Click on the headline to link to the Marx-Engels Internet Archives for an online copy of the article mentioned in the headline.
Markin comment:
The foundation article by Marx or Engels listed in the headline goes along with the propaganda points in the fight for our communist future mentioned in other posts in this space. Just below is a thumbnail sketch of the first tentative proceedings to form a communist organization that would become a way-station on the road to building a Bolshevik-type organization in order fight for the socialist revolution we so desperately need and have since Marx and Engels first put pen to ink.
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Marx/Engels Internet Archive-The Communist League
A congress of the League of the Just opened in London on June 2, 1847. Engels was in attendance as delegate for the League's Paris communities. (Marx couldn't attend for financial reasons.)
Engels had a significant impact throughout the congress -- which, as it turned out, was really the "inaugural Congress" of what became known as the Communist League. This organization stands as the first international proletarian organization. With the influence of Marx and Engels anti-utopian socialism, the League's motto changed from "All Men are Brothers" to "Working Men of All Countries, Unite!"
Engels: "In the summer of 1847, the first league congress took place in London, at which W. Wolff represented the Brussels and I the Paris communities. At this congress the reorganization of the League was carried through first of all. ...the League now consisted of communities, circles, leading circles, a central committee and a congress, and henceforth called itself the 'Communist League'."
The Rules were drawn up with the participation of Marx and Engels, examined at the First Congress of the Communist League, and approved at the League's Second Congress in December 1847.
Article 1 of the Rules of the Communist League: "The aim of the league is the overthrow of the bourgeoisie, the rule of the proletariat, the abolition of the old bourgeois society which rests on the antagonism of classes, and the foundation of a new society without classes and without private property."
The first draft of the Communist League Programme was styled as a catechism -- in the form of questions and answers. Essentially, the draft was authored by Engels. The original manuscript is in Engels's hand.
The League's official paper was to be the Kommunistische Zeitschrift, but the only issue produced was in September 1847 by a resolution of the League's First Congress. It was First Congress prepared by the Central Authority of the Communist League based in London. Karl Schapper was its editor.
The Second Congress of the Communist League was held at the end of November 1847 at London's Red Lion Hotel. Marx attended as delegate of the Brussels Circle. He went to London in the company of Victor Tedesco, member of the Communist League and also a delegate to the Second Congress. Engels again represented the Paris communities. Schapper was elected chairman of the congress, and Engels its secretary.
Friedrich Lessner: "I was working in London then and was a member of the communist Workers' Educational Society at 191 Drury Lane. There, at the end of November and the beginning of December 1847, members of the Central Committee of the Communist League held a congress. Karl Marx and Frederick Engels came there from Brussels to present their views on modern communism and to speak about the Communists' attitude to the political and workers' movement. The meetings, which, naturally, were held in the evenings, were attended by delegates only... Soon we learned that after long debates, the congress had unanimously backed the principles of Marx and Engels..."
The Rules were officially adopted December 8, 1847.
Engels: "All contradiction and doubt were finally set at rest, the new basic principles were unanimously adopted, and Marx and I were commissioned to draw up the Manifesto." This would, of course, become the Communist Manifesto.
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Markin comment on this series:
No question that today at least the figures of 19th century communist revolutionaries, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, are honored more for their “academic” work than their efforts to build political organizations to fight for democratic and socialist revolutions, respectively, as part of their new worldview. Titles like Communist Manifesto, Das Kapital, The Peasants Wars In Germany, and the like are more likely to be linked to their names than Cologne Communist League or Workingmen’s International (First International). While the theoretical and historical materialist works have their honored place in the pantheon of revolutionary literature it would be wrong to neglect that hard fact that both Marx and Engels for most of their lives were not “arm chair" revolutionaries or, in Engels case, smitten by fox hunts. These men were revolutionary politicians who worked at revolution in high times and low. Those of us who follow their traditions can, or should, understand that sometimes, a frustratingly long sometimes, the objective circumstances do not allow for fruitful revolutionary work. We push on as we can. Part of that pushing on is to become immersed in the work of our predecessors and in this series the work of Marx and Engels to create a new form of revolutionary organization to fight the fights of their time, the time from about the Revolutions of 1848 to the founding of various socialist parties in Europe in the latter part of the 19th century.
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The Communist League-Rules of the Communist League [375]
Working Men of All Countries, Unite!
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Written: December 1847;
Source: MECW Volume 6, p. 633;
First published: Wermuth und Stieber, Die Communisten-Verschwörungen des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts, Erster Theil, Berlin, 1853;
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SECTION I
THE LEAGUE
Art. 1. The aim of the League is the overthrow of the bourgeoisie, the rule of the proletariat, the abolition of the old bourgeois society which rests on the antagonism of classes, and the foundation of a new society without classes and without private property.
Art. 2. The conditions of membership are:
A) A way of life and activity which corresponds to this aim;
B) Revolutionary energy and zeal in propaganda;
C) Acknowledgment of communism;
D) Abstention from participation in any anti-communist political or national association and notification of participation in any kind of association to the superior authority.
E) Subordination to the decisions of the League;
F) Observance of secrecy concerning the existence of all League affairs;
G) Unanimous admission into a community.
Whosoever no longer complies with these conditions is expelled (see Section VIII).
Art. 3. All members are equal and brothers and as such owe each other assistance in every situation.
Art. 4. The members bear League names.
Art. 5. The League is organised in communities, circles, leading circles, Central Authority and congresses.
SECTION II
THE COMMUNITY
Art. 6. The community consists of at least three and at most twenty members.
Art. 7. Every community elects a chairman and deputy chairman. The chairman presides over the meeting, the deputy chairman holds the funds and represents the chairman in case of absence.
