Biography
Alexander Berkman — anarchist with roots in the Russian Empire
Alexander Berkman emigrated from the Russian Empire as a teenager and became one of the most influential anarchist thinkers in American history. His 1892 attempted assassination of industrialist Henry Clay Frick earned him 14 years in prison; his Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist became a classic of radical literature.
Russian Connection
Tracing the roots — USA
Born in Vilnius (Russian Empire) in 1870, Berkman arrived in the US steeped in the radical politics of Russian Jewish emigrants. His lifelong partnership with Emma Goldman became the defining axis of American anarchism.
Family Tree
Subject
Alexander Berkman🇺🇸 USA
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Self
Vilnius
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Origin
USA🇷🇺
Key Achievements
A career defined by ambition
01
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist (1912) — landmark radical text
02
The ABC of Anarchism (1929)
03
Co-editor of Mother Earth magazine with Emma Goldman
04
Survived 14 years in Western Penitentiary of Pennsylvania
05
Deported to Soviet Russia 1919; later publicly disillusioned by Bolshevism
"The most violent element in society is ignorance."
Alexander Berkman
Sources