Anarchists of the Allegheny: German Radicalism in Gilded Age Pittsburgh

This project examines the previously understudied history of German American radical-leftist activism in Gilded Age and early Progressive Era Pittsburgh, challenging prevailing narratives that focus on German American anarchism in cities such as Chicago and New York. The traditional view of Pittsburgh’s labor radicalism tends to begin and end with the 1892 Homestead Strike. This focus obscures the city’s earlier contributions to national radical politics. This project argues that, contrary to popular history, Pittsburgh hosted a vibrant anarchist movement in the late nineteenth century. However, the movement was largely forgotten due to its distinctly German character, fragmentation through leftist infighting, suppression by local authorities, and the absence of a nationally defining confrontation, such as Chicago’s Haymarket Affair.

This study situates the rise of anarchism in Pittsburgh within the broader national context of industrial capitalism, mass European immigration, and the transatlantic radical networks. Pittsburgh’s rapid industrialization during the Gilded Age made it one of the most heavily exploited labor centers in the nation, creating conditions conducive to radical politics. German immigrants, many of them former artisans and highly literate workers, brought socialist and anarchist traditions from Europe, adapting them to the new challenges of American wage labor. Figures such as Joseph Frick, a central organizer in Pittsburgh’s radical scene, helped establish a network of German-speaking anarchist circles, socialist associations, and workers’ cultural clubs. These institutions, modeled after German social and political networks, blended political education with community life to create a subculture featuring parades, theater, and gatherings that reinforced a working-class culture of resistance.

The project utilizes original research focusing on newspaper archives and radical publications to reconstruct the networks and activities of Pittsburgh’s anarchists. This research highlights their participation in national events, such as the 1883 Pittsburgh Congress, where Johann Most, August Spies, and other leading radicals drafted the Pittsburgh Manifesto, which set forth the tenets of American anarchism. Despite this pivotal role, Pittsburgh’s movement remained overshadowed by Chicago’s more visible anarchist scene. After the Haymarket bombing, intensified surveillance, raids, and arrests decimated Pittsburgh’s anarchist circles. The death of Joseph Frick in 1891, followed by the imprisonment of key figures such as Carl Nold and Henry Bauer, further fragmented the movement, leaving it without coherent leadership or public voice.

By tracing these developments, the project explains why Pittsburgh, despite its industrial significance and active radical communities, failed to become a lasting center of anarchism in American memory. Ultimately, recovering Pittsburgh’s anarchist past reveals the extent to which industrial cities across the nation nurtured their own experiments in working-class radicalism, experiments that, while repressed and forgotten, remain vital for understanding both the limits and the resilience of labor movements in the history of American capitalism.

Visually, the poster will feature archival photos of popular spots for anarchist activity and meetings in Pittsburgh, excerpts from local periodicals, and a timeline of local events that connect to national movements. This design will highlight the geographic and cultural networks that made the city a hub of anarchist politics in Gilded Age America.