The Life and Work of Friedrich Engels/Chapter 8
Constitutional Risings in Germany
The working classes failed to get their political liberties in the 1848 revolutions: the reaction triumphed.
But they learned some valuable lessons: they learnt to recognise the unreliability of the small property-owners; their treachery, and the need to rely on themselves alone as a class in their struggle with the bourgeoisie. Of course, the subsequent history of Europe shows that this lesson was not learnt thoroughly by all sections of the workers in all Europe; but the foremost ranks of the workers did learn the lesson, and after a short respite from the shock of their defeat there commenced a more definitely class-conscious action amongst the European working class.
In May, 1849, a portion of the Rhine province broke out in revolt, and as soon as Engels heard of this he hastened to the seat of action, to Elberfeld; but the workers being betrayed by the small bourgeoisie, the rising soon fizzled out. The Neue Rheinische Zeitung was suppressed, and after remaining in hiding in Cologne for a short time, Engels went to the Palatinate, which had risen, together with Baden, for a constitution for the whole German Empire. Here he joined a volunteer corps as adjutant. But this rising also failed, owing to the mismanagement and treachery of the South German Democrats—a small bourgeois party, which, supported by the workers, had led the rising. And it ended, as described by Engels, by a bloody massacre. Engels stopped with the conquered army to the very last, until all was hopelessly lost. He then went to Switzerland. The day after he arrived at Vevey, he writes to Mrs. Marx explaining his long silence, and the course of the rising. Although, he says, he had at first tried to stand aside from this soi-disant revolution, still, when he heard that the Prussians had come he could not keep himself from entering the ranks, Although he does not think much of the rising, on the whole he is glad that one from the Neue Rheinische Zeitung had taken part; otherwise the democrats might have denounced them as being too cowardly to fight. He is very anxious as to what has become of Marx, and says: "If only I were certain that Marx is free! I have often thought that there, in the midst of the Prussian bullets, I was in a much less dangerous post after all than the others in Germany, and particularly than Marx in Paris. Please relieve me immediately from this uncertainty."
In reply, Marx tells Engels how anxious they had been on his account and how delighted they were to hear from him again. He urges Engels to take the opportunity now to write a history or pamphlet on the rising.
When, in August, 1849, Marx was expelled from Paris and declared his intention to go to London, he writes to Engels urging him strongly also to come to London, both because it was unsafe for him to remain in Switzerland where the Prussians might get hold of him, and also for the sake of the work they could do together in London; and, indeed, very soon after, Engels followed Marx to London.