Gaetano Bresci
Italian anarchist and assassin (1869–1901)
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Key Takeaways
- Gaetano Bresci ( Italian: [ɡaeˈtaːno ˈbreʃʃi] ; 11 November 1869 – 22 May 1901) was an Italian anarchist who assassinated King Umberto I of Italy.
- Bresci emigrated to the United States, where he became involved with other Italian immigrant anarchists in Paterson, New Jersey.
- Local police knew of his return but did not mobilize.
- The government of Italy suspected that Bresci had been a part of a conspiracy, but no evidence was found to indicate that others were involved.
- After his death, Bresci gained the status of a martyr within the Italian anarchist movement, who defended his regicidal act.
Gaetano Bresci (Italian: [ɡaeˈtaːno ˈbreʃʃi]; 11 November 1869 – 22 May 1901) was an Italian anarchist who assassinated King Umberto I of Italy. His experience of working as a young weaver led him to realize he was exploited in the workplace, which attracted him to anarchism. Bresci emigrated to the United States, where he became involved with other Italian immigrant anarchists in Paterson, New Jersey. News of the Bava Beccaris massacre motivated him to return to Italy, where he planned to assassinate Umberto in response. Local police knew of his return but did not mobilize. Bresci killed the king in July 1900 during Umberto's scheduled appearance in Monza amid a sparse police presence.
The government of Italy suspected that Bresci had been a part of a conspiracy, but no evidence was found to indicate that others were involved. He was consequently sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and confined on Santo Stefano Island in Latina, Lazio, where he was found dead of an apparent suicide within the year. After his death, Bresci gained the status of a martyr within the Italian anarchist movement, who defended his regicidal act. Bresci inspired some anarchists to carry out their own acts of propaganda by deed, most prominently Leon Czolgosz's assassination of United States President William McKinley. Italian anarchists erected a monument to Bresci in Carrara despite governmental attempts to block it.
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