Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were two Italian-born anarchist workers whose case in the 1920s became a symbol of judicial error and political injustice in the United States. Their names became household words in the USSR, immortalized in the names of streets and factories.
Here are the key points of their story.
👤 Who They Were
Both were born in Italy and emigrated to the United States in search of work:
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Nicola Sacco (1891–1927): Arrived in the US at 17, worked as a trimmer at a shoe factory.
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Bartolomeo Vanzetti (1888–1927): Arrived at 13, worked as a laborer, and later sold fish.
In the US, they became active participants in the movement for workers’ rights, joining anarchist circles, and took part in strikes and rallies.
⚖️ Arrest and Trial
In May 1920, they were arrested and charged with the armed robbery and murder of a paymaster and two guards at a shoe factory in South Braintree, Massachusetts.
The trial (1921) was highly prejudiced:
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Weak Evidence: The prosecution relied on circumstantial evidence. Witnesses contradicted each other, and many indicated that there were more than two robbers.
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Judge’s Bias: Judge Webster Thayer openly displayed animosity toward the defendants due to their radical political views (anarchism) and Italian origin.
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Unconvincing Alibi: The defendants had alibis, but the court ignored them. The fact that they were carrying weapons when arrested (and lied about it) counted against them.
Despite an international scandal, on July 14, 1921, they were found guilty and sentenced to death.
🌍 International Outcry and Execution
The trial sparked waves of protest around the world. Many famous figures spoke out in defense of Sacco and Vanzetti, including:
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Albert Einstein
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Thomas Mann
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George Bernard Shaw
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Pope Pius XI
However, all appeals for clemency were denied. On August 23, 1927, Sacco and Vanzetti were executed in the electric chair. Their final words proclaimed their innocence and their faith in justice.
🇺🇸 Rehabilitation and Modern View
Exactly 50 years later, in 1977, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis issued a proclamation stating that Sacco and Vanzetti had been unfairly convicted and that the trial had been the “high point of injustice in the American justice system.” The question of their actual guilt or innocence remains a subject of debate among historians to this day.
🏭 Legacy in the USSR
In the Soviet Union, the story of Sacco and Vanzetti became a powerful propaganda tool, illustrating the “corruption of bourgeois justice.” They were honored with:
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Streets — In many cities of the USSR (and post-Soviet space), streets named after Sacco and Vanzetti still exist (for example, in Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, and Perm).
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Factories — The most famous was the Moscow Pencil Factory named after Sacco and Vanzetti, which operated from 1930 to 2007.
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Ships — A cargo lumber carrier named “Vanzetti,” built in 1928.
Thus, their story is not just a legal case but a vivid symbol of an era where social struggle, anti-immigrant sentiment in the US, and Soviet propaganda intertwined.