World That Never Was

A thrilling history of the rise of anarchism, told through the stories of several violent revolutionaries and the secret police who pursued them. In the late nineteenth century, nations the world over were mired in economic recession and beset by social unrest, their leaders increasingly threatened by acts of terrorism and assassination from anarchist radicals. In this comprehensively researched, riveting history of that tumultuous period, historian Alex Butterworth follows the rise of these violent revolutionaries from the failed Paris Commune of 1871 to the 1905 Russian Revolution. Through the interwoven stories of several key anarchists and the secret police who tracked them, Butterworth explains how, as the anarchists' ideals were gradually defeated, their frustrations led many of them to increasingly desperate acts of terrorism and murder. A masterly exploration of the strange twists and turns of history, The World That Never Was ranges across five continents and is rich with anecdote and a surprising cast of supporting characters, from Victor Hugo to Wyatt Earp. Here is the story of a generation that saw their utopian dreams crumble into dangerous desperation. It is a revelatory portrait of an era with uncanny echoes of our own. From the Hardcover edition.