Eleanor Marx 1855—1898
Eleanor Marx’s childhood was poor but happy. The little girl, nicknamed Tussy, was Karl Marx’s youngest and favourite daughter, a lively, talkative child whose education was irregular but who early showed an interest in politics. The Marx household in Kentish Town was shabby and crowded, and the family only survived through Frederick Engels’ financial help.
The events of the Paris Commune, 18 March —28 May 1871, made a great impression on Eleanor. She was in Paris in May, and was briefly arrested while returning to England. Karl Marx’s admiration for the Communards drew many refugees to his house, and in 1872 Eleanor became secretly engaged to Lissagaray, a fighter for the Commune. This engagement lasted for some ten years, but was eventually broken off.
Karl Marx did not wish his daughters to earn their living, but in 1876 Eleanor began to do some translating, and in 1877 she enrolled as a reader at the British Museum. The years 1881—1883 were distressing for Eleanor; her mother died in December 1881, her sister Jenny in January 1883, and finally Karl Marx in March 1883. Shattered though she was by her father’s death, Eleanor’s life gained a new purpose as she began to put his papers in order, and she also became more politically active.
At about this time Eleanor became involved with Edward Aveling (1849—1898), a scientist, free-thinker and political writer and lecturer, with whom she began to live openly in the summer of 1884. Eleanor’s choice of companion was unfortunate, for Aveling’s character was cold and insincere, and, while she was warm-hearted and loyal, he was often unfaithful to her. However, although in the long run the relationship caused Eleanor great unhappiness, to begin with they found common ground in their political work.
The couple were badly off, and Eleanor made a living by writing, lecturing and doing research work for other people. By now, she was active on the Executive Council of the Social Democratic Federation, but she was among those who left the Federation in 1884 to form the Socialist League. She contributed regularly to the League’s journal, Commonweal, and wrote pamphlets for it with Aveling, such as “The Factory Hell” (1885) and “The Woman Question” (1887).
Eleanor was very fond of literature and drama, and had at one time considered becoming an actress. In 1885/6 she was working on the first English translation of Madame Bovary, by Flaubert, and later she learnt Norwegian and translated some of Ibsen’s plays. She enjoyed taking part in play readings, and it was probably her dramatic talent which made her such a good public speaker.
In the autumn of 1886 Eleanor and Aveling visited America at the invitation of the Socialist Labour Party of North America, and spent fifteen weeks touring the country, speaking and holding meetings. On 13 November 1887 the violent clash between police and Socialist demonstrators known as “Bloody Sunday” took place in Trafalgar Square; Eleanor was in the thick of it, and arrived home bruised and with torn clothes.
By now Eleanor was very busy with political work, both at home and abroad. She attended the International Congress of 15 — 20 July 1889, in Paris, which laid the foundations of the Second International, where she acted as an interpreter and did much work behind the scenes. In the same year she played a leading role in a strike at Silvers, in Silvertown, where there were india-rubber works, Eleanor went daily to Silvertown to speak and to organise the workers, especially the women. She also helped with the dock strike of 1889, and formed the first women’s branch of the National Union of Gasworkers and General Labourers. After acting as one of two conference secretaries at the Union’s first conference, she was unanimously elected onto the Executive. Eleanor attended the Brussels Congress of 1891, where she made an important speech, and worked again as a translator and interpreter at the International Socialist Workers’ Congress in Zurich, 1893.
In 1895 Frederick Engels died, and left both money and Karl Marx’s correspondence and literary remains to Eleanor, who began to edit some of her father’s letters and articles. She and Aveling moved from central London to Green Street Green in June 1895, and again on 14 December 1895 to 7 Jew’s Walk, Sydenham. Eleanor had Jewish ancestry, she knew some Yiddish, and she now wrote: “I am Jewishly proud of my house in Jew’s Walk”, She still found time for political involvement, acting as interpreter at the 1896 London International Congress and the 1897 Miners’ International Congress, and helping with the engineering workers’ strike of 1897.
In June 1897 Edward Aveling, using an alias and a false address, married a woman named Eva Frye at Chelsea Register Office. In August he and Eleanor quarrelled and parted, but he returned quite soon afterwards, and, despite his recent marriage, stayed with Eleanor at Jew’s Walk to be nursed by her after a serious kidney operation. Apart from this strain, Eleanor also had to cope with financial difficulties and an increasing feeling that her work was unsuccessful.
On 31 March 1898, Eleanor sent her maid to buy prussic acid, allegedly to put down a dog, from George Dale, a chemist of 92, Kirkdale, Sydenham. She immediately used the acid to commit suicide, and her death was certified by Dr Shackleton, the explorer’s father, who lived nearby in Sydenham. The inquest was held at Park Hall, Sydenham, and a verdict of “Suicide” while “labourinq under mental derangement” was returned, Eleanor’s funeral was very well attended, unlike that of Aveling, who died later in the year.
Eleanor Marx was a much loved woman. Ben Tillett described her as a “vivid and vital personality, with great force of character, courage and ability.” She was also a kind person, hospitable and very fond of children. She struggled against personal difficulties which in the end defeated her, but her hard work for the cause of socialism left a lasting legacy.
In 2008 a Blue Plaque was unveiled commemorating Eleanor Marx at 7 Jews Walk, Sydenham.