Such a spiritual weapon, Marx often shouted to his comrades-in-arms: Study! Learn

At first, Marx hoped that within a few months he would be able to write his planned work on capitalist economy. However, new problems are constantly emerging, and the causes must be studied and identified.

"Of course, the 'simple-minded people' of the democrats do not need to work like this, because their inspiration is 'falling from heaven,'" Marx said sarcastically. "Why do these lucky people torture themselves with economic and historical data? Venerable Willich used to say to me that it was all as simple as that. It's that simple! Yes, this is true in these empty brain melons! What a very simple-minded person!"

Marx's example was an inspiration. His students and comrades used every minute of their spare time to read. These were few in number, but among them, Wilhelm Liebknecht, Friedrich Lesner, Johann Georg Ekarius and the joiner Georg Lochner, among others, made great achievements for the German and international workers' movement in the following decades.

Forty years later, Liebknecht recalled Marx's relentless compulsion to study, saying: "Study! Learn! This is the supreme command that He often shouts at us. The reason why this sentence has become a supreme command is that he leads by example. This wise man who is constantly working tenaciously, even if you just look at you, you will feel that he is ordering you to learn. ”

Thus, at a time when the German reactionaries thought they were always victorious, the spiritual weapons needed by the German working class and the international working class in their subsequent struggles were already made in London.

Engels wrote satisfactorily to a friend: "Naturally, there are also some among us who think: 'Why should we study hard, that is the business of Father Marx, whose duty is to understand everything.'" Generally speaking, however, Marxist studies are quite hard. ”

(Gemkov's "Marx" reading notes)