TIC CM? STWKMIS Devoted to International Socialism Vol. II MAY—JUNE, 1918 No. 3 The Devine Right of 15he flohenzollern By KARL MARX Karl Marx and International By HERMANN SCHLUETER The Rape of Finland's Labor Republic By SANTER1 NUORTEVA The "Disarmament" Cry By N. LENIN THE CLASS STRUGGLE Devoted to International Socialism Vol. II MAY—JUNE, 1918 No. 3 Published by The Socialist Publication Society. 119 Lafayette St..N. Y. City Issued Every Two Months—250 a Copy; $1.50 a Year Editor.: LOUIS B. BOUDIN, LOUIS C FRAINA, LUDWIG LORE CONTENTS Page Vol.. II The Divine Right of the Hohenzollern. MAY-JUNE, 1918 No. 3 By Karl Marx 249—259 Karl Marx. By Ludwig Lore 260—270 The Divine Right of the Hohenzollern Karl Marx and the International. By Hermann Schlueter 271—288 By KASI. MABX The new "Americanism." By James Oneal 289—295 Pontius Pilate Scheidemann. By Dr. Hans Block 296—297 Introduction by FRANZ MEHRING The Rape of Finland's Labor Republic. By Santeri Nuorteva 298—304 The following article was originally published in "The People's Paper," a Chartist organ, on December 13, 1856, The "Disarmament" Cry. By N. Lenin 305—316 where it was discovered by Comrade Rjazanoff. It deals with Appeal by the People's Commissary of Education. the "Neuenburg Question," one of the serio-comic incidents By A. V. Lunacharsky 317—322 by which the Prussia of Frederick William IV. and his roman- The Biology of Peace and War. tic reactionaries used to amuse all Europe. To-day the matter By Dr. John J. Kallen 323—333 has been forgotten, therefore a few words of explanation are Current Affairs 334—35 / necessary to understand the article of Marx: A War Anniversary.—St. Louis.—One Year After. The manner in which Neuenburg came under the sway of Freedom of Thought and Speech.—Foch and Si- the Hohenzollern is pictured by Marx perfectly. As far back beria: a Contrast.—War Maps and "Liberalism." as the time of the Burgundian Kingdom, the little country —Toward the Revolution. had its own ruler, and was recognized by Switzerland, but had Documents for Future Socialist History 358—375 neither voice nor vote in the Swiss assembly. When, after Documents of Russian Constitutional Assembly.— many changes, its feudal dynasty died out in the year 1707, Austria's Pacifism. By H. N. Brailsford. Mr. there appeared fourteen claimants, among them the King of Gompers and the British Labor Party.—"Knights of Liberty" in Oklahoma. France and the King of Prussia. The latter was supported by England and Holland in view of their intense opposition to the hegemony of Lpuis XIV., and he was equally supported by The Co-Operative Preu IS Spruce St., New York the Swiss Cantons as a neighbor who was not dangerous; the result was decided by the feudal ruling class of Neuenburg for 250 THE CLASS STRUGGLE THE DIVINE RIGHT OF HOHENZOLLERN 251 the reasons described by Marx, or as the loyal Prussian his- treason. The latter made no secret of the fact that the guilty torian, Stenzel, puts it, "after many promised favors had been parties would be given their freedom, provided once and for secured by them." Indeed, a divine reason for the Divine all, the King of Prussia gave up his claims of "Divine Right" Right of the Hohenzollern to Neuenburg. to Neuenburg. It is not quite correct for Marx to say in his article that the The latter addressed a communication to the Swiss in French Revolution destroyed the domination of the Hohen- which he extended to them the "urgent recommendation" to zollern in Neuenburg. On the contrary, as late as February free the prisoners, and subject to this proviso, tendered "his 15, 1806, Frederick William III. ceded the little country to good offices to finally solve the whole question." Napoleon, who turned it over with all sovereign rights to his Marshall Berthier. After the first Treaty of Paris by agree- But the Swiss hadn't the remotest intention of giving up ment dated June 3, 1814, Berthier turned Neuenburg over to sure guarantees for vague promises. Thus it looked as though the King of Prussia in consideration of a life income of 34,000 war were unavoidable; in Prussia preparations were made to Prussian dollars. This was confirmed by the Treaty of Vienna, mobilize 160,000 men and insure their transit through South but Neuenburg was incorporated in the Swiss Union as the Germany; the Swiss sent several divisions of the militia to 21st Canton. the border. But the whole stupid affair was becoming too ridiculous The salvation of the little country proved to be the fact for the European powers. Bonaparte gave Switzerland posi- that it finally emerged from the swamp of feudal domination. tive guarantees, and in January 1857 