Max Nettlau facts for kids
Max Heinrich Hermann Reinhardt Nettlau (born April 30, 1865 – died July 23, 1944) was a German historian and a supporter of anarchism. He was born near Vienna, Austria, and lived there for most of his life. Even though he lived in Austria, he kept his German nationality.
While in London, he joined a group called the Socialist League. There, he met famous thinkers like William Morris, Errico Malatesta, and Peter Kropotkin. He stayed friends with these people for the rest of his life. Max Nettlau also helped start Freedom Press, a publishing group, and wrote for them for many years.
Contents
A Historian of Ideas
In the 1890s, Max Nettlau noticed something important. Many older socialists and anarchists from the mid-1800s were passing away. Their writings, letters, and important papers were being lost or destroyed. He realized that these historical records needed to be saved.
Max Nettlau used some money he inherited from his father to buy and rescue these collections. He also interviewed many older activists. He wanted to make sure their stories and ideas were kept for future generations.
Writing Biographies and History
Max Nettlau wrote many books about important anarchists. These included biographies of Mikhail Bakunin, Élisée Reclus, and Errico Malatesta. He also wrote a very long, seven-volume history of anarchism. This showed how much he cared about preserving the past.
His Collection and Later Life
In 1935, Max Nettlau sold his huge collection of historical papers and books. He sold them to the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam. In 1938, he moved to Amsterdam and worked at the Institute. He helped organize and list all the items in his collection.
Max Nettlau died suddenly in Amsterdam in 1944 from stomach cancer. He was never bothered or harmed during his time there.
Max Nettlau's Books
Max Nettlau wrote and edited several important books. These books helped share the history and ideas of anarchism with more people.
- Bibliographie de L'Anarchie (1887)
- Élisée Reclus, Anarchist und Gelehrter. "Der Syndikalist" (1928)
- La anarquía a través de los tiempos (1933 or 1935)
- This book was later published in English as A Short History of Anarchism.
- La Première Internationale en Espagne (1868–1888) (1969)
- Edited
- Oeuvres of Mikhail Bakunin, vol. 1 (1895)
See also
In Spanish: Max Nettlau para niños
