The Communist League holds its first congress in London (1847)

The Communist League was established in London in 1847 through the merger of the League of the Just, headed by Karl Schapper, and the Communist Correspondence Committee of Brussels, in which Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels were dominant. In June 1847 the London congress adopted a new charter renaming the League of the Just as the Communist League, and this conference was counted as the first congress of the new League.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. The League of the Just, a secret society headed by Karl Schapper, relocated its center to London after a failed rebellion in Paris in 1839. In 1846, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels established the Communist Correspondence Committee in Brussels. In January 1847, the London center of the League of the Just proposed organizational unity with the Brussels committee, leading to the merger that formed the Communist League.

First Congress. A letter from Schapper in January 1847 requested Marx join the League for a scheduled London congress. Marx and Engels joined shortly thereafter. The congress took place in June 1847, where the League of the Just adopted a new charter and changed its name to the Communist League. This conference was counted as the first congress of the new League.

Organizational Structure. The newly formed Communist League was structured around primary party units known as "communes," consisting of at least 3 and not more than 10 members. The organization was regarded as the first Marxist political party, formed through the merger of the League of the Just and the Communist Correspondence Committee.

People involved

Sources

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