Details

The Melbourne Anarchist Club was formed on 1 May 1886 by members of the Australasian Secular Assocation. It was located above a fruitshop in the Alexandra Theatre in Exhibition Street.

Verity Burgmann argues that 'By providing an organisational focus for the far left of the labour movement, the club probably contributed to the continuing conservatism of the Trades Hall. Certainly, the Club discouraged the growth of socialism, but when socialism did appear in Victoria, its libertarian nature owed much to the tradition of anarchism.' In our time (1985)

Resources

Journals

• Honesty, April 1887 to Nov 1888. Image PDF Details

Prospectus

• Prospectus of the Melbourne Anarchist Club, 1886. Transcript HTML Transcript PDF Details