LondonOctober8,1885
WiththesentenceoftheCologneCommunistsin1852,thecurtainfallsonthefirstperiodoftheindependentGermanworkers’movement。
Todaythisperiodisalmostforgotten。Yetitlastedfrom1836to1852
and,withthespreadofGermanworkersabroad,themovementdevelopedinalmostallcivilizedcountries。Noristhatall。Thepresent—dayinternationalworkers’movementisinsubstanceadirectcontinuationoftheGermanworkers’movementofthattime,whichwasthe_firstinternationalworkers’movement_ofalltime,andwhichbroughtforthmanyofthosewhotooktheleadingroleinheInternationalWorkingMen’sAssociation。AndthetheoreticalprinciplesthattheCommunistLeaguehadinscribedonitsbannerinthe_CommunistManifesto_of1847
constitutetodaythestrongestinternationalbondoftheentireproletarianmovementofbothEuropeandAmerica。
Uptonowtherehasbeenonlyonesourceforacoherenthistoryofthatmovement。Thisistheso—calledBlackBook,_TheCommunistConspiraciesoftheNineteenthCentury_,byWermuthandStieber,Erline,twoparts,1853and1854。Thiscrudecompilation,whichbristleswithdeliberatefalsifications,fabricatedbytwoofthemostcontemptiblepolicescoundrelsofourcentury,todaystillservesasthefinalsourceforallnon—communistwritingsaboutthatperiod。
WhatIamabletogivehereisonlyasketch,andeventhisonlyinsofarastheLeagueitselfisconcerned;onlywhatisabsolutelynecessarytounderstandthe_Revelations_。IhopethatsomedayIshallhavetheopportunitytoworkuptherichmaterialcollectedbyMarxandmyselfonthehistoryofthatgloriousperiodoftheyouthoftheinternationalworkers’movement。
In1836themostextreme,chieflyproletarianelementsofthesecretdemocratic—republicanOutlaws’League,whichwasfoundedbyGermanrefugeesinParisin1834,splitoffandformedthenewsecretLeagueoftheJust。TheparentLeague,inwhichonlysleepy—headedelementsalaJakobusVenedeywereleft,soonfellasleepaltogether;
whenin1840thepolicescentedoutafewsectionsinGermany,itwashardlyevenashadowofitsformerself。ThenewLeague,onthecontrary,developedcomparativelyrapidly。OriginallyitwasaGermanoutlieroftheFrenchworker—Communism,reminiscentofBabouvismandtakingshapeinParisataboutthistime;communityofgoodswasdemandedasthenecessaryconsequenceof"equality"。TheaimswerethoseoftheParisiansecretsocietiesofthetime:halfpropagandaassociation,halfconspiracy,Paris,however,beingalwaysregardedasthecentralpointofrevolutionaryaction,althoughthepreparationofoccassional_putsches_inGermanywasbynomeansexcluded。ButasParisremainedthedecisivebattleground,theLeaguewasatthattimeactuallynotmuchmorethantheGermanbranchoftheFrenchsecretsocieties,especiallytheSocietedessaisonsledbyBlanquiandBarbes,withwhichacloseconnectionswasmaintained。TheFrenchwentintoactiononMay12,1839;thesectionsoftheLeaguemarchedwiththemandthuswereinvolvedinthecommondefeat。
AmongtheGermansarrestedwereKarlSchapperandHeinrichBauer;
LouisPhilippe’sgovernmentcontenteditselfwithdeportingthemafterafairlylongimprisonment。BothwenttoLondon。SchappercamefromWeilburginNassauandwhileastudentofforestryatGiessenin1832
