This discovery, which revolutionized the science of history and, as we have seen, is essentially the work of Marx -- a discovery in which Ican claim for myself only a very insignificant share -- was, however, of immediate importance for the contemporary workers' movement.Communism among the French and Germans, Chartism among the English, now no longer appeared as something accidental which could just as well not have occurred.These movements now presented themselves as a movement of the modern oppressed class, the proletariat, as the more or less developed forms of its historically necessary struggle against the ruling class, the bourgeoisie; as forms of the class struggle, but distinguished from all earlier class struggles by this one thing, that the present-day oppressed class the proletariat, cannot achieve its emancipation without at the same time emancipating society as a whole from division into classes and, therefore, from class struggles.And Communism now no longer meant the concoction, by means of the imagination, of an ideal society as perfect as possible, but insight into the nature, the conditions and the consequent general aims of the struggle wages by the proletariat.
Now, we were by no means of the opinion that the new scientific results should be confided in large tomes exclusively to the "learned"world.Quite the contrary.We were both of us already deeply involved in the political movement, and possessed a certain following in the educated world, especially of Western Germany, and abundant contact with the organized proletariat.It was our duty to provide a scientific foundation for our view, but it was equally important for us to win over the European and in the first place the German proletariat to our conviction.As soon as we had become clear in our own minds, we set about the task.We founded a German workers' society in Brussels and took over the _Deutsche Brusseler Zeitung_, which served us as an organ up to the February Revolution.We kept in touch with the revolutionary section of the English Chartists through Julian Harney, the editor of the central organ of the movement, _The Northern Star_, to which I was a contributor.We entered likewise into a sort of cartel with the Brussels democrats (Marx was vice-president of the Democratic Society)and with the French social-democrats of the _Reforme_, which I furnished with news of the English and German movements.In short, our connections with the radical and proletarian organizations and press organs were quite what one could wish.
Our relations with the League of the Just were as follows: The existence of the League was, of course, known to us; in 1843 Schapper had suggested that I join it, which I at that time naturally refused to do.But we not only kept up our continuous correspondence with the Londoners but remained on still closer terms with Dr Ewerbeck, then the leader of the Paris communities.Without going into the League's internal affairs, we learnt of every important happening.On the other hand, we influenced the theoretical views of the most important members of the League by word of mouth, by letter and through the press.For this purpose we also made us of various lithographed circulars, which we dispatched to our friends and correspondents throughout the world on particular occasions, when it was a question of the internal affairs of the Communist Party in process of formation.In these, the League itself sometimes came to be dealt with.Thus, a young Westphalian student, Hermann Kriege, who went to America, came forward there as an emissary of the League and associated himself with the crazy Harro Harring for the purpose of using the League to turn South America upside down.He founded a paper in which, in the name of the League, he preached an extravagant Communism of love dreaming, based on "love" and overflowing with love.Against this we let fly with a circular that did not fail of its effect.Kriege vanished from the League scene.
Later, Weitling came to Brussels.But he was no loner the naive young journeyman-tailor who, astonished at his own talents, was trying to clarify in his own mind just what a communist society would look like.He was now the great man, persecuted by the environs on account of his superiority, who scented rivals, secret enemies and traps everywhere -- the prophet, driven from country to country, who carried a recipe for the realization of heaven on earth ready-made in his pocket, and who was was possessed with the idea that everybody intended to steal it from him.He had already fallen out with the members of the League in London; and in Brussels, where Marx and his wife welcomed him with almost superhuman forbearance, he also could not get along with anyone.
So he soon afterwards went to America to try out his role of prophet there.
All these circumstance contributed to the quiet revolution that was taking place in the League, and especially among the leaders in London.
