Arbeiter-Zeitung (Chicago)
Encyclopedia
The Arbeiter-Zeitung, also known as the Chicagoer Arbeiter-Zeitung, a German language
anarchist newspaper
, was started in Chicago
, Illinois
, in 1877 by veterans of the Great Railroad Strike of 1877
. It continued publishing through 1931. It was the first working-class newspaper in Chicago to last for a significant period, and sustained itself primarily through reader funding; the reader-owners removed several editors over its run due to disagreements over editorial policies.
The Haymarket Square bombing
provided a convenient excuse for the Chicago police to crack down on the Arbeiter-Zeitung. Its offices were raided, and speeches and writings published in the paper were frequently the chief "evidence" used to convict
and hang the anarchists who were arrested in its wake. Its editor, August Spies
, and a typesetter, Adolph Fischer
, were executed in the subsequent hysteria; business manager Oscar Neebe
and chief editorial assistant Michael Schwab
were sentenced to death, but later pardoned.
The library of the University of Cincinnati
has several years' holdings of the Arbeiter-Zeitung on microfilm in its German-Americana Collection.
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
anarchist newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, was started in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, in 1877 by veterans of the Great Railroad Strike of 1877
Great railroad strike of 1877
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 began on July 14 in Martinsburg, West Virginia, United States and ended some 45 days later after it was put down by local and state militias, and federal troops.-Economic conditions in the 1870s:...
. It continued publishing through 1931. It was the first working-class newspaper in Chicago to last for a significant period, and sustained itself primarily through reader funding; the reader-owners removed several editors over its run due to disagreements over editorial policies.
The Haymarket Square bombing
Haymarket affair
The Haymarket affair was a demonstration and unrest that took place on Tuesday May 4, 1886, at the Haymarket Square in Chicago. It began as a rally in support of striking workers. An unknown person threw a dynamite bomb at police as they dispersed the public meeting...
provided a convenient excuse for the Chicago police to crack down on the Arbeiter-Zeitung. Its offices were raided, and speeches and writings published in the paper were frequently the chief "evidence" used to convict
Conviction
In law, a conviction is the verdict that results when a court of law finds a defendant guilty of a crime.The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal . In Scotland and in the Netherlands, there can also be a verdict of "not proven", which counts as an acquittal...
and hang the anarchists who were arrested in its wake. Its editor, August Spies
August Spies
August Vincent Theodore Spies was an anarchist labor activist who was found guilty of conspiracy and hanged following a bomb attack on police at the Haymarket affair.-Background:...
, and a typesetter, Adolph Fischer
Adolph Fischer
Adolph Fischer was an anarchist and labor union activist tried and executed after the Haymarket Riot.-Early life:...
, were executed in the subsequent hysteria; business manager Oscar Neebe
Oscar Neebe
Oscar William Neebe I was an anarchist, labor activist and one of the defendants in the Haymarket bombing trial.-Early life:...
and chief editorial assistant Michael Schwab
Michael Schwab
Michael Schwab was a German-American labor organizer and one of the defendants in the Haymarket Square incident.-Early years:...
were sentenced to death, but later pardoned.
The library of the University of Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
has several years' holdings of the Arbeiter-Zeitung on microfilm in its German-Americana Collection.
