Australia’s forgotten global anarchist
Jack Andrews was Australia’s leading proponent of communist-anarchism and a key figure in the international anarchist movement
~ Tom Goyens ~
Born in Bendigo in 1865 to London-born parents, John Arthur Andrews grew up in Melbourne, where his father worked as chief clerk for the Victoria Mines and Water Supply Department. As a child, Andrews was frequently bullied at school. In 1879, he enrolled at Scotch College, graduating two years later. After his father died in 1882, Andrews took a job in the same department, earning a good salary. However, he quickly became disillusioned with the work. A budding writer, he once won a prize for a poem celebrating the eight-hour workday.
Andrews’ growing interest in freethought and socialism further distanced him from his bureaucratic life. His dissatisfaction peaked in 1886 when he was fired shortly before Christmas. His physical and mental health deteriorated, and he may have even considered suicide. In early 1887, he joined the Melbourne Anarchist Club, though he was initially sceptical of anarchism. After a period of rest in Dunolly, Andrews returned to the Club as a committed anarchist and soon became a journalist advocating communist-anarchism.
By 1889, Andrews was corresponding with several international anarchist publications. A polyglot fluent in languages including Latin and Chinese, he immersed himself in the ideas of Russian revolutionary Peter Kropotkin, whose works appeared in La Révolte. That same year, Andrews published “Communism and Communist-Anarchism” in Benjamin Tucker’s Liberty. He argued that revolution was simply about casting off oppression, not waiting for it to fade away.1 According to historian Bob James, Andrews also contributed to two Portuguese anarchist publications.In 1890, a severe economic downturn plunged Australia into depression, leaving thousands unemployed. Jack Andrews made his way to Sydney, where he joined German-born anarchist and florist Joseph Schellenberg at his farm in Smithfield, on the outskirts of the city. Together, they formed a “Communist Anarchist Group” affiliated with the Australian Socialist League, issuing a manifesto to promote their ideals.2
That August, Andrews sent a report on the maritime strike to Johann Most, editor of Freiheit in New York, which was published in October 1890. Andrews believed Melbourne was on the brink of a general strike and possible revolution, with anarchists playing a key role in educating workers and running soup kitchens for the unemployed. Later, Freiheit published Andrews’ essay, “Anarchismus in Australien,” which he may have translated himself.3 It seemed that the German-Australian anarchists were the only organised game in town. “There is no consolidated party whatever to back us up,” he reported, “except in Adelaide where there is a small group of German Anarchists who contributed £4 [to Andrews’s periodical Reason] and do their best to push on the circulation in that city.”4
By early 1892, Jack Andrews faced severe financial hardship and tramped for months in search of work. Despite his struggles, he remained committed to writing and anarchist agitation. He established a correspondence with historian Max Nettlau, a key figure in documenting global anarchism. Andrews’ letters, written in a candid and personal tone, conveyed the isolation and difficulty of being an anarchist in Australia. “The movement in Australia,” he wrote, “appears more disintegrated than it has ever been.”
For Andrews, staying in touch with comrades, both locally and abroad, was not just a tactical necessity but also a source of psychological support: “if I can keep in active communication with others interested in the movement it will keep me going.”
Through these connections, Andrews had access to a range of foreign anarchist publications, such as El Combate, La Révolte, and Les Temps Nouveaux. In return, he shared Australian papers and pamphlets with Nettlau and other international anarchists, contributing to the broader exchange of ideas. His own writings would soon appear in anarchist publications across Europe and the United States, keeping his ideas in circulation despite the challenges he faced at home.5
In the early 1890s, Jack Andrews, without steady work, continued his anarchist agitation by publishing several short-lived papers such as Reason and Revolt, often produced with minimal resources. He joined the Active Service Brigade in 1893, a radical direct action group for the unemployed, which became a constant thorn in the side of Australian conservatives. Through both mainstream and labour presses, Andrews defended anarchism, contributing polemical articles that challenged the status quo.
In December 1894, Andrews was arrested and charged with seditious libel for his outspoken writings. Convicted the following year, he served five months in jail, during which the authorities confiscated all his papers, pamphlets, and drafts, a significant blow to his efforts.
After his release, Andrews returned to Melbourne and resumed his anarchist work. In the fall of 1895, he began contributing regularly to Les Temps Nouveaux, the newly launched anarchist journal edited by Jean Grave, which succeeded La Révolte. He also became a correspondent for The Firebrand, a prominent communist-anarchist paper published in Portland, Oregon. For two years, Andrews provided detailed and lucid articles on anarchist organization, revolution, property, and communism, as well as reports on the anarchist movement in Australia. In 1897, The Firebrand even offered Andrews a position on its staff, but due to financial constraints, he was unable to afford the voyage to the United States.
Jack Andrews’ correspondence with anarchists across the United States and Europe revealed the existence of a deeply integrated global anarchist network. His involvement in this network was vital in linking Australia’s isolated anarchist movement to the larger global currents of anarchism, despite the practical challenges he faced. These connections facilitated the constant exchange of news, ideas, and materials. Editorial offices of anarchist papers functioned not just as places to produce content but as international clearinghouses, where printed materials from around the world were reviewed, serialized, translated, advertised, or forwarded to other periodicals.
A glimpse into the letter-box section of any anarchist paper showcases the polyglot nature and transnational logistics involved in producing each issue. Language served as a practical tool for gauging the movement’s reach. International anarchist news was often categorized by country, but anarchist publications were typically grouped by language. For instance, the Italian-language section of anarchist media might include papers from the United States, Argentina, Tunisia, and Italy.
Translators were essential in this polyglot network, constantly in demand to bridge linguistic divides. The idea of a centralised translation bureau gained traction among anarchists and was revived in the mid-1890s by Alfred Sanftleben, a German anarchist who operated under the name “Slovak.” From his home in Zürich, Sanftleben established a translation service, placing ads in major anarchist newspapers like Freiheit, The Firebrand, and Les Temps Nouveaux. His “office” became a hub for translating and distributing anarchist books and pamphlets across borders. Andrews made use of this service. In 1896, Sanftleben wrote to him requesting information on the anarchist movement in Australia, along with radical papers. Andrews, fluent in French, sent a report in English to be translated for Les Temps Nouveaux. This report, “Our Movement in Australia,” was first published in May by The Firebrand in English, and a condensed French version appeared in Les Temps Nouveaux that July.
Despite his undeniable talent as a writer and translator, Andrews struggled financially and never achieved the international prominence of anarchists like Pietro Gori or Peter Kropotkin. He died of tuberculosis on July 26, 1903, in Melbourne. His untimely death — he was thirty-eight — cut short a life dedicated to anarchist ideals, limiting his potential as a global figure within the movement.
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