Biography: Luigi Galleani

Luigi Galleani (1861-1931) was a major 20th century anarchist born in Vercelli Italy. Famous internationally, he was a proponent of propaganda by the deed. Galleani became versed in legal and political theory at the University of Turin while acquiring a law degree. As a fervent supporter of Anarchism, he was wanted by the Italian police. Consequently, Galleani fled Turin before completing his degree in 1880. Galleani wound up in France, where he would spend 20 years. He spent a brief period in Switzerland before being deported. Galleani was deported soon after arriving in France, and returned to Italy. In Italy he was arrested and detained for several years in prison and on the island of Pantelleria. He married a woman on the island and fathered four children by her. He escaped the island to Egypt, where he was soon in danger of extradition. Fearing a return to Italy, Galleani fled to England, where he immigrated to the United States, settling initially in New Jersey where he was editor of La Questione Sociale. In 1902, Galleani was wounded at a demonstration during the Patterson silk strike, and later indicted for inciting to riot. He fled to Canada, where he was literally thrown across the border. Arriving in Barre Vermont, Galleani found refuge with the Italian stone masons in the area. He was the founder and editor of the Cronaca Sovversiva, a major Italian anarchist periodical which ran for a period of about 15 years before being shut down by the U.S. government. Several books that bear his name are excerpts from Cronaca Sovversiva. The one exception is La Fine dell'anarchismo? (The End of Anarchism?) in which Galleani asserts that Anarchy is far from dead, but in fact is a force to be reckoned with.

See a timeline of important events in Galleani's lifetime.