much analysis here worthy of note, but its a nice fiery pamphlet style document.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many interesting points in the first half which are very relevant to our current age. The second half unfortunately is mostly just quotes from the US founding fathers though. It was a pamphlet directed towards gaining the sympathies of the US proletariat though, so I can understand the reasoning.

[Starkcorp Awo · Rating 5 out of 5]

These comics are definitely entertaining

[R. Reddebrek · Rating 5 out of 5]

A strong warning of the violence of borders and deportations and how citizenship as a concept can be used as a weapon.

[Judith Smulders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite several ridiculous claims by Alexander Berkman such as "there have been no pogroms in Soviet Russia" (claimed this in 1919 during which the Russian civil war left a trail of jews murdered by the reds as well as the whites) and that "America is on the treshold of the social revolution" the pamphlet gives great insight into the movement for social equality and unionism in the United States after the Great War. Berkman describes the struggle of socialists and anarchists against participation in the wareffort in Europe and the crack-down upon these activists after the peace had been signed. Most of all the book carries significant weight in explaining the efforts of governments who are interested in protecting capital, private wealth and meagre workers rights against any form of public dissent. This message is still very accurate, especially in the U.S. where the mohawk valley-formula after World War II carried out the task of getting rid of strikes and opposition to workers exploitation.

[Luís Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnífico! Sintéticas, inteligentes e profundamente humanistas as palavras de Emma Goldmann e Berkman neste livro! Uma vez mais, toda a gente deveria ler este livro!
(lido em Chengdu, China)