wasamemberoftheconspiracyorganizedbyGeorgBuchner;hetookpartinthestormingoftheFrankfortconstablestationonApril3,1833,escapedabroadandinFebruary1834joinedMazzini’smarchonSavoy。Ofgiganticstature,resoluteandenergetic,alwaysreadytoriskcivilexistenceandlife,hewasamodeloftheprofessionalrevolutionistthatplayedanimportantroleinthethirties。Inspiteofacertainsluggishnessofthought,hewasbynomeansincapableofprofoundtheoreticalunderstanding,asisprovedbyhisdevelopmentfrom"demagogue"toCommunist,andheheldthenallthemorerigidlytowhathehadoncecometorecognize。Preciselyonthataccounthisrevolutionarypassionsometimesgotthebetterofunderstanding,buthealwaysafterwardsrealizedhismistakeandopenlyacknowledgedit。HewasfullyamanandwhathedidforthefoundingoftheGermanworkers’
movementwillnotbeforgotten。
HeinrichBauer,fromFranconia,wasashoemaker;alively,alert,wittylittlefellow,whoselittlebody,however,alsocontainedmuchshrewdnessanddetermination。
ArrivedinLondon,whereSchapper,whohadbeenacompositorinParis,nowtriedtoearnhislivingasateacheroflanguages,theybothsettoworkgatheringupthebrokenthreadsandmadeLondonthecentreoftheLeague。Theywerejoinedoverhere,ifnotalreadyearlierinParis,byJosephMoll,awatchmakerfromCologne,amedium—sizedHercules——howoftendidSchapperandhevictoriouslydefendtheentrancetoahallagainsthundredsofonrushingopponents!——amanwhowasatleasttheequalofhistwocomradesinenergyanddetermination,andintellectuallysuperiortobothofthem。Notonlywasheaborndiplomat,asthesuccessofhisnumeroustripsonvariousmissionproved;hewasalsomorecapableoftheoreticalinsight。IcametoknowallthreeoftheminLondonin1843。TherewerethefirstrevolutionaryproletarianswhomImet,andhoweverfarapartourviewswereatthattime——forIstillowned,asagainsttheirnarrow—mindedequalitarianCommunism[byequalitarianCommunismIunderstand,asstated,onlythatCommunismwhichbasesitselfexclusivelyorpredominantlyonthedemandforequality],agoodlydoesofjustasnarrow—mindedphilosophicalarrogance——Ishallneverforgetthedeepimpressionthatthesethreerealmenmadeuponme,whowasthenstillonlywantingtobecomeaman。
InLondon,asinalesserdegreeinSwitzerland,theyhadthebenefitoffreedomsofassociationandassembly。AsearlyasFebruary7,1840,thelegallyfunctioningGermanWorkers’EducationalAssociation,whichstillexists,wasfounded。ThisAssociationservedtheLeagueasarecruitinggroundfornewmembers,andsince,asalways,theCommunistswerethemostactiveandintelligentmembersoftheAssociation,itwasamatterofcoursethatitsleadershiplayentirelyinthehandsoftheLeague。TheLeaguesoonhadseveralcommunities,or,astheywerethenstillcalled,"lodges",inLondon。ThesameobvioustacticswerefollowedinSwitzerlandandelsewhere。Whereworkers’associationscouldbefounded,theywereutilizedinlikemanner。Wherethiswasforbiddenbylaw,onejoinedchoralsocieties,athleticclubs,andthelike。Connectionsweretoalargeextentmaintainedbymemberswhowerecontinuallytravellingbackandforth;
theyalso,whenrequired,servedasemissaries。InbothrespectstheLeagueobtainedlivelysupportthroughthewisdomofthegovernmentswhich,byresortingtodeportation,convertedanyobjectionableworker——andinninecasesouroftenhewasamemberoftheLeague——intoanemissary。
TheextenttowhichtherestoredLeaguewasspreadwasconsiderable。NotablyinSwitzerland,Weitling,AugustBecker(ahighlygiftedmanwho,however,likesomanyGermans,cametogriefbecauseofinnateinstabilityofcharacter)andotherscreatedastrongorganizationmoreorlesspledgedtoWeitling’scommunistsystem。ThisisnottheplacetocriticizetheCommunismofWeitling。ButasregardsitssignificanceasthefirstindependenttheoreticalstirringoftheGermanproletariat,IstilltodaysubscribetoMarx’swordsintheParis_Vorwarts_of1844:
