ВЕЙТЛИНГ ВИЛЬГЕЛЬМ

Weitling Wilhelm (1808–1871)

First German utopian communist. A tailor by profession, he was active in organising and spreading his ideas among the workers. He took part in the work of the secret Bund der Gerechten, for which in 1838 he wrote its manifesto Die Menschheit wie sie ist und wie sein sollte. Having emigrated to the United States, he founded a commune there, which eventually collapsed.

His main work was Garantien der Harmonie und Freiheit (1842), which Marx called the German workers' unexampled and brilliant debut in literature. Weitling's aim was to organise a communist society, which would ensure harmony between the abilities and desires of every individual and society as a whole. He described in detail the structure of such a society, foreseeing the difficulties of the transition period, for which he considered the best form of government would be dictatorship. The sciences would play a leading part in the future society and these would all be guided by philosophy.

Weitling divided the sciences into three types: (1) philosophical medicine, embracing all manifestations of man's physical and spiritual life; (2) philosophical physics; (3) philosophical mechanics. Weitling made no secret of his dislike of abstract philosophy and particularly Hegel's philosophy. He considered that communist society would be established through revolution and the formation of a revolutionary government. He also recognised the possibility of a peaceful transfer of power. While criticising religion, he used the Gospel to propagate the ideas of communism. He was imprisoned from 1843 to 1844 for writing and publishing his Das Evangelium des armen Sünders.