the prisoners were freed. The constitution of 1848 gave everyone in Switzerland the Frederick William IV. had to hand to Bonaparte a renuncia- full rights of citizenship after a residence of two years, so tion of his claim of "Divine Right," and on March 5, 1857, the that by 1856 nearly half of the population consisted of those four neutral great powers met in Paris as a tribunal, before who had immigrated, who by means of the universal suffrage which Prussia and Switzerland were to come to an under- could easily assume power. standing in regard to details. Frederick felt deeply insulted In country and city the Patricians saw their power steadily by being obliged to treat directly with the Swiss rebels, but vanishing. They, therefore, hit upon the desperate idea of re- he tried to combine the profitable with the disagreeable, by storing feudal conditions by a royalistic "coup." Some of the demanding a feudal restoration, an allotment of an income of leaders went to Berlin, but Ffederick William IV., while too $2,000,000, etc., etc. When, after much juggling and haggling, cowardly to sanction the undertaking openly, was dishonest he was awarded $1,000,000, he ended the fiasco by the ridicu- enough to accord it silent consent. Thus a handful of Junkers lous statement that he did not care to bargain for money with tried their luck "in the name of the King," and on the third Switzerland, and that he would rather take nothing, so that he of September 1856 took the castle of Neuenburg by surprise, did not get a sou for his "Divine Right." arrested the authorities, and proclaimed the restoration of the Marx wrote his article about the time when the Neuen- Hohenzollern. ' The farce lasted just two days; Swiss militia burg incident threatened to embroil Europe in war. from Bern put an end to the matter quickly, without the loss of a drop of blood. Sixty-six prisoners fell into their hands, and were turned over to the Swiss Court on the charge of 252 THE CLASS STRUGGLE THE DIVINE RIGHT OF HOHENZOLLERN 253 The Divine Right of the Hohenzollern subsequent changes that occurred in its feudal "sovereignty" up to the time of the Vienna agreement which made it sov- By KARL MARX ereign member of the Confederacy. The sovereignty over Neuenburg was conveyed fifst to the house of Chalons- Europe, just now, is interested in only one great question— Orange, then through the mediation of Switzerland to the that of Neuenburg. That is to say, if we are to credit the Prus- house of Longueville, and finally, at the extinction of this sian newspapers. The principality of Neuenburg, even if we line, to the widowed sister of the Prince, the Countess of include the county of Valangin, covers the modest area of Nemours. When she tried to assume power, William III., about 220 square miles, but the royal philosophers of Berlin King of England and Duke of Nassau-Orange, entered a pro- maintain that not quantity but quality is the determining test and conveyed his right and title to Neuenburg and Va- factor in the greatness and smallness of things, which stamps langin to his cousin Frederick I. of Prussia; this agreement them as sublime or ridiculous. was hardly given any notice during the lifetime of William III. The Neuenburg question, to them, embodies the eternal But upon the death of the Duchess .Marie of Nemours, Fred- dispute between Revolution and Divine Right, and this an- erick set up his claim. As fourteen other candidates came tagonism is influenced by geographical dimensions as little as forward, however, to assert their claims, he, with wise modera- the law of gravitation by the difference between the sun and tion, submitted his claim to the local nobility, not, however, a tennis-ball. without first having assured himself of the support of the judges by bribery. Thus by bribery the King of Prussia Let us see of what the Divine Right consists to which the became Prince of Neuenburg and Count of Valangin. Hohenzollern dynasty lays claim. It is based, in the case be- fore us, on a London protocol under date of May 24, 1852, in The French Revolution annulled these titles, the treaty of which the plenipotentiaries of France, Great Britain and Vienna restored them, and the Revolution of 1848 removed Russia "recognize the rights over the principality of Neuen- them again. Over against the revolutionary right of the burg and the county of Valangin belonging to the King of people the King of Prussia set up his Divine Right of the Prussia according to the stipulations of Articles 22 and 76 Hohenzollern, amounting to nothing more than the divine of the Vienna agreement, and which from 1815 to 1848 existed right of bribery.