Karl Marlo
Encyclopedia
Karl Marlo, pseudonym
of Karl Georg Winkelblech (April 11, 1810 – January 10, 1865), was a German
professor, scientist
, chemist
and state socialist.
near Mainz
. After finishing his studies in natural sciences and chemistry in Giessen, he became a private tutor in Marburg
and, from 1839, a Professor of Chemistry at the Higher Trade School at Kassel
, Hesse.
He became deeply involved in the fate of the working class
and became an exponent of socialist ideas. From 1843 on, he spent all his time and all his (considerable) talents to produce just a single book, a comprehensive book in four volumes about social reform, which was left unfinished upon his death in Kassel
.
The four volumes, published between 1849 and 1859, were issued under the general title Enquiries concerning the Organisation of Labour, or, System of World Economy (Untersuchungen über die Organisation der Arbeit oder System der Weltökonomie). This work of this quichotic champion of the artisan
cause was not widely read. It was not intended to bear immediate consequences. It was published in a period of public apathy
, following the failed struggle for constitutional liberty
of 1848. This work seemed to have been almost entirely forgotten when the German
statesman and economist with socialist tendencies, Albert Schäffle
, made favorable mention of this monumental work in his book Kapitalismus und Socialismus( Capitalism and Socialism), published in 1870.
His work has since been the subject of commentaries by the Scottish
-Canadian economist John Rae
, Hendrik Peter Godfried Quack (1834–1914), and the German economist Wilhelm Georg Friedrich Roscher
, who described Marlo as 'one of the most solid, moderate and conscientious of the socialists'. In his book Marxism: An Historical and Critical Study, the historian George Lichtheim
(1912–1973) describes Karl Marlo as "an utopian socialist".
about the privations and insecurities of working-class life stimulated his interests in socialism
and led him to study working-class conditions himself.
Marlo's observations of industry and the effects of advancing capitalism
led him to the conclusion that a process of 'proletarianisation' was rapidly taking effect, that the smaller entrepreneur
s were being crushed out by the great capitalists, and that under the developing industrial system wages were held down to subsistence level and the workers subjected to increasing risks of recurrent unemployment
. These conclusions were apparently reached in isolation, with very little influence by any contemporary thinker.
Marlo believed that the French Revolution of 1789 was the starting point of a new era of human progress. Marlo believed that human history could be divided into two periods. The whole history of mankind up to 1789 had been dominated by the principle of 'Paganism
' or 'Monopolism'. During this epoch it had been regarded as 'natural' that the many should be sacrificed to the few, and that the few should 'monopolise' the means of production. This regime of monopoly
had taken successive forms in the institutions of slavery
, serfdom
, and wage-labor, which were all forms of exploitation
of the many by the few. Christ
had proclaimed many centuries ago the rival principle of human equality; but it had not been translated into political terms capable of being applied until the French Revolution had proclaimed the 'Rights of Man'. The Declaration of the Rights of Man was, then, to be regarded as the starting-point of the era of true Christianity
; and the task of the nineteenth century was to work out the social implications of the Christian
principle.
At the Frankfurt
General German Workers' Congress (August-September 1848), his views on the federal system for guilds and corporate institutions got endorsement. In these he postulated that there were common interests between masters and journeymen, while the monied powers were their enemies. He demanded the creation of compulsory guilds and the creation of a social ministry for the governmental organization of labour. He proposed a comprehensive reform scheme for compulsory social insurance against old age, sickness and financial misfortunes, paid by individual contributions.
Marlo was in line with the criticism of socialists on industrial capitalism. Therefore he rejected liberalism
. But on the other hand he also rejected communism
because it fails to motivate the individual worker. He tried to find a common ground between the two systems, that he called panpolism (the opposition of monopolism
). In industrial states, the means of production should be common property, managed and organized by the state, while the produce of the labour of the individual worker should remain private property. He gave every man the right to dispose of his earnings according to his own wishes.
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of Karl Georg Winkelblech (April 11, 1810 – January 10, 1865), was a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
professor, scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
, chemist
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
and state socialist.
Life
Marlo was born in EnsheimEnsheim
Ensheim is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
near Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
. After finishing his studies in natural sciences and chemistry in Giessen, he became a private tutor in Marburg
Marburg
Marburg is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany, on the River Lahn. It is the main town of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district and its population, as of March 2010, was 79,911.- Founding and early history :...
and, from 1839, a Professor of Chemistry at the Higher Trade School at Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
, Hesse.
He became deeply involved in the fate of the working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
and became an exponent of socialist ideas. From 1843 on, he spent all his time and all his (considerable) talents to produce just a single book, a comprehensive book in four volumes about social reform, which was left unfinished upon his death in Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
.
