Late Marx: Introductory notes

Abstract

The present article is a preliminary investigation into the last period of Marx's theoretical production, which we will identify here as the years 1871-1883. This period was characterized by increasing personal suffering and the gradual worsening of his health, which led him to frequently interrupt his theoretical work in order to make repeated trips for medical treatment. This suffering was further aggravated by the illness and death of his wife, Jenny Marx (2/12/1881), followed, within a short period of time, by the death of his eldest daughter, Jenny Longuet (11/01/1883) . According to Franz Mehring – his first biographer – some exaggeratedly saw the last 10 years of his life as years of slow agony.