For the Czech Comrades on Their May Day Celebration

Author(s) Frederick Engels
Written 8 April 1893


First published in a special publication: Prvni Mâj 1893, Praha
Printed according to the rough manuscript, checked with the Czech edition
Published in English in full for the first time in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 27

A REMINISCENCE OF THE YEAR 1848[1]

At that time Karl Marx met in Vienna [2] the Prague booksellerm Borrosch, the leader of the German-Bohemian group in the Austrian National Assembly.

Borrosch complained a great deal about the national strife in Bohemia, and the alleged fanatical enmity of the Czechs towards the Bohemian Germans. Marx asked him how things were with the Bohemian workers. "Yes," replied Borrosch, "that is quite a different matter; as soon as the workers join the movement, that comes to an end ; there is no more talk of Czechs or Germans, they all stand together."

What the Bohemian workers of both nationalities only sensed [at that time] they now know: that all national strife is only possible under the rule of the big landed feudal lords and capitalists; that it serves solely to perpetuate this rule; that Czech and German workers have the same common interests and that as soon as the working class attains political power all causes for national strife will be removed. For the working class is international by its very nature, and it will demonstrate this once again on the coming First of May.

London, April 8, 1893

F. E.

  1. ↑ Engels wrote this note at the request of the editors of the Czech newspaper Soziâlny Demokrat for a special May Day issue (Pruni Maj 1893, Praha), which also featured greetings to the Czech workers from Paul Lafargue, August Bebel and some other prominent socialists. It was first published in English in an abridged form in: K. Marx, F. Engels, V.I. Lenin, On Scientific Communism, Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1967
  2. ↑ Marx visited Vienna in late August-early September 1848 to strengthen contacts with the Austrian democratic and workers 'organisations and urge them to show greater resolve in their opposition to the counter-revolution in Austria. He was also hoping to collect enough money to continue the publication of the Neue Rheinische Zeitung.