David Leopold

INTRODUCTION It is a commonplace to observe that the left-Hegelian Max Stirner is little-known.gure in the history of political and philosophical thought. However, that obscurity should not be exaggerated. The author of Der Einzige und sein Eigentum is not only familiar to certain rather specialised and largely academic circles-those with an interest in Hegelianism, for example, or in the early intellectual development of Karl Marx -he is also, and more widely, known as a member of, and in.uence upon, the anarchist tradition. Stirner's best-known work is often excerpted in anthologies of anarchist writings, and his name is regularly included as part of the modern pantheon in historically orientated surveys of anarchist thought.

This chapter traces some connections between Karl Marx and British politics and culture in the nineteenth century. It outlines Marx’s engagement with Chartism, contemporary politics, and the International Association. It explores Marx’s attitude towards socialism in Britain, using Robert Owen as a case study. Marx’s balanced view of ‘utopian socialism’ includes a positive assessment of Owen’s critique of capitalism and his vision of future socialist society. Moreover, Marx excused certain weaknesses in Owen’s social theory as unavoidably reflecting the undeveloped historical circumstances in which his intellectual formation had occurred. In addition, Marx credits Owen with a significant role in the histories of both ‘materialism’ and the cooperative movement. The chapter concludes with brief reflections on the need for accounts of Marx’s posthumous impact on British socialism in the nineteenth century to reflect an adequate appreciation of these various connections during his lifetime.