Marx as a Migrant – A digital narrative

Karl Marx lived a long life as a migrant. Fleeing from the Prussian state, censorship and possible arrest, important stops on his journey were Paris, Brussels and London. These cities shaped his political activities, his engagement with political fellow-travellers, as well as his intellectual development and thus his entire work.

At the click of a mouse, you can follow Marx as a migrant from city to city. You can not only immerse yourself in his time, but also discover that even today, traces of his life and work continue to be seen in Paris, Brussels and London.

Each station takes about 45 minutes.

Contact: info@marx200.org

Marx as a Migrant

  • Paris
  • The Proletariat

Marx and Ruge: A rift begins to form

Paris, early summer 1844. Working on the Jahrbücher, the publishers and authors had learned “to speak French”, as Marx-biographers later wrote, meaning: “to act in a revolutionary way.”

However, because they lacked French authors, sales in France were poor and the Prussian government banned the journal’s import into the German Confederation. An arrest warrant awaited all of the participants at the border. Should they set foot on German soil, they would be arrested “for attempted treason and lèse majesté”.

Arnold Ruge, whose fortune had helped make the project possible, is appalled.