Record of Frederick Engels' Speech at a Meeting to Commemorate the Paris Commune, 1893

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Author(s) Frederick Engels
Written 1872


First published in The Labour Elector, R No. 12, March 25, 1893
Reproduced from the newspaper
Source : Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 27
Collection(s): The Labour Elector
Keywords : Memorialization, Paris Commune, Speech

The speech of Mr. Engels (Dr. Marx’s right hand) at the meeting he attended was very good.

He referred to the history of the past twenty-two years and said:

At the beginning of that time, the only two Englishmen connected with the International—Lucraft and Odger—left it because of its endorsing the policy of the Communards, and because Socialism was then looked upon as an abomination. In the autumn of 1871, a conference was held, and the proposal of a political party, distinct and separate from all other political parties, was first brought forward. The next year at the Hague, the English delegates took the side of the Anarchists in deprecating parliamentary action. [1] At that time, political effort on the part of the working classes was unknown. Now, the position has completely changed. The formation of the new Trade Unions in 1888 was the most important event that had ever happened in working class history, and had led to the formation for the first time of an Independent Labour Party, [2] which was bound to absorb all other parties. He thought this showed that the lessons of the Paris Commune had not been lost nor for-gotten.”

Amongst the other speakers at this gathering were Mrs. Eleanor Marx Aveling (Dr. Marx’s daughter), Mr. F. Lessner (one of the founders of the International), Mr. Edward Bernstein and Mr. J. Connell. May the memory of the Paris Commune never die!

  1. ↑ A reference to the London Conference of the International Working Men’s Association held on September 17-23, 1871 (see Note 104), and the Hague Congress of the First International (see Note 136).
  2. ↑ See Note 434.
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