Page:Karl Kautsky - Frederick Engels - 1899.djvu/22

 production, and the fundamental principle of superficial, feverish haste of production more and more enters into it. The products of modern science, like those of modern Industry are cheap and poor. This by no means signifies that even the worst articles, if they happen to be in style, will not bring good prices.

It is to the superficial many-sidedness of Duhring that we own the fact that the "Anti-Duhring" became a book which treated the whole of modern science from the Marx-Engels materialistic point of view. Next to "Capital" the "Anti-Duhring" has become the fundamental work of modern socialism.

In our study of the literary side of Engels we have almost lost sight of his practical political activity. We will turn now to this latter.

The labor movement, which had almost ceased to exist upon the continent, after the blows of 1848–49, began in the middle of the sixties to stir on all sides, not only in Germany, but in France, Belgium and England. Even in Spain and Italy the laboring class began to move. To turn all these confused and unclear movements into one uniform, clear, conscious movement was the task which the International, founded in London in 1864, set before itself. This was a society for organization and propaganda among the proletariat of all lands, not an oath-bound association, as is many times asserted.

The intellectual leadership of the League naturally fell upon Marx, although, as might be expected, Engels lent his assistance. He was able to devote his whole strength to the task since he had withdrawn from business and had settled in the neighborhood of London. He came just in the nick of time, for the great struggle of the Franco-German war had just begun. At that time the greatest demands were made upon the strength of the International, and it could dispense with no one.

The year 1870 brought a revolution, which in its acts of violence would well compare with any previous revolution. Few have demanded so great sacrifices as the Franco-German war. This revolution was not confined to France and Germany. Others seized the opportunity to burst sworn contracts and nullify hereditary rights of property. It was not "wild Communists" who did these things, but the guardians of "law and order." Victor Emmanuel occupied Rome and the Czar of all the Russias declared that he was no longer