Social Democracy History Archive: Commonweal 1885 - 1891
Commonweal, Volume 7 (1891)
A Revolutionary Journal of Anarchist CommunismThis page lists PDF scans of the seventh volume of Commonweal, covering most the fifth year of the paper. Several issues are missing. These scans were originally put in the public domain by the University of Michigan. If you have a copy of the missing issues please let MIA know!
1891 was a year of rapid change for Commonweal as the Socialist League collapsed. Ownership of Commonweal was transferred to the new London Socialist League, with C.W. Mowbray acting as their publisher. Frank Kitz remained as secretary for a short time, but his last short note in the paper was in February and by March 1891 he had 'no further connection with the London Socialist League'. T. Cantwell was the new secretary, and D.J. Nicoll and R.W. Burnie the editors of the paper. Given the lack of funds for the new organisation, publication continued as a monthly only with the banner heading "Commonweal - A Journal of Revolutionary Socialism". In May the paper switched to a weekly format of only four pages, with the heading 'Commonweal - A Revolutionary Journal of Anarchist Communism'. The Morrisian 'statement of principles', previously published in every issue, was dropped.
The new format was in part encouraged by the police agent Auguste Conlon, and under his influence the Commonweal moved away from the original concentration of the anarchist group on rent strikes to an increasing emphasis on dynamite, chemistry classes, and physical attacks on the police, though the paper also reprinted articles by well-known anarchists such as Most, Elise Reclus, Louise Michel and Kropotkin.
1891 January Volume 7, No. 257 January, 1891 February Volume 7, No. 258 February, 1891 March Volume 7, No. 259 March, 1891 April Volume 7, No. 260 April, 1891 May Volume 7, No. 261 2nd May, 1891 [MISSING] Volume 7, No. 262 9th May, 1891 Volume 7, No. 263 16th May, 1891 [MISSING] Volume 7, No. 264 23th May, 1891 Volume 7, No. 265 30th May, 1891 June Volume 7, No. 266 6th June, 1891 Volume 7, No. 267 13th June, 1891 Volume 7, No. 268 20th June, 1891 Volume 7, No. 269 27th June, 1891 July Volume 7, No. 270 4th July, 1891 Volume 7, No. 271 11th July, 1891 Volume 7, No. 272 18th July, 1891 Volume 7, No. 273 25th July, 1891 [MISSING] August Volume 7, No. 274 1st August, 1891 Volume 7, No. 275 8th August, 1891 Volume 7, No. 276 15th August, 1891 Volume 7, No. 277 22nd August, 1891 [MISSING] Volume 7, No. 278 29th August, 1891 September Volume 7, No. 279 5th September, 1891 Volume 7, No. 280 12th September, 1891 Volume 7, No. 281 19th September, 1891 Volume 7, No. 282 26th September, 1891 October Volume 7, No. 283 3rd October, 1891 Volume 7, No. 284 10th October, 1891 Volume 7, No. 285 17th October, 1891 Volume 7, No. 286 24th October, 1891 Volume 7, No. 287 31st October, 1891 November Volume 7, No. 288 7th November, 1891 Volume 7, No. 289 14th November, 1891 Volume 7, No. 290 21st November, 1891 Volume 7, No. 291 28th November, 1891 December Volume 7, No. 292 5th December, 1891 Volume 7, No. 293 12th December, 1891 Volume 7, No. 294 19th December, 1891 [MISSING] Volume 7, No. 295 26th December, 1891 [MISSING]