Dynamite

This chapter explores the practical and ideological uses of dynamite among the revolutionary anarchists. It first describes the connections between Chicago's anarchists and Irish revolutionaries, before moving on to an examination of the symbolisms of dynamite that resonated with Chicago's anarchists and may even have emboldened them to act with a rashness and recklessness they would not have otherwise pursued. The chapter then turns to the methods of funds and acquisition of bombs for these anarchists, as well as the ideological ferment which accompanied the use of these explosives. A new age was advancing upon an alchemy of ingredients: the rising unity of the social revolutionaries built on a deeper understanding of the importance of force and deeds, a working class awakening from its lethargy, and the invention of dynamite.