Marx and Engels publish The Communist Manifesto in London (1847–1848)

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels co-authored The Communist Manifesto, commissioned by the Communist League. Written between December 1847 and January 1848, the text was published anonymously in London in February 1848. The publication coincided with the outbreak of the Revolutions of 1848, though its immediate influence was limited to Germany. The document later became a foundational political text.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. Marx and Engels joined the League of the Just in 1847, which adopted their ideas of critical communism. Engels proposed replacing the catechism format with a manifesto to include historical context. The duo wrote the programme of action for the Communist League from December 1847 to January 1848, drawing on their shared outlook developed in The German Ideology.

Publication. The Manifesto was published anonymously in late February 1848 by the Communist Workers' Educational Association in London. The text framed its opening and close with iconic lines, including 'A spectre is haunting Europe' and 'Workers of the world, unite!'. Translations in Polish, Danish, and Swedish followed the German original in London by the end of 1848.

Reception. The publication coincided with the Revolutions of 1848, beginning in France. Its influence was restricted to Germany, where the Cologne-based Communist League played a role. After the defeat of the revolutions, the Manifesto fell into obscurity throughout the 1850s and 1860s, becoming scarce enough for Marx to reprint sections in his London newspaper.

People involved

Sources

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