45 2 KARL MARX: A BIOGRAPHYThe solution lay in self-government for Ireland, agrarian revolution and
protective tariffs. Marx also delivered the same speech in the German
Workers' Education Association: he was happy to make it as long as
possible, he wrote to Engels, for his carbuncles made standing the only
tolerable position.
In contrast to its stagnation in England, the International made rapid
progress on the Continent, particularly in its capacity as a liaison
committee between the unions of the various countries to support each
other's strikes - the activity which had led to its original success in
England. The financial help given by British trade unions to the striking
Paris bronze workers led to their victory and a great increase in the
prestige of the International in France: a little later a Parisian group
calling themselves 'positivist proletarians' applied for affiliation and were
admitted on the condition, proposed by Marx to the General Council,
that they call themselves simply 'proletarian' 'for the principles of positiv-
ism are directly opposed to our Statutes'.^66 The International was also
instrumental in arranging help for the Geneva builders and the Basle silk-
weavers; and since this was a period of great strike activity, it gained
publicity far beyond its actual effectiveness. In Germany Liebknecht was
still unable to further the International's aims until the end of 1867 : for
apart from his lack of organisational ability, the Verband was not ready to
accept socialist ideas, and anti-Prussianism was still its (and Liebknecht's)
main concern. But by the beginning of 1868 , things were already moving
in the International's favour: Bebel, the Verband's President and a gifted
organiser, felt the need of a more solid programme; and Liebknecht saw
himself threatened by Schweitzer's renewed overtures to Marx, made
easier by the fact that the Lassallean ADAV was moving leftwards in the
face of Bismarck's alliance with the liberals. Becker had laid a grass-
roots foundation with his network of German-speaking groups.^67 The
International was steadily gaining in size, success and prestige throughout
the continent of Europe during 1867.
The result of the Lausanne Congress had convinced Marx that there
had to be a showdown with the Proudhonists at Brussels. He wrote to
Engels: 'I will personally make hay out of the asses of Proudhonists at
the next Congress. I have managed the whole thing diplomatically and
did not want to come out personally until my book was published and our
society had struck roots.'^68 The Brussels Congress - the longest and best-
attended Congress held by the International - did indeed mark the eclipse
of Proudhonist ideas. The opening debate endorsed the proposal of a
general strike in case of war, though Marx dismissed the idea as a piece
of 'Belgian stupidity' as 'the working class is not sufficiently organised to
throw any decisive weight into the scales'.^69 To a further approach by the