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“The Bomb Plot of Zurich” : Indian Nationalism, Italian Anarchism and the First World War

Laursen, Ole LU (2017) p.135-154
Abstract
This essay explores the so-called ‘Bomb Plot of Zürich’, in which the Indian nationalists Virendranath Chattopadhyaya and Abdul Hafiz of the Indian Independence Committee collaborated with the German Foreign Office and a band of Swiss-based Italian anarchists led by Arcangelo Cavadini and Luigi Bertoni to smuggle German-manufactured bombs, weapons and poison into Switzerland and Italy in the summer of 1915. This was a prime example of the solidarities and overlaps between, in principle, conflicting ideologies of Indian nationalism, German imperialism and Italian anarchism. The essay draws primarily on proceedings from the Swiss Federal Court and aims to situate the event within both the histories of the Indian nationalist movement abroad... (More)
This essay explores the so-called ‘Bomb Plot of Zürich’, in which the Indian nationalists Virendranath Chattopadhyaya and Abdul Hafiz of the Indian Independence Committee collaborated with the German Foreign Office and a band of Swiss-based Italian anarchists led by Arcangelo Cavadini and Luigi Bertoni to smuggle German-manufactured bombs, weapons and poison into Switzerland and Italy in the summer of 1915. This was a prime example of the solidarities and overlaps between, in principle, conflicting ideologies of Indian nationalism, German imperialism and Italian anarchism. The essay draws primarily on proceedings from the Swiss Federal Court and aims to situate the event within both the histories of the Indian nationalist movement abroad as well as the Italian anarchist movement. It argues that, during the geo-political context of the First World War, the Indian nationalists forged strategic alliances with strange bedfellows to overthrow the British Empire. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
keywords
anarchism, Anti-colonial resistance, terrorism
host publication
Anarchism, 1914-18 : Internationalism, anti-militarism and war - Internationalism, anti-militarism and war
editor
Kinna, Ruth and Adams, Matthew
pages
18 pages
publisher
Manchester University Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:85077784476
ISBN
9781526128188
9781784993412
DOI
10.7228/manchester/9781784993412.003.0007
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
9d4dc9f3-4d3f-4908-809e-ef7d518ff942
date added to LUP
2023-10-05 16:15:04
date last changed
2024-06-28 08:27:08
@inbook{9d4dc9f3-4d3f-4908-809e-ef7d518ff942,
  abstract     = {{This essay explores the so-called ‘Bomb Plot of Zürich’, in which the Indian nationalists Virendranath Chattopadhyaya and Abdul Hafiz of the Indian Independence Committee collaborated with the German Foreign Office and a band of Swiss-based Italian anarchists led by Arcangelo Cavadini and Luigi Bertoni to smuggle German-manufactured bombs, weapons and poison into Switzerland and Italy in the summer of 1915. This was a prime example of the solidarities and overlaps between, in principle, conflicting ideologies of Indian nationalism, German imperialism and Italian anarchism. The essay draws primarily on proceedings from the Swiss Federal Court and aims to situate the event within both the histories of the Indian nationalist movement abroad as well as the Italian anarchist movement. It argues that, during the geo-political context of the First World War, the Indian nationalists forged strategic alliances with strange bedfellows to overthrow the British Empire.}},
  author       = {{Laursen, Ole}},
  booktitle    = {{Anarchism, 1914-18 : Internationalism, anti-militarism and war}},
  editor       = {{Kinna, Ruth and Adams, Matthew}},
  isbn         = {{9781526128188}},
  keywords     = {{anarchism; Anti-colonial resistance; terrorism}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{135--154}},
  publisher    = {{Manchester University Press}},
  title        = {{“The Bomb Plot of Zurich” : Indian Nationalism, Italian Anarchism and the First World War}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.7228/manchester/9781784993412.003.0007}},
  doi          = {{10.7228/manchester/9781784993412.003.0007}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}