Sun, sea and socialism: what Engels thought of the Isle of Wight
From military inspections to geological observations, KEITH FLETT recounts how the communist’s 1857 visit to Ryde combined health recovery with a sharp analysis of Britain’s defences
MARX AND ENGELS were frequent visitors to a range of English seaside resorts, primarily in Kent and Sussex. The east coast was also a consideration.
Marx favoured Margate and Ramsgate and in later life Ventnor.
Engels ranged more widely. His liking for Eastbourne is well known but he spent time at a number of south coast locations including Brighton, Worthing and Littlehampton. Correspondence reveals him often searching for a source of Pilsner beer to enjoy.
More from this author
Every few years, it seems like the ‘right time’ to build a new left party — but what are the right conditions, asks socialist historian KEITH FLETT, looking back at the last two centuries and the insights of Ralph Miliband and EP Thompson
Modern Christmas as we know it, with its trees, dinner menu, cards and time off from work, only dates back to the early days of modern socialism as we know it, writes KEITH FLETT, checking in on Marx, Engels and the Chartists in the 1800s
Forget Farage and the recent daft demands for a new election against Labour: the greatest petition Britain has ever known gathered millions of names demanding the right to vote — and it didn’t work either, writes KEITH FLETT
KEITH FLETT considers how the return of the monarchy after Cromwell offers lessons for a left facing the return of Donald Trump, showing that radical traditions endure despite reactionary victories
Similar stories
Modern Christmas as we know it, with its trees, dinner menu, cards and time off from work, only dates back to the early days of modern socialism as we know it, writes KEITH FLETT, checking in on Marx, Engels and the Chartists in the 1800s
Marx and Engels’ concern with soil provides a focus for understanding the relationship between capitalism and the environment, argues the MARX MEMORIAL LIBRARY
The Star publishes the Karl Marx Graveside Oration delivered by ALEX GORDON at Highgate Cemetery yesterday
The right-wing press has been dining out on the idea that new graves near Marx’s in Highgate Cemetery being ‘sold for profit’ would be some great rebuke of the great anti-capitalist – KEITH FLETT sets the record straight