Carlo Tresca: Portrait of a Rebel (Italian and Italian American Studies)

In his heyday, Carlo Tresca ranked among the most important radicals and labour activists in the United States, often sharing the spotlight with Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, 'Big Bill' Haywood, and Emma Goldman. A charismatic Italian anarchist who became a folk hero to immigrant and native-born workers alike, Tresca was described by comrades as a 'freelance revolutionary' because of his independent spirit and militant activism. During his wild and adventurous career spanning nearly forty years (1904-1943), Tresca pursued a range of activities unmatched by any of his radical contemporaries: independent newspaper editor, labour agitator and organizer, civil libertarian, foremost leader of the Italian American anti-fascist resistance, and an indomitable foe of Stalinism. Culminating over a decade of research, this fast-paced and vivid biography brings to life the volatile world of radical politics in early twentieth-century America through one of its foremost figures. Front Matter....Pages i-viii Introduction....Pages 1-5 Revolutionary Apprenticeship....Pages 7-19 Il Proletario....Pages 21-31 Freelance of Revolution....Pages 33-47 Lawrence....Pages 49-59 On to Paterson....Pages 61-72 Tresca and Flynn....Pages 73-84 From Union Square to Mesabi Range....Pages 85-93 Surviving Repression....Pages 95-102 Postwar Activities....Pages 103-112 Sacco and Vanzetti....Pages 113-121 New Enemies....Pages 123-134 Early Anti-Fascist Activities....Pages 135-145 Frame-Up....Pages 147-161 The Resistance Awakens....Pages 163-174 The Anti-Fascist Alliance....Pages 175-181 A Year of Violence and Death....Pages 183-194 Troubled Times for Anti-Fascism....Pages 195-208 The Depression and the New Deal....Pages 209-216 Fascism on the March....Pages 217-226 Taking on the Stalinists....Pages 227-236 The Town Anarchist....Pages 237-247 The Last Years....Pages 249-264 Murder in the Dimout....Pages 265-273 Theories and Investigations....Pages 275-288 Who Ordered Tresca’s Murder?....Pages 289-296 Back Matter....Pages 297-367 This biography reveals the life of one of the American left's most controversial and charismatic figures in the early twentieth century: anarchist, activist, and revolutionary Carlo Tresca. Emigrating to America at age twenty-five from Italy, Tresca became a leader in the fight for workers' rights, alongside activists like Elizabeth Gurley Flynn and Emma Goldman. Tresca played many roles for his cause: newspaper editor, labor agitator and organizer, civil libertarian, anti-fascist, and an indomitable foe of Stalinism. He continued to fight for the rights of the oppressed until gunned down by Mafioso Carmine Galante, a crime which would never be prosecuted. This engaging book not only relates Tresca's adventure-filled story, but brings to life the volatile world of radical politics in early twentieth century America "In this biography, Nunzio Pernicone reveals the life of Carlo Tresca, one of the most fascinating figures of the American left. A charismatic Italian anarchist who became a folk-hero to immigrant and native-born American workers, Tresca was described by comrades as a "freelance revolutionary" because of his independent spirit and militant activism. During his wild and adventurous career spanning nearly forty years (1904-1943), Tresca pursued a range of activities unmatched by any of his radical contemporaries: independent newspaper editor, labor agitator and organizer, civil libertarian, foremost leader of the Italian American anti-fascist resistance, and an indomitable foe of Stalinism The last of the "old school" immigrant revolutionaries, Tresca ranked among the most important radicals and labor activists in the United States, often sharing the spotlight with Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, "Big Bill" Haywood, Emma Goldman, and Alexander Berkman. This biography illuminates many forgotten chapters of the American radical and labor movement and provides a comprehensive exploration of the lost world of Italian American radicalism and antifascism."--Jacket