Karl Marx Finds Freedom in Censorship
In this cartoon, Marx was tied to a printing press and the eagle of censorship was trying to rip his liver out. Thus, Marx practically represented his ideal god. While the liberals of Germany were upset at Zeitung’s closure, Marx was surprisingly happy. Yes, he was happy that he was now free of censorship. He was now free to choose his path. “I’m suffocating in this environment,” he told his friend Arnold Rouge. He said that it was hopeless to win a sword fight with needles.
Marx declared that the government had given him back his freedom. Though Karl Marx was rejoicing he was concerned too. He realized that free speech was a hopeless cause in Germany. He knew that censorship in Germany could not be lifted without a revolution. Now he wanted a sanctuary outside Germany to continue his revolutionary struggle. He had no interest in Germany anymore. All his close relatives and friends were gone long ago.
His father, Heinrich Marx, who was his closest friend had long since passed away. After his death, Karl Marx lost his mother too. Marx’s mother was against his revolutionary activities and wanted him to share her financial burden. But when that didn’t happen, she never spoke to Marx again. In a way, Marx practically lost his mother. Karl Marx had harsh behavior. So many of his old friends had become his enemies.
Karl Marx's Revolutionary Activities Strain Relationship with Fiancé Jenny
Even his close friends were not happy with him. Those who were impressed by his personality in the past were now leaving him. Government officials and the rich were already against him. So, Marx was practically alone in Germany. His only real friend was his green-eyed fiancé Jenny. Jenny was with him even in the most difficult of circumstances, waiting for him.
But Marx’s attitude did not spare even her. It had been 7 years since their engagement. This long duration had created misunderstandings between them. Marx had little contact with Jenny during his in the university and later as an editor in Cologne. Letters were the only source of communication in those days. But every letter took weeks or months to reach its destination. As a result, some misunderstandings arose between the two lovebirds. Jenny was rich and had many rich relatives and family friends.
Those rich people didn’t like Karl Marx because of his revolutionary activities. These rich relatives and friends of Jenny and many of Marx’s relatives didn’t want the couple to marry. During Marx’s absence from Trier, it was Jenny who alone had to counter all the opposition to their marriage. Jenny was heartbroken because of all the opposition. Even Marx didn’t comfort her.
Love Triumphs Over Misunderstandings
Marx thought that Jenny was fed up with him and wanted to end their engagement. His rude replies upset poor Jenny more. Jenny complained that Marx doubted her love, and Marx thought Jenny was tired of him. During this time, Marx also allegedly betrayed Jenny. He fell in love with an old German poetess. Sadly, he even took this woman to Trier and introduced her to Jenny. This meeting was hard for Jenny yet she continued to love Marx and did not break up with him.
Jenny once wrote a letter to Marx to make him feel his attitude. She declared that Marx had no idea of her suffering. If he could become a girl like her only then he could have understood. However, all these misunderstandings could not separate them. Marx broke up with the German poetess and was with Jenny again. When Marx decided to leave Germany, he first went to Jenny’s house and married her.
Only a few of her friends and in-laws attended the wedding. His mother and other family members did not attend the wedding. Marx’s mother-in-law gave her daughter jewelry and a silver plate along with a box full of money. She wanted the couple to start a new life with that money. But Marx and Jenny had all that money during their honeymoon. Later, Jenny’s silver plate and jewelry were also given to moneylenders to get financial aid.