The Bonnot Gang: The Story Of The French Illegalists

194 Pages·1987·3.8 MB·English

by  Richard Parry

by
RicharPda rry

THE BONNOT GANG
Thes toroyf t heF renchi llegalists
OtheRre bePlr estsi tles:
DynamAi tec:e ntuorfcy l avsiso liennA cmee riLcoaui,s
Adamic
Egoa nidt Osw nT,h eM,ax S tirner
Ont hPeo veorfty StLufdiee nt
PariMsa:y 1 968
QuiReutm ouvrasr,io us
RevoluoftE ivoenr yLdfiae,Ty h ,eR aouVla neigem
UntyitnhgKe n oFtr,e emaann dL evine
THE
BON NOT
GANG
by
RicharPda rry
REBEPLR ESS1,98 7
PublisbhyeR de bePlr esisn1 987
© RichaPradr r1y9,8 6
Photograwpohrikbc y
Matthew PaanrdHr eyr ve Brix
ISBN0 946060141
Printaenddt ypesbeytA ldgaPtree ss
84bW hitechaHpieglhS treeLto,n doEnl 7 QX
Contents
Prefa5c e
One Fromi llegatloii ltlye gma lis
Makinvgi rtoufne e ces9s ity
ii SainMta x1 5
Two A newb eginning
Libertad21
ii Citoyft hie2v8e s
iiiS tatoefe merge3n0c y
Three The rebels
i·B russ3e3l s
ii P4a2r is
III Blooodn t hset re4e4t s
iv Stri4k5e !
Four Anarchiyns uburbia
Them ov4e7
ii TheR omainviclolmem un5e1
iii'C ollaopfst eh eR omainvciolmlmeu n5e7
iv Pariasg ai6n 0
Five Bonnot
I The' LitCtolrep or6a4l '
ii Ins earocfhw or6k5
III Theil lega6l6i st
IV Accidendteaalt ha noa fn arc7hi0s t
Six Theg angf orms
A meetionfge goi7s3t s
11 Scienocnet hes idoeft hPer olet7a5r iat
iiiL ookifnogar t arg7e6t
Seven Theb irtohft ragedy
I Thef iresvte hro ld-buypc a8r0
ii Crimed oesnp'at8y 4
111 Jeusxa nfsr onti8e8r es
iv Victodri'lse m8m9a
EightK ingosft hreo ad
i DriviSno'u t9h4
ii The lheafntdo fd arkne9s7s
iii Stalem9a9t e
Nine Calmb efotrhese t orm
1 'Simteonf1f'0 3
ii Ofh umanb onda1g0e4
iiiD ieudoninnte h heo ts ea1t0 8
iv Garnierc'hsa lle1n0g9e
Ten Kingosft hreo a(dp arttw o)
1 Atta1c1k3
ii Staotfes ie1g1e7
ElevenT heS uretefigbhatcsk
Toc atcan ha narch1i2s0t
11 Hidea nds ee1k2 3
iii Exit J1o2u6i n
TwelveT wiligohftt h idoel s
Thew ratohfG uicha1r2d9
11 Shoot-aot'u Tth Ree dN est1'3 3
iiiO bituar1i3e7s
iv Tot hNeo gent st1a3t9i on
v Thel asbta tt1l4e2
ThirteeInnt hbee lolfyt hbee ast
1 Limb1o4 7
ii Judgeme1n5t2
iiiE xecut1i5o9n
FourteeTnh ee ndo fa narchi1s6m6?
Epilog1u7e5
Mapo fP arics.1 9111 78
AppendAi 1x7 9
Bibliogr1a8p2h y
Inde1x8 6
Preface
ON THE EVE ofW orlWda rO nea n umbeorf y ounagn archciasmtes
togethienPr a ridse termitnoes de ttslceo rweist bho urgesooicsi ety.
Theierx plowietrset ob ecomlee gendary.
TheF rencphr esdsu bbetdh em' ThBeo nnoGta nga'f ttehre o ldest
'memberJ'u,l eBso nnota, thirty-yoenaer -omledc haniacn d
professional chraodor ke cewnhatolr yr ivferdo mL yonT.h eo ther
mainc haractOecrtsa,vG ea rniReary,m onCda llemRienn,eV aleEtl,i e
Moniearn dA ndrSeo udwye rael ilnt hevierr eya rtlwye ntiAe hso.s otf
othecro mrades prloalyteehsda w te rere levtaont th em ains torayn,dI
apologiinaz dev anfcoetr h ep lethoofrn aa mewsi twhh icthh en arrative
abounds.
Thes o-cal'lgeadn gh'o,w evehra,d n eithae nra men orl eaders,
althouigths eemst hatB onnoatn dG arnipelra yetdh ep rincipal
motivatrionlge Tsh.e y wenroeta close-kcnriimti nbaaln di nt he
classsitcyallbe u,tr athae urn ioonf e goisatsss ocifaotread c ommon
purposAem.o ngscto mradtehse wye rek nowna s' illegawlhiiscths ',
signifmioerdet hatnh es implfea ctth atth ecya rrioeudti lleagcatls .
Illegaaclt ivhiatsya lwaybse enp arot ft hea narchtirsatd ition,
especiianlF lrya ncaen,d s ot hes torbye giwnist ahb risekf etocfht he
theoarnyd p ractoifci el legwailtihttiyhn em ovemenbte fotrheet u ronf
thec enturTyh.ei llegailnit shtiss study, dhiofwfeevfrererod,mt he