The four volumes, published between 1849 and 1859, were issued under the general title Enquiries concerning the Organisation of Labour, or, System of World Economy (Untersuchungen über die Organisation der Arbeit oder System der Weltökonomie). This work of this quichotic champion of the artisan
Artisan
An artisan is a skilled manual worker who makes items that may be functional or strictly decorative, including furniture, clothing, jewellery, household items, and tools...
cause was not widely read. It was not intended to bear immediate consequences. It was published in a period of public apathy
Apathy
Apathy is a state of indifference, or the suppression of emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation and passion. An apathetic individual has an absence of interest in or concern about emotional, social, spiritual, philosophical or physical life.They may lack a sense of purpose or meaning in...
, following the failed struggle for constitutional liberty
Liberty
Liberty is a moral and political principle, or Right, that identifies the condition in which human beings are able to govern themselves, to behave according to their own free will, and take responsibility for their actions...
of 1848. This work seemed to have been almost entirely forgotten when the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
statesman and economist with socialist tendencies, Albert Schäffle
Albert Schäffle
Albert Eberhard Friedrich Schäffle , German statesman and political economist, was born at Nürtingen in Württemberg, and in 1848 became a student at the University of Tübingen....
, made favorable mention of this monumental work in his book Kapitalismus und Socialismus( Capitalism and Socialism), published in 1870.
His work has since been the subject of commentaries by the Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
-Canadian economist John Rae
John Rae (economist)
John Rae , was a Scottish/Canadian economist. His most famous work was the Statement of Some New Principles on the Subject of Political Economy.-Sources:...
, Hendrik Peter Godfried Quack (1834–1914), and the German economist Wilhelm Georg Friedrich Roscher
Wilhelm Georg Friedrich Roscher
Wilhelm Georg Friedrich Roscher was a German economist from Hanover.He studied at Göttingen, where he became a member of Corps Hannovera, and Berlin, and obtained a professorship at Göttingen in 1844 and subsequently at Leipzig in 1848.The main origins of the historical school of political economy...
, who described Marlo as 'one of the most solid, moderate and conscientious of the socialists'. In his book Marxism: An Historical and Critical Study, the historian George Lichtheim
George Lichtheim
George Lichtheim was a German-born intellectual whose works focused on the history and theory of socialism and Marxism. He defined himself as a socialist and stated in a 1964 letter to the New York Review of Books that "I am not a liberal and never have been...
(1912–1973) describes Karl Marlo as "an utopian socialist".
Thought
A conversation between Marlo and a German worker in NorwayNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
about the privations and insecurities of working-class life stimulated his interests in socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
and led him to study working-class conditions himself.
Marlo's observations of industry and the effects of advancing capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
led him to the conclusion that a process of 'proletarianisation' was rapidly taking effect, that the smaller entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
s were being crushed out by the great capitalists, and that under the developing industrial system wages were held down to subsistence level and the workers subjected to increasing risks of recurrent unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
. These conclusions were apparently reached in isolation, with very little influence by any contemporary thinker.
Marlo believed that the French Revolution of 1789 was the starting point of a new era of human progress. Marlo believed that human history could be divided into two periods. The whole history of mankind up to 1789 had been dominated by the principle of 'Paganism
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
' or 'Monopolism'. During this epoch it had been regarded as 'natural' that the many should be sacrificed to the few, and that the few should 'monopolise' the means of production. This regime of monopoly
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
had taken successive forms in the institutions of slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
, serfdom
Serfdom
Serfdom is the status of peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to Manorialism. It was a condition of bondage or modified slavery which developed primarily during the High Middle Ages in Europe and lasted to the mid-19th century...
, and wage-labor, which were all forms of exploitation
Exploitation
This article discusses the term exploitation in the meaning of using something in an unjust or cruel manner.- As unjust benefit :In political economy, economics, and sociology, exploitation involves a persistent social relationship in which certain persons are being mistreated or unfairly used for...
of the many by the few. Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
had proclaimed many centuries ago the rival principle of human equality; but it had not been translated into political terms capable of being applied until the French Revolution had proclaimed the 'Rights of Man'. The Declaration of the Rights of Man was, then, to be regarded as the starting-point of the era of true Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
; and the task of the nineteenth century was to work out the social implications of the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
principle.
At the Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
General German Workers' Congress (August-September 1848), his views on the federal system for guilds and corporate institutions got endorsement. In these he postulated that there were common interests between masters and journeymen, while the monied powers were their enemies. He demanded the creation of compulsory guilds and the creation of a social ministry for the governmental organization of labour. He proposed a comprehensive reform scheme for compulsory social insurance against old age, sickness and financial misfortunes, paid by individual contributions.
Marlo was in line with the criticism of socialists on industrial capitalism. Therefore he rejected liberalism
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
. But on the other hand he also rejected communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
because it fails to motivate the individual worker. He tried to find a common ground between the two systems, that he called panpolism (the opposition of monopolism
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
). In industrial states, the means of production should be common property, managed and organized by the state, while the produce of the labour of the individual worker should remain private property. He gave every man the right to dispose of his earnings according to his own wishes.