"Wherecouldthe(German)bourgeoisie——includingitsphilosophersandlearnedscribes——pointtoaworkrelatingtotheemancipationofthebourgeoisie——itspoliticalemancipation——comparabletoWeitlings’_GuaranteesofHarmonyandFreedom_?Ifonecomparesthedrabmealy—mouthedmediocrityofGermanpoliticalliteraturewiththisimmeasurableandbrilliantdebutoftheGermanworkers,ifonecomparesthesegiganticchildren’sshoesoftheproletariatwiththedwarfproportionsoftheworn—outpoliticalshowsofthebourgeoisie,onemustprophesyanathlete’sfigureforthisCinderella。"
Thisathlete’sfigureconfrontsustoday,althoughstillfarfrombeingfullygrown。
NumeroussectionsexistedalsoinGermany;inthenatureofthingstheywereofatransientcharacter,butthosecomingintoexistencemorethanmadeupforthosepassingaway。Onlyaftersevenyears,attheendof1846,didthepolicediscovertracesoftheLeagueinBerlin(Mentel)
andMagdeburg(Beck),withoutbeinginapositiontofollowthemfurther。
InParis,Weitling,whowasstilltherein1840,likewisegatheredthescatteredelementstogetheragainbeforeheleftforSwitzerland。
ThetailorsformedthecentralforceoftheLeague。Germantailorswereeverywhere:inSwitzerland,inLondon,inParis。Inthelast—namedcity,GermanwassomuchtheprevailingtongueinthistradethatIwasacquaintedtherein1846withaNorwegiantailorwhohadtravelleddirectlybyseafromTrondhjemtoFranceandinthespaceofeighteenmonthshadlearnedhardlyawordofFrenchbuthadacquiredanexcellentknowledgeofGerman。TwoofthePariscommunitiesin1847consistedpredominantlyoftailors,oneofcabinetmakers。
AfterthecentreofgravityhadshiftedfromParistoLondon,anewfeaturegrewconspicuous:frombeingGerman,theLeaguegraduallybecame_international_。Intheworkers’societythereweretobefound,besidesGermanandSwiss,alsomembersofallthosenationalitiesforwhomGermanservedasthechiefmeansofcommunicationwithforeigners,notably,therefore,Scandinavians,Dutch,Hungarians,Czechs,SouthernSlavs,andalsoRussiansandAlsatians。In1847theregularfrequentersincludedaBritishgrenadieroftheGuardsinuniform。Thesocietysooncalleditselfthe_Communist_Workers’EducationalAssociation,andthemembershipcardsboretheinscription"AllMenAreBrothers",inatleasttwentylanguages,evenifnotwithoutmistakeshereandthere。
LiketheopenAssociation,soalsothesecretLeaguesoontookonamoreinternationalcharacter;atfirstinarestrictedsense,practicallythroughthevariednationalitiesofitsmembers,theoreticallythroughtherealizationthatanyrevolutiontobevictoriousmustbeaEuropeanone。Onedidnotgoanyfurtherasyet;butthefoundationswerethere。
CloseconnectionsweremaintainedwiththeFrenchrevolutioniststhroughtheLondonrefugees,comrades—in—armsofMay12,1839。
SimilarlywiththemoreradicalPoles。TheofficialPolishemigres,asalsoMazzini,were,ofcourse,opponentsratherthanallies。TheEnglishChartists,onaccountofthespecificEnglishcharacteroftheirmovement,weredisregardedasnotrevolutionary。TheLondonleadersoftheLeaguecameintouchwiththemonlylater,throughme。
Inotherways,too,thecharacteroftheLeaguehadalteredwithevents。AlthoughPariswasstill——andatthattimequiterightly——
