What better can I tell the German workers today than about the 
coming May Day celebration here in England, which, particularly 
this year, will be of special importance.* If Germany now is no 
longer Heinrich Heine’s “pious nursery”,” then England of today 
is no longer the model country of the German academic 
tender-hearts, the country where worthy Trapes Unions and prog- 
ress within the law ensure that the bogus dreams of socialism find 
no soil. That has gone for ever. The working class of England, 
after its glorious struggles and ultimate defeats in the Chartist 
period, has taken a long time to get under way again. But it is 
undoubtedly under way again. Those socialist organisations which 
exist here were until recently no more than simply sects, 
compared with which the old Trapes Unions appeared a great force 
in fact. Hence the protestation of the tame German academics that 
the English workers did not wish to abolish the wage system, but 
only “refine” it. But how are things today? The masses of the 

of the changed situation—at the printing stage): “At the moment when I am to 
despatch these lines to the German May Day newspaper a crisis is expected in Berlin in 
connection with the debates on the Military Bill.456 What will happen? If the Bill is 
rejected, then the [Reichstag] will be dissolved and the election campaign will override 
and overshadow the May Day celebrations and with good reason. Now, it is true, one 
can bet five to one that the compromise being longed for will come about and 
the Reichstag will prolong its existence for another two years. But a tiny accident 
can upset everything. What can I then tell the German workers on the occasion of 
their May Day if it is unknown in what circumstances they will be celebrating 

workers are awakening more and more to the realisation that their 
salvation lies not so much in wresting higher wages and shorter 
hours in the struggle against individual employers, but above all in 
winning political rights, parliament,* through the working class 
organised into an independent party. This was first demonstrated 
in the general election of 1892. The workers prevailed with three 
of their candidates” in the struggle against both old parties, and in 
addition in over twenty constituencies gave the latter a tough taste 
of their power, hitherto unexerted. This increased enormously the 
self-awareness of the workers. 

In England, even with the present limited suffrage, the workers 
form the absolute majority in at least 150 constituencies. If the 
electoral reform” introduced by the government goes through, 
then in 200. And even today the worker votes are decisive in a 
majority of all constituencies. What the awakening of the workers 
to class consciousness means under such circumstances is obvious. 
The workers only have to want it, and England cannot be 
governed against their will. 

This awakening is also shown in the preparations for this year’s 
May Day. For the first time the negotiations are going smoothly, 
without wrangles and petty jealousy, with unanimous enthusiasm. 
And what is more: the socialists hold the leadership, and for the 
first time the celebrations will have an unquestionably Social- 
Democratic character. 

March 13, 1893 
Frederick Engels 

the Vorwdrts, May 1, 1893 issue, checked with the rough 
@ In the manuscript: “but in winning parliament, the political power” .— Ed.