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Hilda MarxGreat-great-granddaughter of Karl Marx |
Content:
- Hilda Marx: The Great-Great-Granddaughter of Karl Marx
- The Mystery of Karl Marx's Son
- "Why? Does a famous surname bring in more money?"
- A Complex Relationship with Marx
- Unveiling the Secrets of the Past
- "Have you visited your great-great-grandfather's grave?"
- "Did you also lay a flower on Engels' grave?"
- Marx's Hidden Lineage
- The Tormented Wife: Jenny Marx
- The Tragic Offspring
- The Personal and Political Consequences
- "Did they all live in poverty as well?"
- The Financial Struggles
- The Role of the Housekeeper
- The Ever-Present Debt
- The Traveling Housekeeper
- The Mystery of Elena Demuth
- A Love Triangle
- "Why, then, did Marx cheat on
Hilda Marx: The Great-Great-Granddaughter of Karl Marx
Hilda Marx: Reclaiming Her Family's LegacyIn April, Hilda Marx, the great-great-granddaughter of Karl Marx, celebrated her 60th birthday. A bookstore administrator by profession, Hilda dedicates her spare time to delving into the complex love life of her renowned ancestor. From his tumultuous marriage to Jenny Marx to his enigmatic relationship with Friedrich Engels, from Marx's chronic hemorrhoids to Engels' "feminine" character, and finally, the most enigmatic figure in the history of the author of "Capital," his housekeeper Elena Demuth, the narrative is a tapestry of fascinating details.
The Mystery of Karl Marx's Son
"Through which line is Karl Marx your great-grandfather?" the journalist inquires.
"Not grandfather, but great-great-grandfather," Hilda corrects. "Karl Marx had an illegitimate son, Frederick, born to his housekeeper, Elena Demuth. Officially, Marx denied fatherhood, fearing his wife's reaction and public opinion. The boy was given up for adoption. But Marx's loyal friend and collaborator, Friedrich Engels, stepped in, claiming paternity, legalizing the documents, and providing for Frederick's upbringing. Frederick later fathered Harry, and Harry, my father, Konrad. However, Konrad died in 1943, and I was raised by my stepfather, Franz Plautz. These facts have been known to Western historians for some time. I have always been Hilda Plautz, but four years ago, I adopted my great-great-grandfather's surname. I became Hilda Marx."
"Why? Does a famous surname bring in more money?"
"What money?!" Hilda exclaims. "Marx is my ancestor. I decided to restore justice. Marx refused to acknowledge Frederick, so I took his name out of spite! Let him spin in his grave."
A Complex Relationship with Marx
"So you hold some ill-will towards Karl Marx?""Heavens, no!" Hilda protests. "In fact, I was once a member of the East German Communist Party, and I was almost sent to your party's congress. But many facts about Marx's life were still classified at the time, so they chose to send a district secretary instead. I may have been just a librarian, but I had the opportunity to travel to Moscow on a tourist visa. No, Marx fascinates me. I have read about 700 books about him, and I feel it is time for me to write my own."
Unveiling the Secrets of the Past
"Were many things concealed about Marx in Socialist East Germany?""Yes," Hilda responds. "Because they tried to make him into a saint. But what saint can have flaws? They only allowed people to talk about how poor he was, how he wandered around Europe, and how he lived a miserable existence. Even in your country, it was considered prestigious to be poor."
"Have you visited your great-great-grandfather's grave?"
"Yes, I made a special trip to England for that purpose. You may not know that my great-grandmother, Elena Demuth, is buried in the same grave with Marx and his wife, Jenny. Marx's daughters decided it after her death. I placed a bouquet of fifteen flowers on the grave. One for Marx. Nine for his wife, Jenny. She suffered so much at the hands of her husband."
"Did you also lay a flower on Engels' grave?"
"I visited his grave about three years ago. No, I respect him more than I do Marx. After all, he acted nobly by claiming the child as his own and supporting Frederick financially. Compared to Marx, Engels was an angel. I spent a lot of money on a large, gorgeous bouquet for him."
Marx's Hidden Lineage
"Hilda, was Karl Marx himself ashamed of his ancestry?""His father, Heinrich Marx, was descended from rabbis. A Jew who converted to Protestantism to advance his career, he became a successful lawyer and represented many wealthy Jews. And his son, Karl, turned out to be a virulent anti-Semite! Imagine that! He once told Engels, 'I would hate the Jews even more, but I can't... because they will make the revolution...' And so it happened in Russia."
