Two Speeches by Karl Marx

What it is

This is a printed pamphlet gathering two speeches by Karl Marx: his 1850 address to the Communist League, and his 1864 inaugural address delivered at the founding meeting of the International Working Men's Association in London. This edition was published in 1923 by a Canadian publisher.

Why it matters

These speeches show Marx directly addressing organised workers' movements at two key moments: right after the failed revolutions of 1848, and at the founding of an international workers' organisation. They reveal Marx not just as a writer of books but as a speaker trying to guide real political organisations.

Look closer

• What differences might you expect between a speech meant to be heard and a book meant to be read?
• Why do you think this edition was published decades later, in Canada, for workers there?
• What does founding an international organisation in 1864 suggest about the ambitions of the movement Marx was part of?