Why did Mark and Engles modify their slogan?

Thank you very much for your prompt reply to my question, explaining why the slogan was changed from "workingmen" to "workers". But 20 years ago, when I tried to study some synonyms, I happened to notice this modification of the slogan. I consulted the Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles and found out that "workingmen" at that time earned less than 10 pounds per month (if my memory serves me right, but "workers" were paid more. So it led me to think that Mark and Engels wanted to include some better educated people to join the ranks. But this is purely my guess.

The famous final phrase of the Manifesto, "Working Men of All Countries, Unite!", in the original German is: "Proletarier aller Länder, vereinigt euch!" Thus, a more correct translation would be "Proletarians of all countries, Unite!"

"Workers of the World, Unite. You have nothing to lose but your chains!" is a popularisation of the last three sentences, and is not found in any official translation. Since this English translation was approved by Engels, we have kept the original intact.

It is not the only example, either. For example, the famous opening line of the Manifesto, "A spectre is Haunting Europe - the spectre of Communism", in MacFarlane's original translation started with: "A frightful hobgoblin stalks throughout Europe."

Hal Draper
The Adventures of the Communist Manifesto

Center for Socialist History, 1250 Addison St. Suite 101, Berkeley, CA
94702, USA; 1994; pp. 344.
ISBN 0-916695-07-7 (pbk) $19.95.

Reviewed by Chris Arthur

February 1998 is 150 years since the publication of the most famous pamphlet in history, the Manifesto of the Communist Party. The excellent book before us, The Adventures of the Communist Manifesto by the late Hal Draper, is required reading for all those interested in its meaning and history. (It incorporates the author's earlier The Annotated Communist Manifesto.) It contains three parts.

Part One, the 'adventures' proper, has a fascinating discussion of the circumstances of the publication of the Manifesto, and a detailed history of the later editions of the nineteenth century, together with English translations to the present. In this part Draper relies heavily on Bert Andreas: Le Manifesto Communiste de Marx et Engels. Histoire et Bibliographie 1848-1918 (Milan: Feltrinelli, 1963).

Part Two contains in parallel text four versions of the Manifesto: the original German first edition; the first English translation by Helen MacFarlane, 1850 ('A frightful hobgoblin stalks throughout Europe.'); what he calls the 'Authorized English Translation' put out by Engels, 1888; and his own 'New English Version'. The parallel arrangement works splendidly for ease of reference. Draper's own translation he claims is more faithful to the first edition than is the Engels one, although he takes care to say he intends to supplement it, not replace it. The idea of 'supplementation' is followed in that Draper's alternative rendering is often merely that, not an improvement.

Part Three has extensive annotations of the above texts, for example marking differences between various German editions, drawing attention to places where Engels translated very freely, and elucidating obscure or misleading expressions in the texts. Indispensable work. To give an example of the sort of work Draper has done, let us address the question of the dating of the Manifesto. <snipped>

With regard to the English translations of the Manifesto Draper has also done some useful detective work. He believes it is possible in the 1888 translation to separate from the original literal work by Sam Moore Engels' more free-wheeling emendations. In 1928 Eden and Cedar Paul retranslated it for Martin Lawrence; Draper complains about their excessive freedom and comments that 'using this translation is risky'. [..] Draper is especially scathing about an unacknowledged revision of the 1888 translation put out in the 1930s by Lawrence & Wishart (London) and International Publishers (New York). It was distributed in hundreds of thousands of copies and came out again in 1948, this time with the revision acknowledged. [..]

In sum Draper's work is essential for students and scholars alike, albeit that new research continues to throw more light on the matters concerned.

(Unfortunately its distribution is poor, and it is probably best to write directly to the publisher whose address is given at the head here.)