Marx's Last Stand: The Bold and Defiant Final Issue of His Newspaper
On May 19, 1845, his paper published its last issue. This was printed with red ink instead of black ink. On its front page was a poem whose opening verses were such that I was not killed openly in open war. Rather, I have been ridiculed and deceitfully killed by the savages of the West, I lie down with the pride of my power like the corpse of a brave rebel.
A threatening article was also published in this last issue. Marx had thrown caution to the wind and harshly criticized the government. Addressing the elite class, he wrote that the revolutionaries did not ask for mercy and would not show mercy. When their turn came they won’t make excuses for the terror. The imperial terrorists who had the help of God and the law were cruel, vile, cowardly, duplicitous, and disgraced people, he wrote.
Over 20,000 copies were sold its price increased 10 times more than its original price. Even Some people framed the last issue and saved it permanently. Then Karl Marx moved to the German city of Frankfurt outside Prussia. But the security forces continue to harass him even in Frankfurt. Then he was once again moved to France in police custody.
The Life of Karl Marx: From Cologne to London, the Journey of a Revolutionary
On June 2, 1849, Marx was again in Paris. But it was not the Paris of 1848. It was changed. Charles Louis Bonaparte, the nephew of former Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, became President of France. After becoming president, he began to push France back to monarchy. He took strict action against revolutionaries and censored newspapers.
Karl Marx lived in Paris under a fake name to avoid persecution. He secretly contacted revolutionary organizations in France and incited them to bring revolution. But he failed here too. The French people didn’t rise for revolution. Authorities tracked him and ordered him to leave Paris. Marx left Paris in 1849 and settled in London. He spent the rest of his life in London.
The Tragic Life of Karl Marx in London: Battling Poverty and Fighting for Revolution
Marx arrived in London a broken man. Even his watch and clothes were mortgaged to pawnbrokers. He wrote letters to Engels for money. But despite Engel’s help, Marx couldn’t get rid of his creditors. He was totally a penniless person. He couldn’t afford rent so he had not a good home. Marx wandered from one area of London to another with his 7 children. Then he got a 2-room flat in the Chelsea area of London. But he couldn’t afford its rent too.
The owners of the flat disgraced him and threw him out of the flat. They also confiscated much of his luggage including children’s toys and cradles. Marx had to sell his bed sheets to pay the shopkeepers. Then Marx to another area called “Soho.” This area was home to foreign workers. But even this area didn’t suit him and he was constantly battling poverty. 3 of his children died of hunger and disease. But Karl Marx didn’t care. He spent every penny in the way of revolution.