The dynamite club - John M Merriman

On a February evening in 1894, a young radical intellectual named mile Henry drank two beers at an upscale Parisian restaurant, then left behind a bomb as a parting gift. This incident, which rocked the French capital, lies at the heart ofThe Dynamite Club,a mesmerizing account of Henry and his cohorts and the war they waged against the bourgeoisie?setting off bombs in public places, killing the president of France, and eventually assassinating President McKinley in 1901.

Paris in the belle poque was a place of leisure, elegance, and power. Newly electrified, the city's wide boulevards were lined with posh department stores and outdoor cafs. But prosperity was limited to a few. Most lived in dire poverty, and workers and intellectuals found common cause in a political philosophy?anarchism?that embraced the overthrow of the state by any means necessary.

Yet in targeting civilians to achieve their ends, the dynamite bombers charted a new course. Seeking martyrdom, believing fervently in their goal, and provoking a massive government reaction that only increased their ranks, these "evildoers" became, in effect, the first terrorists in modern history.

Surprising and provocative,The Dynamite Clubis a brilliantly researched account that illuminates a period of dramatic social and political change?and subtly asks us to reflect upon our own.

Praise forThe Dynamite Club

"InThe Dynamite Club,John Merriman brings together his astonishing knowledge of nineteenth-century France, his unmatched skills as an archival ?detective,' his marvelously lucid writing style, and his uncanny talent for bringing historical figures to life. The result is a searing portrait of the tensions and violence that lurked behind the glittering faade of fin-de-sicle France and eerily foreshadowed the terrorist threat of the present day." ? David Bell, author ofThe Cult of the Nation in FranceandThe First Total War

"Those who think of terrorism as an inexplicable evil produced by an alien culture will have their eyes opened by this fascinating study of nineteenth-century anarchist terrorists . . . [An] absorbing true crime story, with Dostoyevskian overtones, about high ideals that motivate desperate acts." ?Publishers Weekly,starred review

"John Merriman has told an absorbing story of the strange world of anarchism in late-nineteenth-century France. Replete with uncanny and uncomfortable similarities to the ?war on terrorism' today,The Dynamite Clubportrays a society swept up in the fear of bombers who are certain that they are achieving immortality for a righteous cause. This saga of mile Henry and his motley crew of fellow anarchists is hard to put down." ? David Kertzer, author ofThe Kidnapping of Edgardo MortaraandAmalia's Tale