lookeduponasthemothercityoftherevolution,onehadneverthelessemergedfromthestateofdependenceontheParisconspirators。ThespreadoftheLeagueraiseditsself—consciousness。ItwasfeltthatrootswerebeingstruckmoreandmoreinthegermanworkingclassandthattheseGermanworkerswerehistoricallycalledupontobethestandard—bearersoftheworkersoftheNorthandEastofEurope。InWeitlingwastobefoundacommunisttheoreticianwhocouldbeboldlyplacedatthesideofhiscontemporaryFrenchrivals。Finally,theexperienceofMay12thhadtaughtusthatforthetimebeingtherewasnothingtobegainedbyattemptsat_putsches_。Andifonestillcontinuedtoexplaineveryeventasasignoftheapproachingstorm,ifonestillpreservedintacttheold,semi—conspiratorialrules,thatwasmainlythefaultoftheoldrevolutionarydefiance,whichhadalreadybeguntocollidewiththesounderviewsthatweregainingheadway。
However,thesocialdoctrineoftheLeague,indefiniteasitwas,containedaverygreatdefect,butonethathaditsrootsintheconditionsthemselves。Themembers,insofarastheywereworkersatall,werealmostexclusivelyartisans。Eveninthebigmetropolises,themanwhoexploitedthemwasusuallyonlyasmallmaster。Theexploitationoftailoringonalargescale,whatisnowcalledthemanufactureofready—madeclothes,bytheconversionofhandicrafttailoringintoadomesticindustryworkingforabigcapitalist,wasatthattimeeveninLondononlyjustmakingitappearance。Ontheonehand,theexploitersoftheseartisanswasasmallmaster;ontheotherhand,theyallhopedultimatelytobecomesmallmastersthemselves。Inaddition,amassofinheritedguildnotionsstillclungtotheGermanartisanatthattime。Thegreatesthonorisduetothem,inthatthey,whowerethemselvesnotyetfullproletariansbutonlyanappendageofthepettybourgeoisie,anappendagewhichwaspassingintothemodernproletariatandwhichdidnotyetstandindirectoppositiontothebourgeoisie,thatis,tobigcapital——inthattheseartisanswerecapableofinstinctivelyanticipatingtheirfuturedevelopmentandofconstitutingthemselves,evenifnotyetwithfullconsciousness,thepartyoftheproletariat。Butitwasalsoinevitablethattheiroldhandicraftprejudicesshouldbeastumblingblocktothemateverymoment,wheneveritwasaquestionofcriticizingexistingsocietyindetail,thatis,ofinvestigatingeconomicfacts。AndIdonotbelievetherewasasinglemaninthewholeLeagueatthattimewhohadeverreadabookonpoliticaleconomy。Butthatmatteredlittle;forthetimebeing"equality","brotherhood"and"justice"helpedthemtosurmounteverytheoreticalobstacle。
Meanwhileasecond,essentiallydifferentCommunismwasdevelopedalongsidethatoftheLeagueandofWeitling。WhileIwasinManchester,itwastangiblybroughthometomethattheeconomicfacts,whichhavesofarplayednoroleoronlyacontemptibleoneinthewritingofhistory,are,atleastinthemodernworld,adecisivehistoricalforce;thattheyformthebasisoftheoriginationofthepresent—dayclassantagonisms;thattheseclassantagonisms,inthecountrieswheretheyhavebecomefullydeveloped,thankstolarge—scaleindustry,henceespeciallyinEngland,areintheirturnthebasisoftheformationofpoliticalpartiesandofpartystruggles,andthusofallpoliticalhistory。Marxhadnotonlyarrivedatthesameview,buthadalready,inthe_German—FrenchAnnuals_(1844),generalizedittotheeffectthat,speakinggenerally,itisnotthestatewhichconditionsandregulatesthestate,and,consequently,thatpolicyanditshistoryaretobeexplainedfromtheeconomicrelationsandtheirdevelopment,andnotviceversa。WhenIvisitedMarxinParisinthesummerof1844,ourcompleteagreementinalltheoreticalfieldsbecameevidentandourjointworkdatesfromthattime。When,inthespringof1845,wemetagaininBrussels,Marxhadalreadyfullydevelopedhismaterialisttheoryofhistoryinitsmainfeaturesformtheabove—mentionedbasisandwenowappliedourselvestothedetailedelaborationofthenewly—wonmodeofoutlookinthemostvarieddirections。
