The Masque of Anarchy The Masque of Anarchy "The Masque of Anarchy" (or "The Mask of Anarchy") is a British political poem written in 1819 (see 1819 in poetry) by Percy Bysshe Shelley following the Peterloo massacre of that year. In his call for freedom, it is perhaps the first modern statement of the principle of nonviolent resistance. The poem was not published during Shelley's lifetime and did not appear in print until 1832 (see 1832 in poetry), when published by Edward Moxon in London with a preface by Leigh Hunt. Shelley had sent the manuscript in 1819 for publication in "The Examiner". Leigh
Peterloo Massacre a seditious libel. Percy Bysshe Shelley was in Italy and did not hear of the massacre until 5 September. His poem, "The Masque of Anarchy", subtitled "Written on the Occasion of the Massacre at Manchester" was sent for publication in the radical periodical "The Examiner" but because of restrictions on the radical press, was not published until 1832, ten years after the poet's death. The immediate effect of Peterloo was a crackdown on reform. The government instructed the police and courts to go after the journalists, presses and publication of the "Manchester Observer." Wroe was arrested and charged with producing