Letter to Eduard Bernstein, February 24, 1886

Author(s) Friedrich Engels
Written 24 February 1886


First published, in Russian, in Marx-Engels Archives, Book I, Moscow, 1924
Published in English for the first time in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 47


ENGELS TO EDUARD BERNSTEIN

IN HOTTINGEN-ZURICH

[London, 24 February 1886]

Dear Ede,

Your articles[1] on the subject of C. A. Schramm[2] were very nice and caused us much glee. The man's pretty well done for.

The new turn things have taken in France is most significant. See Cri du Peuple. On the 7th, Château d'Eau meeting[3] at which Basly disassociated himself from the Radicals.[4] On the 11th, in the Chamber, Basly's interpellation re Decazeville,[5] seconded by Camélinat and Boyer, applauded by Clovis Hugues and Planteau — separation from the Radicals, formation of parliamentary workers' party.[6]

Splendid entrée en scène. Great chagrin of the Radicals over these highly unparliamentary goings-on. The three working men are to be punished by a vote of no confidence on the part of the bourgeois constituents. Meeting called at Château d'Eau for 21 inst, but cancelled upon the three declaring their intention to attend. Instead a meeting du commerce at the Château d'Eau announced, to discuss public works for the benefit of the unemployed, in fact for the purpose of obtaining a vote of censure against the 3. But instead a great victory for the working men, Basly in the chair, the bourgeois walk out, brilliant speech by Guesde. See Cri du Peuple of 23rd inst.[7]

The French parliamentary workers' party is a great historic event and a great stroke of luck for Germany. Will make certain persons in Berlin stir their stumps. Moreover, wholly international; chauvinistic heckling fell completely flat.

Your

F.E.

  1. ↑ [E. Bernstein,] 'Ein moralischer Kritiker und seine kritische Moral', Der Sozialdemokrat, Nos. 4-7, 21 and 28 January, 5 and 12 February 1886.
  2. ↑ C. A. S[chramm], Rodbertus, Marx, Lassalle.
  3. ↑ See E. J. Basly's speech at a meeting in Théâtre du Château d'Eau on 7 February 1886 (Le Socialiste, No. 25, 13 February 1886).
  4. ↑ The Radicals — in the 1880s and 1890s a parliamentary group which had split away from the party of moderate republicans in France ('Opportunists', see Note 236). The Radicals had their main base in the petty and, to some extent, the middle bourgeoisie and continued to press for a number of bourgeois-democratic demands: a single-chamber parliamentary system, the separation of the Church from the State, the introduction of a system of progressive income taxes, the limitation of the working day and settlement of a number of other social issues. The leader of the Radicals was Clemenceau. The group formed officially as the Republican Party of Radicals and Radical Socialists [Parti républicain radical et radical-socialiste) in 1901.
  5. ↑ See Basly's speech in the Chamber of Deputies on 11 February 1886 (Le Cri du Peuple, No. 837, 12 February 1886).
  6. ↑ See this volume, p. 409.
  7. ↑ J. Guesde's speech at a meeting of business people (Le Cri du Peuple, No. 848, 23 February 1886).