Thisdiscovery,whichrevolutionizedthescienceofhistoryand,aswehaveseen,isessentiallytheworkofMarx——adiscoveryinwhichI
canclaimformyselfonlyaveryinsignificantshare——was,however,ofimmediateimportanceforthecontemporaryworkers’movement。CommunismamongtheFrenchandGermans,ChartismamongtheEnglish,nownolongerappearedassomethingaccidentalwhichcouldjustaswellnothaveoccurred。Thesemovementsnowpresentedthemselvesasamovementofthemodernoppressedclass,theproletariat,asthemoreorlessdevelopedformsofitshistoricallynecessarystruggleagainsttherulingclass,thebourgeoisie;asformsoftheclassstruggle,butdistinguishedfromallearlierclassstrugglesbythisonething,thatthepresent—dayoppressedclasstheproletariat,cannotachieveitsemancipationwithoutatthesametimeemancipatingsocietyasawholefromdivisionintoclassesand,therefore,fromclassstruggles。AndCommunismnownolongermeanttheconcoction,bymeansoftheimagination,ofanidealsocietyasperfectaspossible,butinsightintothenature,theconditionsandtheconsequentgeneralaimsofthestrugglewagesbytheproletariat。
Now,wewerebynomeansoftheopinionthatthenewscientificresultsshouldbeconfidedinlargetomesexclusivelytothe"learned"
world。Quitethecontrary。Wewerebothofusalreadydeeplyinvolvedinthepoliticalmovement,andpossessedacertainfollowingintheeducatedworld,especiallyofWesternGermany,andabundantcontactwiththeorganizedproletariat。Itwasourdutytoprovideascientificfoundationforourview,butitwasequallyimportantforustowinovertheEuropeanandinthefirstplacetheGermanproletariattoourconviction。Assoonaswehadbecomeclearinourownminds,wesetaboutthetask。WefoundedaGermanworkers’societyinBrusselsandtookoverthe_DeutscheBrusselerZeitung_,whichservedusasanorganuptotheFebruaryRevolution。WekeptintouchwiththerevolutionarysectionoftheEnglishChartiststhroughJulianHarney,theeditorofthecentralorganofthemovement,_TheNorthernStar_,towhichIwasacontributor。WeenteredlikewiseintoasortofcartelwiththeBrusselsdemocrats(Marxwasvice—presidentoftheDemocraticSociety)
andwiththeFrenchsocial—democratsofthe_Reforme_,whichIfurnishedwithnewsoftheEnglishandGermanmovements。Inshort,ourconnectionswiththeradicalandproletarianorganizationsandpressorganswerequitewhatonecouldwish。
OurrelationswiththeLeagueoftheJustwereasfollows:TheexistenceoftheLeaguewas,ofcourse,knowntous;in1843SchapperhadsuggestedthatIjoinit,whichIatthattimenaturallyrefusedtodo。ButwenotonlykeptupourcontinuouscorrespondencewiththeLondonersbutremainedonstillclosertermswithDrEwerbeck,thentheleaderofthePariscommunities。WithoutgoingintotheLeague’sinternalaffairs,welearntofeveryimportanthappening。Ontheotherhand,weinfluencedthetheoreticalviewsofthemostimportantmembersoftheLeaguebywordofmouth,byletterandthroughthepress。Forthispurposewealsomadeusofvariouslithographedcirculars,whichwedispatchedtoourfriendsandcorrespondentsthroughouttheworldonparticularoccasions,whenitwasaquestionoftheinternalaffairsoftheCommunistPartyinprocessofformation。