Publisher's Synopsis
In the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars, many revolutionaries were forced into exile, but the historiography surrounding these exiles often focuses more on the political outcomes of their actions than the strategies they used to continue their revolutionary work from abroad. This book challenges that traditional focus by examining the spaces in which exiles operated, providing a fresh perspective on how these individuals navigated their expatriation and continued to advance their causes.
Through a spatial lens, this study investigates how Polish and Italian exiles in the 1830s and 1840s managed to sustain their revolutionary movements while living in London. By exploring three key spaces-newspapers, relief organizations, and educational institutions-this book reveals how exiles leveraged these environments to secure funding, forge political alliances, and foster a sense of solidarity for their nationalist movements. These spaces also became arenas where exiles and their British counterparts reshaped national identities, often transforming both the physical and social landscapes in the process.
By focusing on the interaction between exiles and local populations, this book highlights the role of these "exile spaces" in facilitating political action and reshaping revolutionary strategies. It argues that the very spaces in which exiles operated were not passive backdrops but active participants in the pursuit of political goals, altering the way revolutionaries understood and approached their struggles. This approach offers new insights into the nature of political exile, nationalism, and the complex dynamics of revolutionary movements in the 19th century.
