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。