activoifsp trse vioyuesa risnt hatth ey haaq du itdei fferceonntc eption
oft hep urpoosfei lleagcatli vity.
As anarchiinsdti viduatlhiescyta sm,ef roma miliewuh osemo st
importatnhte oretiincsapli rawtaisou nn doubteMdalxy S tirne-r
whosweo rkT heE goa ndI tOsw n remaitnhsem ostp owerfnuelg ation
oft heS tatea,n da ffirmatoifo tnh ei ndividtuoad la,t eY.o ung
anarchitsotosku p Stirneird'esa wsi thr elisahn,d t heh ybrid
'anarchist-indiwvaisdb uoarnl aissa m n'e w andv igorous current
withtihne a narchmiosvte ment.
InP aritsh,im si liweaus c entroendt hew eeklpya pelra',n arcahnide
6 ThBeonnotGang
theC auesriPeosp ula(riergeudslia src ussgiroonu pmse etiinngs everal
differleoncta tiionan nsd a rountdh ec apietaaclwh e ek)b,o tohf w hich
weref oundebdyA lberLti bertaanddh isa ssociaIttwe ass.h erteh at
'illegafloiusnmfd'e rtsiolieal n dt ookro ots,u cht hatth es ubsequent
histoorfyt he illeigsac lliosstesbl oyu ndu p witht heh istory of
la'n archie.
Oneo ft hee ditoorfts h iwse ekly was KViibcatlocrh liacthte,or b e
bettkenro wna sV ictor Stehrepg reo,- Bolshwerviitaken rdo pponeonft
StalinAits m.t he otfit mhei s shtoowrye,v ehre,w asn otj usat c lose
associoafst eev er'aill legabluitws atssa 'l,so on eo ft hem osto utspoken
oft hea narchist-indiavnided duiatlooifrls t'sa,n atrob cohotiA.ses uch,
hiesa rclya reaesra r evolutiiosan acreyn trtahlr eiandt hes toroyft he
BonnoGta nga,l thoutghhip se rioofdh ilsi fwea sg lossoevdeb ry S erge
himsealnfdh asb een subseqiugennotrlbeyyd c ontemporpaorlyi tical
writewrhsow istho k eehpi ma s' theoiwrn 'I.tt herefsoereem mso re
fittifnogr t hep urposoefts h insa rrattiovu es eh isn omde plumLee,
Reft,oi rh isr eanla meK,i balchriacthh,te hra 'nS ergaep 's,e Udonym
hed idn ota doputn tfiivle y earafst ehr ef ounhdi msefilgfh tifnoghr i s
lifaesa defendiannt th em asst rioafl1 913.
Despitthee siarn guineaxrpyl oits',Bo ntnhGoeat n gr'e maiansm uch
a chaptienrt heh istoorfay n archiasstm h ea ctiviotfRi aevsa chionl
Francoert heD urruCtoil umnin SpainT.o pusht heisrt ortyoo ne
sideor,t ot reaitta sa 'darski deo'fa narchisbme g tloo ssoevde orr
ignoriesdt ,ob eu nfaitthoft uhleh istoorfay n archaissam w holeO.n
theo thehra ndh,o wevetrh,o sweh ow oulgdl amoroirzm ea keh erooefs
thei llegaalriefs atisl tions ge et hatth ewye ren ota ta lelx traordinary
peoplea,noarr chsiuspte rmeWnh.a ti sre markaabbloeu tth emi st hat
althouagsyh o unsgo nosf t oilt heilri vceosu leda sihlayv el edt ot he
slaveorfyt hef actoorry t het renc,ht ehseyc hosneo tt or esign
themseltvose usc ah fate.
Thisb ooki sn ota novelt;h en oveliasptp'rso accehr taiandldys
dramattiecn siaonnd v igoubru,t I wouldn otl ikteo b eg uilotfy
spuricohusa racterizIanat niyco ansseI.c, e rtaicnoluyln do th avdeo ne
bettetrh anM alcolMme nziebso'o kE n ExiClh eLze sH ommes
(unrftounatoenllyya vailaibnFl ree ncha)n ds oh avew ritten Iw hat
hopew ilpla sass a 'history'.
Heret,h eq uestioof'n h istotrriuctarhle' a ristu sg lhye ads:o meo f
thes torrye maivnesr oyb scufroesr e verraela soTnos b.e giwni thn,o ne
oft hes urvivpianrgt iciapdamnittst tehde giuri lattl, e ast until after the
endo ft hes ubsequmeansts tIrtiw aalsp. a rotft hea narchciosdte never
toa dmitto a nythionrgg i vien formattoit ohnea uthoriEtqiueasl.li yt,
wasa lmosat d utyto h elopt hecro mradiensn eeda,n dif thimse ant
perjutrosy a vteh emf ronib ourgejouisst itchee,sn o b ei tH.e ncteh e
difficuilnkt nyo winwgh ow ast elling 'thTeh ostwerh uota hf't.e rwards
wrotseh or'tm emoiorfst'e gnl amoriozrre idd icupleerds oonrse vents,