The Tormented Wife: Jenny Marx
"Marx's wife, Jenny, was four years his senior.""Jenny was a very unfortunate woman," Hilda laments. "Her entire family, her mother and father, strongly opposed the marriage. Here she was, the daughter of a Prussian aristocrat, Ludwig von Westphalen, one of the wealthiest men in Trier, where both Jenny and Marx were born. And Karl was a man who did not know what he wanted to do with his life. He had an affair with Jenny in secret, and they married seven years later. During all that time, Jenny's family introduced her to handsome, well-to-do men, but she remained loyal to Marx. She sat alone in Trier while Marx traveled around Prussia, moving from one city to another, constantly changing universities. He sent Jenny sonnets of his own composition by mail. And her father would say, 'You are an old maid, it is time for you to marry. You will die an old maid.' But she waited for Marx..."
The Tragic Offspring
"And for her loyalty, he rewarded her with many children?""Jenny once wrote, 'Even if the French remedy had been invented at the time, Karl would not have used it anyway,'" Hilda explains. "By 'French remedy,' she meant a condom. But the leader of the world proletariat had no time for contraception. Marx was a real womanizer, literally climbing on top of his unfortunate wife. I read somewhere that Jenny cried out, 'Karl, I have just given birth to a child, give me peace for at least a year!' But he would not let up, demanding sex. When it comes to their children, it was a real tragedy for Karl and Jenny."
The Personal and Political Consequences
"One child was stillborn, and their son, Guido, and daughter, Franziska, did not live past a year old. Marx's beloved son, Edgar, died at the age of eight. Only three daughters survived into adulthood. And even they were not happy."
"Did they all live in poverty as well?"
"Worse," Hilda replies. "Two of them committed suicide. Laura at 66 and Eleanor at 42. No wonder Marx was called a devil by his contemporaries. This is what his upbringing led him to! There are moments when I am even grateful to fate that my great-grandfather, Frederick, was raised by strangers."
The Financial Struggles
"Hilda, why was Karl Marx so poor? He had a wealthy wife.""When Karl and Jenny got married, Marx was working as an editor for a newspaper, earning 500 thalers a year. But the paper was shut down within a few months, and Marx and his wife were out on the street. Jenny was pregnant at the time. Can you imagine the situation? Marx was 25, Jenny was 29, expecting their first child. Marx's father, Heinrich, had died five years before their marriage. Jenny's father, Ludwig von Westphalen, had died a year before. True, Jenny had her mother left. But Marx was adamant about not receiving any help from this bourgeois family. Surprisingly, his wife meekly accepted his decision. The only thing the young couple agreed to accept from Jenny's mother was their housekeeper, Elena Demuth."
The Role of the Housekeeper
"What was there to economize on?""Well, she ran the household, allocated the money Marx borrowed. When creditors began refusing Marx loans, Jenny asked for money. Creditors trusted her more than they did Karl. And later, Elena cared for the Marx children, becoming a true friend to Jenny. She even played chess with Karl. By the way, I am also very good at chess."
The Ever-Present Debt
"Did Marx plan to repay the money he borrowed?""Of course, he hoped to get a job, write an article for which he would be well compensated. It was not entirely for political reasons that Marx traveled so much around Europe. He was literally hounded by creditors, they followed him everywhere. Times were different then, but it was still possible to get caught in an alley and hit over the head with a brick. Do you think Marx wanted that? If some creditor were to cripple him, there would be no 'Capital.'"
The Traveling Housekeeper
"And the maid traveled with Marx, his wife, and children, all over the world?"
"My great-grandmother? Of course. Jenny's mother paid her salary while she was alive. And Elena Demuth shared the money she received with everyone! At times, she sustained Marx, not the other way around."
The Mystery of Elena Demuth
"Why didn't she leave such a financially insecure master?""Honor, kindness, compassion. The Marx and Jenny children became like her own. Do you know what Marx's wife spent almost all her time doing? Copying Karl's articles - there were no photocopiers back then. She was not just a wife to Karl, but a friend, a comrade, a co-conspirator."
A Love Triangle
"Like Krupskaya to Lenin?""If I am not mistaken, Krupskaya never gave birth to any children, whereas Jenny experienced the joys of motherhood, and not just once."
