*152 KARL MARX: A BIOGRAPHYmankind does not need it.... Let us view ourselves as leaves on the great
tree of humanity and posterity will reap what we with our calm activity
have sown.'^109 This debate went on for several months in the meetings
of the Association, and Weitling was ably supported by Kriege but the
majority of the workers eventually sided with Schapper.
The London communists had broken off all contact with Weitling by
the time that Marx, in mid-May 1846 , suggested that they form a com-
munist correspondence bureau in regular liaison with Brussels. As early
as March Engels had formally asked Harney to act as correspondent with
Brussels. But Harney, who had himself become a member of the League
in February, insisted that Schapper and the leaders of the League be
consulted first - suggesting that they were mistrustful of the 'literary
characters in Brussels';^109 and Marx's ideas were indeed far from popular
with them. According to Schapper (and his letters reflected the views of
the League leaders as a whole) revolutions could not be made to order,
and a spiritual awakening would have to precede a physical uprising. The
task of the League was seen by its leaders as one of 'enlightening the
people and propaganda for the community of goods'.^110 They were also
opposed to Marx's attitude to Kriege and complained of the 'intellectual
arrogance' of the Brussels communists.^111 Schapper did agree, however,
to Marx's proposal in July 1846 that a congress be held in London at
some future date to hammer out differences and 'bring force and unity
into our propaganda'.^112 As late as December 1846 Engels was suggesting
to Marx - in a letter which is a good example of their 'intellectual
arrogance' - that they might have to let the correspondence with the
Londoners drop quietly and try to reach some agreement with Harney.^113
But it was clear that the German communists in London, in terms of
numbers and organisation, represented for Marx and Engels by far the
most promising entree into working-class politics, particularly because
Marx's various European Correspondence Committees never really got
off the ground.
In November the Central Committee of the League of the Just, which
had remained in Paris, was formally transferred to London. Together
with the attempt at organisational reform that this implied, there was the
growing feeling that, after the rejection of the communism of Cabet and
Weitling, firmer theoretical foundations for the League were needed. On
20 January 1847 , the London Correspondence Committee decided to
send Moll (whose views were noticeably closer to Marx's than were
Schapper's) to Brussels to solicit the help of Marx and invite him to join
the League. Marx wrote later: 'Whatever objections we had against this
proposal were met by Moll's statement that the Central Committee plan-
ned to call together a Congress of the League in London. There, the