Lichtgedanken 04

Rubrik 62 »A spectre is haunting Europe—the spectre of communism.« This rather of- ten quoted sentence is the opening line of the Manifesto of the Communist Party by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The programmatic work, commissioned by the Communist League and published in 1848, ended with the cry: »Workers of the world, unite!« Learned citizens of the GDR were well-acquainted with the sentence. It adorned the top right-hand corner of the front page of the Communist news- paper Neues Deutschland . But it was not the »Organ of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germa- ny«, as the newspaper was known, that adorned itself with Karl Marx. The philosopher, who wrote as mas- sive work as the three-volume Das Ka- pital , became one of the much praised heroes of the global communist move- ment. Enriched by the ideas of Vladimir Iljitsch Uljanow, known as Lenin, Marxism-Leninism became the doc- trine of salvation for the Soviet Union and, later, for the entire Eastern Block. Even pupils were familiar with Marx. A doctorate »in absentia« Karl Heinrich Marx was born over 200 years ago, on 5 May 1818. The philosopher, who accused his colleagues of having interpreted the world differently when they in fact should have changed it, had a special con- nection to the University of Jena. He submitted his doctoral thesis »in absentia« here in 1841. It was graded »with distinction«. In the German Democratic Repub- lic, the teachings of the class struggle were part of the curriculum and »ML« (standing for Marxism-Leninism) was a mandatory subject. In addition, the novel Moor and the Ravens of London was a compulsory literature in schools. Yet, did anyone read anything else by Marx? What is sure, is the fact that Marx was considered sacrosanct. Lenin set the tone here: »The teachings of Marx are all-powerful because they are true.« The young Marx was surely not aware of the fame that he was going to achieve later. Karl Hein rich Marx was born 200 years ago on 5 May 1818 in Trier. His father, Heinrich, was from a family of famous rabbis and converted to Prot- estantism. His mother, Henriette, was related to the poet Hei nrich Heine. In 1835, after his Abitur , Marx began stud- ying law in Bonn. He continued his studies at the Friedrich Wilhelm Uni- versity in Berlin. In Berlin, the student increasingly neglected jurisprudence and instead turned his attentions to philosophy and history. In April 1841, Marx first came into con- tact with the University of Jena. Profes- sor of Literature Oskar Ludwig Bern- hard Wolff arranged for the previously unknown student to submit his doctor- al dissertation The Difference Between the Democritean and Epicurean Philosophy of Nature to the Faculty of Arts. His doc- toral diploma shows that the work was graded »vorzüglich würdig« or »with distinction«. Since 1947, the document has been preserved in Moscow. The doctoral thesis can no longer be found. A further connection between Karl Marx and Jena is a bust, which was created by the artist Will Lammert in 1953. Between 1959 and 1992, the sculp- ture decorated the entrance to the Uni- versity and was then banished to the University's repository upon Senate's decision. Marx's tumultuous life ended in Lon- don on 14 March 1883, where he came to rest at Highgate Cemetery. The grave has been a pilgrimage site for disciples of Marx from across the world to this day. Presumably, it is always decorated with fresh flowers. BY STEPHAN LAUDIEN Calendar The commemorative plaque in memory of the famous doctoral candidate in front of the main lecture hall in the main building of the University of Jena.