The Revolutionary Act

What it is

This pamphlet, dated 1922, reproduces a text credited to Friedrich Engels and Daniel De Leon, translated by Henry A. Kuhn. Its preface describes the text as Engels's introduction to Karl Marx's pamphlet The Class Struggles in France, 1848–1850, written as a voice of warning about how revolution should be pursued. The attribution to De Leon is not verified here, so students should treat the credit with care. The English text is available through the Wikisource record.

Why it matters

The preface shows a debate among groups calling themselves revolutionary about whether revolution could come peacefully through the political ballot or would require force. It criticizes physical-force advocates, anarchists and dynamiters for getting attention in the newspapers. The text links Engels to Marx, whose work it introduces, and shows how Marxist movements argued over tactics on paper.

Look closer

• Who is credited as author, and how sure can we be of that credit?
• Why does the preface describe its opponents as noisy, and what does that tell us about the writer's goal?
• Whose voices are missing, such as the groups being criticized?