Art. 8. The admission of new members is effected by the chairman and the proposing member with previous agreement of the community.
Art. 9. Communities of various kinds do not know each other and do not conduct any correspondence with each other.
Art. 10. Communities bear distinctive names.
Art. 11. Every member who changes his place of residence must first inform his chairman.
SECTION III
THE CIRCLE
Art. 12. The circle comprises at least two and at most ten communities.
Art. 13. The chairmen and deputy chairmen of the communities form the circle authority. The latter elects a president from its midst. It is in correspondence with its communities and the leading circle.
Art. 14. The circle authority is the executive organ for all the communities of the circle.
Art. 15. Isolated communities must either join an already existing circle or form a new circle with other isolated communities.
SECTION IV
THE LEADING CIRCLE
Art. 16. The various circles of a country or province are subordinated to a leading circle.
Art. 17. The division of the circles of the League into provinces and the appointment of the leading circle is effected by the Congress on the proposal of the Central Authority.
Art. 18. The leading circle is the executive authority for all the circles of its province. It is in correspondence with these circles and with the Central Authority.
Art. 19. Newly formed circles join the nearest leading circle.
Art. 20. The leading circles are provisionally responsible to the Central Authority and in the final instance to the Congress.
SECTION V
THE CENTRAL AUTHORITY
Art. 21. The Central Authority is the executive organ of the whole League and as such is responsible to the Congress.
Art. 22. It consists of at least five members and is elected by the circle authority of the place in which the Congress has located its seat.
Art. 23. The Central Authority is in correspondence with the leading circles. Once every three months it gives a report on the state of the whole League.
SECTION VI
COMMON REGULATIONS
Art. 24. The communities, and circle authorities and also the Central Authority meet at least once every fortnight.
Art. 25. The members of the circle authority and of the Central Authority are elected for one year, can be re-elected and recalled by their electors at any time.
Art. 26. The elections take place in the month of September.
Art. 27. The circle authorities have to guide the discussions of the communities in accordance with the purpose of the League.
If the Central Authority deems the discussion of certain questions to be of general and immediate interest it must call on the entire League to discuss them.
Art. 28. Individual members of the League must maintain correspondence with their circle authority at least once every three months, individual communities at least once a month.
Every circle must report on its district to the leading circle at least once every two months, every leading circle to the Central Authority at least once every three months.
Art. 29. Every League authority is obliged to take the measures in accordance with the Rules necessary for the security and efficient work of the League under its responsibility and to notify the superior authority at once of these measures.
SECTION VII
THE CONGRESS
Art. 30. The Congress is the legislative authority of the whole League. All proposals for changes in the Rules are sent to the Central Authority through the leading circles and submitted by it to the Congress.
Art. 31. Every circle sends one delegate.
Art. 32. Every individual circle with less than 30 members sends one delegate, with less than 60 two, less than 90 three, etc. The circles can have themselves represented by League members who do not belong to their localities.
In this case, however, they must send to their delegate a detailed mandate.
Ait. 33. The Congress meets in the month of August of every year. In urgent cases the Central Authority calls an extraordinary congress.
Art. 34. The Congress decides every time the place where the Central Authority is to have its seat for the coming year and the place where the Congress is next to meet.
Art. 35. The Central Authority sits in the Congress, but has no deciding vote.
Art. 36. After every sitting the Congress issues in addition to its circular a manifesto in the name of the Party.
SECTION VIII
OFFENCES AGAINST THE LEAGUE
Art. 37. Whoever violates the conditions of membership (Art. 2) is according to the circumstances removed from the League or expelled.
Expulsion precludes re-admission.
Art. 38. Only the Congress decides on expulsions.
Art. 39. Individual members can be removed by the circle or the isolated community, with immediate notification of the superior authority. Here also the Congress decides in the last instance.
Art. 40. Re-admission of removed members is effected by the Central Authority on the proposal of the circle.
Art. 41. The circle authority passes judgment on offences against the League and also sees to the execution of the verdict.
Art. 42. Removed and expelled members, like suspect individuals in general, are to be watched in the interest of the League, and prevented from doing harm. Intrigues of such individuals are at once to be reported to the community concerned.
SECTION IX
LEAGUE FUNDS
Art. 43. The Congress fixes for every country the minimum contribution to be paid by every member.
Art. 44. Half of this contribution goes to the Central Authority, the other half remains in the funds of the circle or community.
Art. 45. The funds of the Central Authority are used:
1. to cover the costs of correspondence and administration;
2. to print and distribute propaganda leaflets;
3. to send out emissaries of the Central Authority for particular purposes.
Art. 46. The funds of the local authorities are used:
1. to cover the costs of correspondence;-
2. to print and distribute propaganda leaflets;
3. to send out occasional emissaries.
Art. 47. Communities and circles which have not paid their contributions for six months are notified by the Central Authority of their removal from the League.
Art. 48. Circle authorities have to render account of their expenditure and income to their communities at least every three months. The Central Authority renders account to the Congress on the administration of League funds and the state of the League finances. Any embezzlement of League funds is subject to the severest punishment.
Art. 49. Extraordinary and Congress costs are met from extraordinary contributions.
SECTION X
ADMISSION
Art. 50. The chairman of the community reads to the applicant Art. 1 to 49, explains them, emphasises particularly in a short speech the obligations which the new member assumes, and then puts to him the question: “Do you now wish to enter this League?” If he replies “Yes”, the chairman takes his word of honour to the effect that he will fulfil the obligations of a League member, declares him a member of the League, and introduces him to the community at the next meeting.
London, December 8, 1847
In the name of the Second Congress of the autumn of 1847
The Secretary
Signed Engels
The President
Signed Karl Schapper
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