Karl Marx, having been chased out of Europe for his revolutionary work, spent the remainder of his life in London. It was here that he produced his magnum opus, Das Kapital.
The life of a revolutionary in London was far from glamorous. Soho, now an upmarket area of the capital, was a pit of despair in Marx’s time. Squalid streets covered in horse manure were filled with some of the poorest layers of society, including many others fleeing the persecution of the counter-revolution after the events of 1848 in Europe.
Marx’s time in London was one of poverty, with all the muck that comes with it. Disease and death struck his family hard.
Despite many difficult times, the great revolutionary never gave up the fight for communism. Join us on Friday 10th November at 2pm to follow in his footsteps.
Date: Friday 10th November
Time: 2pm
Starting location: UCL main quad, Gower Street, WC1E 6AE
V. I. Lenin is one of the greatest revolutionaries to have ever lived. His life’s work and his ideas represent a brilliant application of the Marxist method. On the firm foundation of Marxist theory, Lenin built the Bolshevik Party, which in 1917 was able to lead the working class to the seizure of power in Russia.
Lenin spent many of his years in exile, and for a period of time lived in London. Significant meetings of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party were held in the city, including the its 2nd Congress, which laid the basis for the split between the revolutionary Bolshevik and reformist Menshevik factions. It was also in London where Lenin would meet Leon Trotsky for the first time.
Join us on for a walk through central and north London to visit the sites where key events took place and get a sense of the life of a Bolshevik in exile.
Date: Friday 10th November
Time: 2pm
Starting location: Kings Cross Station