Inthese,theLeagueitselfsometimescametobedealtwith。Thus,ayoungWestphalianstudent,HermannKriege,whowenttoAmerica,cameforwardthereasanemissaryoftheLeagueandassociatedhimselfwiththecrazyHarroHarringforthepurposeofusingtheLeaguetoturnSouthAmericaupsidedown。Hefoundedapaperinwhich,inthenameoftheLeague,hepreachedanextravagantCommunismoflovedreaming,basedon"love"andoverflowingwithlove。Againstthisweletflywithacircularthatdidnotfailofitseffect。KriegevanishedfromtheLeaguescene。
Later,WeitlingcametoBrussels。Buthewasnolonerthenaiveyoungjourneyman—tailorwho,astonishedathisowntalents,wastryingtoclarifyinhisownmindjustwhatacommunistsocietywouldlooklike。Hewasnowthegreatman,persecutedbytheenvironsonaccountofhissuperiority,whoscentedrivals,secretenemiesandtrapseverywhere——theprophet,drivenfromcountrytocountry,whocarriedarecipefortherealizationofheavenonearthready—madeinhispocket,andwhowaswaspossessedwiththeideathateverybodyintendedtostealitfromhim。HehadalreadyfallenoutwiththemembersoftheLeagueinLondon;andinBrussels,whereMarxandhiswifewelcomedhimwithalmostsuperhumanforbearance,healsocouldnotgetalongwithanyone。
SohesoonafterwardswenttoAmericatotryouthisroleofprophetthere。
AllthesecircumstancecontributedtothequietrevolutionthatwastakingplaceintheLeague,andespeciallyamongtheleadersinLondon。
TheinadequacyofthepreviousconceptionofCommunism,boththesimpleFrenchequalitarianCommunismandthatofWeitling,becamemoreandmorecleartothem。ThetracingofCommunismbacktoprimitiveChristianityintroducedbyWeitling——nomatterhowbrilliantcertainpassagestobefoundinhis_GospelofPoorSinners_——hadresultedindeliveringthemovementinSwitzerlandtoalargeextentintothehands,firstoffoolslikeAlbrecht,andthenofexploitingfakeprophetslikeKuhlmann。The"trueSocialism"dealtinbyafewliterarywriters——atranslationofFrenchsocialistphraseologyintocorruptHegelianGerman,andsentimentallovedreaming(seethesectiononGermanof"True"Socialisminthe_CommunistManifesto__——thatKriegeandthestudyofthecorrespondingliteratureintroducedintheLeaguewasfoundsoontodisgusttheoldrevolutionariesoftheleague,ifonlybecauseofitsslobberingfeebleness。Asagainsttheuntenabilityoftheprevioustheoreticalviews,andasagainstthepracticalaberrationsresultingtherefrom,itwasrealizedmoreandmoreinLondonthatMarxandIwererightinournewtheory。ThisunderstandingwasundoubtedlypromotedbythefactthatamongtheLondonleaderstherewerenowtwomenwhowereconsiderablysuperiortothosepreviouslymentionedincapacityfortheoreticalknowledge:theminiaturepainterKarlPfanderfromHeilbronnandthetailorGeorgEccariusfromThuringia。
[Engelsfootnote:PfanderdiedabouteightyearsagoinLondon。hewasamanofpeculiarlyfineintelligence,witty,ironicalanddialectical。
Eccarius,asweknow,waslaterformanyyearsSecretaryoftheGeneralCounciloftheInternationalWorkingMen’sAssociation,intheGeneralCouncilofwhichthefollowingoldLeaguemembersweretobefound,amongothers:Eccarius,Pfander,Lessner,Lochner,Marxandmyself。
EccariussubsequentlydevotedhimselfexclusivelytotheEnglishtradeunionmovement。]
