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Emma Goldman, anarchist, anti-war activist, writer, organizer (Born 27 June 1869 in Kovno, Russian Empire [now Kaunas, Lithuania]; died 14 May 1940 in Toronto, ON). One of the world’s leading anarchists, Emma Goldman dedicated her life to anti-war activism and social justice organizing. Her lectures on anarchism attracted thousands and fostered dedicated community networks. She was deported from the US in 1919 due to her anti-war activism and lived in exile for more than 20 years. She lived for several years in Toronto, where she was closely monitored by the RCMP. Goldman's lasting impact on Toronto can be seen in the city's continued engagement in progressive social movements. In 2025, the Museum of Toronto named Goldman one of 52 women who shaped the city.
This article was created in collaboration with Museum of Toronto.
Early Life and Career
Emma Goldman was born in 1869 to a Jewish family in what is now Lithuania. She grew up there and in Papile, Lithuania, as well as in what is now Kaliningrad, Russia, and in St. Petersburg. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, “Her formal education was limited, but she read widely and in St. Petersburg associated with a radical student circle.”
Career in the United States
Escaping European pogroms, Emma Goldman immigrated to the United States in 1885. She worked in clothing factories in Rochester, New York, and New Haven, Connecticut, where she was further exposed to anarchist and socialist ideas. In 1889, she moved to New York City, where she became a lifelong friend (and sometime lover) of Alexander Berkman, America’s most famous anarchist.
In 1893, Goldman was jailed for 10 months after inciting a riot with an incendiary speech to a group of unemployed workers. After her release in August 1894, she became a high-profile lecturer and toured both the United States and Europe. A speech she made in Cleveland, Ohio, inspired one of the attendees, Leon Czolgosz, to assassinate President William McKinley in September 1901. By that time, however, Goldman had publicly refuted the use of violence to achieve political ends.
After Berkman was released from prison in 1906, Goldman hired him as the editor of her newly founded anarchist journal, Mother Earth, in 1907. Billed as “A Monthly Magazine Devoted to Social Science and Literature,” Mother Earth was a key organ of the so-called radical left in the United States. It published such American and European intellectuals as Ben Hecht, Eugene O’Neill, Leo Tolstoy and Margaret Sanger.
In 1909, Goldman’s naturalized US citizenship was revoked. The next year, she published Anarchism and Other Essays (1910). It went on to become a favourite of feminist scholars in the 1970s. In 1916, Goldman was jailed briefly for speaking out in favour of birth control.
In July 1917, Goldman was sentenced to two years in prison for her work agitating against military conscription. By the time she was released in September 1919, shortly after the Russian Revolution, American politics was in the grip of the first Red Scare. Goldman — who was referred to in the press as “Red Emma” — was declared a subversive alien. In December 1919, Goldman, Berkman and 247 other “subversives” were deported to the Soviet Union.
Career in Exile
Emma Goldman had been supportive of the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, which saw the Bolsheviks take power. However, her experiences in the Soviet Union caused her to change her opinions. She was particularly horrified by the violent Bolshevik response to the Kronstadt rebellion in March 1921. After leaving the Soviet Union, Goldman published the book My Disillusionment in Russia (1923).
Goldman then lived in exile in Sweden, Germany, England and France, during which time she continued to lecture. She also wrote the autobiography Living My Life (1931). During the Spanish Civil War (1936–39), she travelled to Spain in support of the antifascist forces.
Career in Canada
During her years in exile, Emma Goldman spent three separate stints in Canada. She lived in Toronto from 1926 to 1928, from 1933 to 1935, and finally from 1939 until her death in 1940. In December 1927, she told the Toronto Daily Star that she found Toronto “deadly dull.” Despite this, she persisted. Her oratorical skills fostered a vibrant anarchist movement. She encouraged local anarchists to organize, leading to the formation of the Toronto chapter of the Libertarian Group. It held antifascist demonstrations, supported Spanish Civil War refugees, and hosted weekly political discussions. During her entire time in Canada, Goldman's activities were closely monitored by the RCMP.
Other Activities
In addition to giving lectures on anarchism and social justice issues, Emma Goldman was also an authority on European playwrights. She gave many talks on the works of Henrik Ibsen, August Strindberg and George Bernard Shaw, among others. These lectures were later published in her book The Social Significance of the Modern Drama (1914).
