The turn from the 19th to the 20th century was marked by riotous political activity. Communism and anarchism coursed through the United States and Europe, reframing how people thought about society and its organization. This was the time of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, and Peter Kropotkin. One of the lesser-known activists of this era was Johann Most. Born in 1846, Most was connected to several communist and anarchist circles in the decentralized German states of the nineteenth century.
What made Most stand out, however—and possibly what drew author Tom Goyens to write a full biography for him—was his especially fiery nature, his friction with authorities and comrades, and the series of imprisonments and relocations that this resulted in. Most moves (or is banished to, depending on perspective) different German states, London, and finally New York City. His tale is of squabble following squabble, one defeat after another.
Goyens, in the introduction to Johann Most: Life of a Radical, gives us some of Most’s productive traits: “Most had edited four influential radical periodicals, produced four collections of revolutionary songs, authored thirty-three original pamphlets, and penned an untold number of fiery editorials […] Yet in all his tireless activism, Most sought no personal gain.”
Why have we not heard more of him? “The historiography of German socialism has been particularly unkind to Most, largely due to the harsh criticisms of his former colleagues and subsequent socialist historians.” Historian Thomas Welskopp described Most as a “haranguer and buffoon.” A contemporary colleague said that “All too often, Most spoke of things he didn’t understand.” And Most’s own student, the more famous—or infamous, depending on your political leanings—Emma Goldman, described Most as “a […] coward, a liar, an actor, and also a wimp.”
The world seems to be against Most. Even this biography, which aims to offer a more neutral take on the anarchist, leaves one inclined to agree with his critics. Regardless of political leanings, it is hard to say what Most truly achieved in his lifetime. It’s difficult to leave a legacy when so much time is spent alienating colleagues and repeatedly changing your standpoint—or as Goyens kindly puts it, to be “a man constantly adapting.”
One position that changed considerably, depending on circumstances, was Most’s views on violence. Most’s most enduring legacy is his popularization of the “propaganda of the deed,” a direct action designed to influence public opinion. This can include physical violence, and in a paper of 1883, Most excitedly encourages “the indiscriminate use of violence,” recommends “lynch justice,” and states that “isolated executions are not without benefit.”
Later, after an associate fails to assassinate one of Andrew Carnegie’s managers, Most burst into rage: “‘Why didn’t they consult me?’ he shouted furiously. ‘I would have explained the situation to them. I’m an old veteran in the movement and know that everything has its time and place, and this assassination was inappropriate.’” At other times, when held on trial for his rhetoric, Most would take the position that he did not agitate for violence. Ultimately, Most himself did almost nothing but write and speak.
Regardless of Goyen’s neutrality, the history and speech of Most speak for themselves. One cannot say that Most is a terribly interesting figure either—it is again hard to say what he did of lasting value for his own movement or for the history of thought in general. His campaigns in the United States were limited, as Most stuck to his native German and never learned a working form of English. The reader may be tempted to view Most and his narrative as a sort of comedy, but Life of a Radical is an academic work, and not recommended to the general reader. Footnotes are copious, tracing Most’s journeys through Europe and America, giving one agitated speech after another.
It’s possible to find some interesting elements hidden between the lines. Most, initially interested in becoming an actor, lived the archetype of the frustrated artist who becomes a volatile politician. There are also some odd implications involving one of Most’s wives, a male colleague, a female student of Most’s, and a burgeoning free-love movement within the German American anarchists. For the most part, the narrative of Life of a Radical and Most himself are too focused on the speaking circuit and the production of the anarchist journal Freiheit to unearth the family drama—and anyway, in all likelihood, the primary sources are lacking. Overall, this is the sort of book best used in a university course, or for academic research into anarchist movements of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries.
Perhaps we may find some life lessons in Life of a Radical. Even if you are a radical, it’s good to form healthy working relationships with others. Moving around too much, too often, can leave you isolated. And it’s important to find a truth you can stay a believer in, a rock you can build a platform on—or to find a mentor you trust.
NONFICTION
Johann Most: Life of a Radical
By Tom Goyens
University of Illinois Press
Published December 9, 2025
