George Julian Harney

Overview

George Julian Harney was one of the half-dozen most important leaders of Chartism. A key figure in the history of English radicalism, Harney witnessed the Chartist movement from 1830s through to the beginnings of socialism from the 1880s and wrote about a range of topics during that time, including literature, foreign affairs, and politics. He wrote about literature, foreign affairs, and politics, subjects that should interest anyone with an interest in Victorian Studies. In his youth Harney was an admirer of the most radical figures of the French Revolution. The youngest member of the first Chartist Convention, he was an advocate of physical-force Chartism in 1838, and he greatest output of writings came from 1843through 1850 when he worked at the Northern Star. This selection from the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle is the first book to reprint any of his journalism.

Reviews

"His subjects range from top hats and Turks (of which he approved) to theosophy and free trade (which he disliked). But the collection brings to life one of Britain's most interesting lost radicals."  —Guardian

Author Biography

David Goodway taught sociology, history, and Victorian studies at the University of Leeds from 1969 to 2005. For the last 20 years he has written principally on anarchism and libertarian socialism and he is the author of several books, including Anarchist Seeds beneath the Snow: Left-Libertarian Thought and British Writers from William Morris to Colin Ward.