The German Workers Educational Association (GWEA) (German: ''Deutscher Arbeiter-Bildungs-Verein)'' was a

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

-based organisation of radical

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

political émigrés established in 1840 by

Karl Schapper Karl Friedrich Schapper (December 30, 1812, Weinbach – April 28, 1870, London) was a German socialist and labour leader. He was one of the pioneers of the labour movement in Germany and an early associate of Wilhelm Weitling and Karl Marx. You ...

and his associates. The organisation served during its initial years as the "above-ground" arm of the underground

League of the Just The League of the Just (German: ''Bund der Gerechten'') or League of Justice was a Christian communist international revolutionary organization. It was founded in 1836 by branching off from its ancestor, the League of Outlaws (German: ''Bund der ...

and later as a

mass organisation A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some t ...

of the Communist League. The organisation continued to exist for more than 75 years, eventually terminating in 1917 due to the internment of Germans in

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due to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Organisational history

The

Workers Educational Association (GWEA) was established in London on 7 February 1840 by

and approximately half a dozen of his close political associates.Hal Draper, "German Workers Educational Association," in ''The Marx-Engels Glossary: Glossary to the Chronicle and Register, and Index to the Glossary: Volume III of the Marx-Engels Cyclopedia.'' New York: Schocken Books, 1986; pg. 78. The group was established as a rival to a more moderate group of German political émigrés known as the Deutsche Gesellschaft and was patterned after an organisation of radical French émigrés known as the Société Démocratique Française. The GWEA included among its members individuals hailing from several countries and attained a membership of approximately 500 by 1845. In its initial incarnation the GWEA acted as a public arm of the underground revolutionary organisation known as the

. After 1847 it closely cooperated with the Communist League of

Karl Marx Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...

Frederick Engels Friedrich Engels ( ,"Engels"
'' Some time after 1850 the Communist League was split between factions and the GWEA was controlled by individuals hostile to Marx and Engels, who quit the organisation. The GWEA formally affiliated with the International Workingmens Association (commonly known as the First International) in 1865. It changed its name to the Communist Workers Educational Association (CWEA) not later than 1871. The CWEA continued to function until 1917, when the group was terminated due to the wartime internment of German political émigrés in London.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:German Workers Educational Association Organizations established in 1840 1840 establishments in England 1917 disestablishments in England Communism in the United Kingdom International Workingmen's Association History of socialism Organizations disestablished in 1917