Neue Rheinische Zeitung. A political-economic review, edited by Karl Marx (Nos. I—V/VI, each in one small volume), London, 1850.
No. I , January 1850.—No. II , February 1850.— No. III, March 1850.—No. IV, April 1850.—No. V/VI (without cover), 1850.
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Apparently, everything (not everything[1]) from here has been reprinted by Mehring in the Literary Heritage (look up!). Note characteristic passage in a small “Mis- cellaneous” item in No. IV: “Gott- fried Kinkel”[2] (trounced for his vile monarchical speech before the military tribunal) (unsigned): |
p. 47 at the end |
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N.B.! surrender of the left bank of the Rhine to the French |
...“In the same way, Herr Kinkel de- nounces his own party to the military tribu- nal, by talking about plans for surrendering the left bank of the Rhine to France and declaring himself innocent of these crimi- nal projects. Herr Kinkel is very well aware that the union of the Rhine province with France was only spoken of in the sense that in the decisive fight between revolution and counter-revolution this prov- ince would infallibly side with the revo- lution, whoever were to represent the latter—the French or Chinese”... (p. 71). |
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| N.B. |
| p. 397, in Vol. III of Mehring’s edition | ||
Mehring writes, pp. 479-80 (Vol. III), that he has omitted the whole “April survey” (i.e., in No. IV) and from the February (No. II) survey he has taken only material about California, etc., and about Chinese socialism
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On the side of the revolutionary nation—no matter whether the French or Chinese! Compare what Engels wrote in 1859 (?) in The Po and the Rhine,[3] where he fanned the national passions of the Germans against Napoleon III, who was making “our best provinces” an object of diplomatic intrigue, etc. Highly characteristic in reference to the national question! Everything depends on whether, at the given time, it is the nation that is revolutionary or Napo- leon III!! |
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Ibidem, No. IV, p. 58 (p. 438, Vol. III of Mehring’s edition) (de Girardin, “Socialism and Taxation”).[4]
| abolition of the state |
...“Behind the abolition of taxes lies concealed the abolition of the state. For the Communists, the abolition of the state has only one meaning, as the necessary result of the abolition of classes, together with which there disappears the need for an organised force of one class to hold down the others”.... |
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Ibidem, p. 55: “Taxes, increased to enormous proportions during a revolution, may serve as a form of attack against private property; but even then they must either lead to new revolutionary measures or, in the end, lead to the reestablishment of the old bourgeois relations”....
| p. 436, Vol. III of Mehring’s edition | ||
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No. 5/6, p. 158 (from the “Review, May-October”, dated London, Novem- ber 1, 1850. Unsigned).[5] ...“The hitherto existing organisa- tion of the Chartist party is also falling to pieces . The petty bour- geois who remain in the party, together with the labour aristocracy form a purely dem- ocratic group, the programme of which is confined to the People’s Charter and a few other petty-bourgeois reforms. The mass of the work- ers who live under really proletarian conditions, belong to the revolutionary group of the Chartists.” (The leader of the first group is Feargus O’Connor, of the sec- ond—Julian Harney and Ernest Jones) p. 468, Vol. III of Mehring’s edition). |
N.B.: two groups of Chartism: (1) petty bourgeoisie + labour aristocracy (petty bourgeois reformists) (2) “mass” of really proletarian revolu- tionaries |
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No. II, pp. 71-73 (in the “Review”)[6] on the counter-revolutionary role of Russia after 1848 and 1849, a possible “European war” against Russia (England will decide), and the “barbarian hordes of Russia” capable of “overwhelming Germany” |
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| N.B. | ||||||||
| amusing! |
Ibidem, p. 78—(London, January 1, 1850)—on revolution in China (a Chi- nese Republic—that is what the “Euro- pean reactionaries” may find in China). |
| p. 445, Vol. III of Mehring’s edition | ||
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“our European reactionaries in their shortly impending flight to Asia”: ha-ha!! |
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| ✕ |
The European reactionaries will flee to Asia from the European revolution, they will reach the Chinese “wall” and find inscribed on it: “The Chinese Republic. Liberty! Equality! Fraternity!” Such is Marx’s view. |
| not in Mehring |
Ibidem, p. 80: the example of Switzerland shows the meaning of the “ostensible ‘independence’ of small states in the midst of the modern great nations” (either the Holy Alliance will crush Switzerland or the revolution “will not tolerate” “such a treacherous and cowardly government in the heart of Europe”....) |
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| !!! | ||||||||
| not in Mehring |
These remarks on Switzerland were in connection with the publication of a plan for an attack on Switzerland (by Germany + Austria + Russia + France)—a plan against France, with auxiliary operations against Switzerland and Turkey. The “Holy Alliance” against revolution. |
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N.B. episode of the struggle of counter- revolution against revolution! |
“This much is certain: the Holy Alliance will march already this year, either first against Switzerland or Turkey, or directly against France, but in both cases the Federal Council is doomed. By its cowardly neutral- ity it has predetermined its own downfall, whether it is the Holy Alliance or the Revo- lution that reaches Berne first. The counter- revolution cannot be satisfied with its con- cessions because of its more or less revolu- tionary origin; the revolution cannot for a single moment tolerate the existence of such a treacherous and cowardly government in the heart of Europe, surrounded by the three nations most directly involved in the move- ment. The behaviour of the Swiss Federal Council is the most striking and, it is to be hoped, the last example of the meaning of the ostensible ‘independence’ of small states in the midst of the modern great nations” (p. 80). (End.) |
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| not in Mehring |
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and p. 72—Switzerland was cowardly “in regard to both the Holy Alliance and the émigrés” (N.B.).... “If Switzerland insulted the Holy Alliance, on the other hand it betrayed the revolution” (73). |
N.B. | |||
p. 72—the certainty that a European war is impending (unleashed by Russia against Turkey). Revolution is growing in Paris—“the centre of revolution” (72)—and in “Western Europe” (sic!! 71-72: “Western Europe”)....
In France, revolution is growing (74), the peasants will be drawn into movement, hence “confidence in the speedy victory of the revolution” (74) (sic!!)....
[1] Above the word “everything” Lenin later wrote “not everything”, having found material from Nos. IV and II not reprinted by Mehring (see Lenin’s remarks on pp. 635, 636 and 637 of this volume).—Ed.
[2] See Marx and Engels, Gottfried Kinkel. Neue Rheinische Zeitung Politisch-oekonomische Revue, Rütten and Loening, Berlin, pp. 218-19.
[3] The book by Engels, The Po and the Rhine, was published in Berlin in 1859.
[4] See Marx and Engels, A review of Emile de Girardin: “Le socialisme et l’impôt” (see Neue Rheinische Zeitung No. 4, 1850. Politisch-oekonomische Revue, Rütten and Loening, Berlin, pp. 205-12).
[5] See Marx and Engels, Third International Review from May to October. (Neue Rheinische Zeitung Politisch-oekonomische Revue, Heft 5 und 6, pp. 304-33).
[6] See Marx and Engels, First International Review. (Neue Rheinische Zeitung Politisch-oekonomische Revue, Heft 2, pp. 115-21).
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