Itsufficestosaythatinthespringof1847MollvisitedMarxinBrusselsandimmediatelyafterwardsmeinParis,andinvitedusrepeatedly,inthenameofhiscomrades,toentertheLeague。HereportedthattheywereasmuchconvincedofthegeneralcorrectnessofourmodeofoutlookasofthenecessityoffreeingtheLeaguefromtheoldconspiratorialtraditionsandforms。Shouldweenter,wewouldbegivenanopportunityofexpoundingourcriticalCommunismbeforeacongressoftheLeagueinamanifesto,whichwouldthenbepublishedasthemanifestooftheLeague;wewouldlikewisebeabletocontributeourquotatowardsthereplacementoftheobsoleteLeagueorganizationbyoneinkeepingwiththenewtimesandaims。
WeentertainednodoubtthatanorganizationwithintheGermanworkingclasswasnecessary,ifonlyforpropagandapurposes,andthatthisorganization,insofarasitwouldnotbemerelylocalincharacter,couldonlybeasecretone,evenoutsideGermany。Now,therealreadyexistedexactlysuchanorganizationintheshapeoftheLeague。
WhatwepreviouslyobjectedtointhisLeaguewasnowrelinquishedaserroneousbytherepresentativesoftheLeaguethemselves;wewereeveninvitedtoco—operateintheworkofreorganization。Couldwesayno?
Certainlynot。Therefore,weenteredtheLeague;MarxfoundedaLeaguecommunityinBrusselsfromamongourclosefriends,whileIattendedthethreePariscommunities。
Inthesummerof1847,thefirstleagueCongresstookplaceinLondon,atwhichW。WolffrepresentedtheBrusselsandIthePariscommunities。AtthiscongressthereorganizationoftheLeaguewascarriedthroughfirstofall。Whateverremainedoftheoldmysticalnamesdatingbacktotheconspiratorialperiodwasnowabolished;theLeaguenowconsistedofcommunities,circles,leadingcircles,aCentralCommitteeandaCongress,andhenceforthcalleditselfthe"CommunistLeague"。
"TheaimoftheLeagueistheoverthrowofthebourgeoisie,theruleoftheproletariat,theabolitionoftheold,bourgeoissocietybasedonclassantagonismsandthefoundationofanewsocietywithoutclassesandwithoutprivateproperty"
——thusranthefirstarticle。Theorganizationitselfwasthoroughlydemocratic,withelectiveandalwaysremovableboards。Thisalonebarredallhankeringafterconspiracy,whichrequiresdictatorship,andtheLeaguewasconverted——forordinarypeacetimesatleast——intoapurepropagandasociety。ThesenewRulesweresubmittedtothecommunitiesfordiscussion——sodemocraticwastheprocedurenowfollowed——thenonceagaindebatedattheSecondCongressandfinallyadoptedbythelatteronDecember8,1847。TheyaretobefoundreprintedinWermuthandStieber,vol。I,p。239,AppendixX。
TheSecondCongresstookplaceduringtheendofNovemberandbeginningofDecemberofthesameyear。Marxalsoattendedthistimeandexpoundedthenewtheoryinafairlylongdebate——thecongresslastedatleasttendays。Allcontradictionanddoubtwerefinallysetatrest,thenewbasicprincipleswereunanimouslyadopted,andMarxandIwerecommissionedtodrawuptheManifesto。Thiswasdoneimmediatelyafterwards。AfewweeksbeforetheFebruaryRevolutionitwassenttoLondontobeprinted。Sincethenithastravelledroundtheworld,hasbeentranslatedintoalmostalllanguagesandtodaystillservesinnumerouscountriesasaguidefortheproletarianmovement。InplaceoftheoldLeaguemotto,"AllMenAreBrothers",appearedthenewbattlecry,"WorkingMenofAllCountries,Unite!"whichopenlyproclaimedtheinternationalcharacterofthestruggle。SeventeenyearslaterthisbattlecryresoundedthroughouttheworldasthewatchwordoftheInternationalWorkingMen’sAssociation,andtodaythemilitantproletariatofallcountrieshasinscribeditinitsbanner。