Letter to Friedrich Adolph Sorge, October 4, 1890

Author(s) Friedrich Engels
Written 4 October 1890


First published abridged in Briefe und Auszüge aus Briefen von Jon. Phil. Becker, Jos. Dietzgen, Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx u. A. an F.A. Sorge und Andere, Stuttgart, 1906 and in full in: Marx and Engels, Works, First Russian Edition, Vol. XXVIII, Moscow, 1940
Published in English in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 49


ENGELS TO FRIEDRICH ADOLPH SORGE

IN HOBOKEN

[London,] 4 October 1890

In my last letter I forgot to mention the circumstance that I had given the Romm couple a letter of introduction to you, and you may have thought this improper.[1] It was sheer forgetfulness on my part. The Romms — I do not know him personally — frequented the best party circles in Berlin where they enjoyed everyone's confidence, and will in any case be able to tell you a great deal that is of interest about conditions there. As I have said, she is the sister-in-law of Ede Bernstein who, as editor of the Sozialdemokrat, has proved to be one of the best of the younger generation, and her literary work in introducing progressive Russian literature to the Germans deserves great praise.— They will have told you all about the personal side — the hows, whys and wherefores of their coming to America.

The Socialiste is appearing again — I wrote and told Lafargue to send it to you.

The matter of the congress is going swimmingly. Complete unanimity between Germans and French. Guesde, Nieuwenhuis, Tussy, a Belgian and a Swiss will be going to Halle on the 12th and will doubtless settle everything. The Possibilists are quarrelling openly — next week they will probably have a show-down.[2]

Nim thanks you for the Kalender. She, Schorlemmer and I send our kindest regards to you both.

Your

F.E.

We over here know nothing about blows received by Tussy — WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

  1. ↑ The letter of introduction has not been found.
  2. ↑ Engels means the signs of a forthcoming dissociation within the Possibilist Workers' Party (see Note 3). At their congress in Châtellerault, 9 to 15 October 1890, the Possibilists split into two groups — the Broussists and the Allemanists. The latter formed an organisation of their own, the Socialist Revolutionary Workers' Party. The Allemanists retained the Possibilists' ideological and tactical principles but, in contrast to them, attached great importance to propaganda within the trades unions, which they regarded as the workers' principal form of organisation. The Allemanists' ultimate weapon was the call for a general strike. Like the Possibilists, they denied the need for a united, centralised party and advocated autonomy and the struggle to win seats on the municipal councils.