Well-intentioned and goodhearted men, Marx said, cannot be depended on to improve society. They are dabblers and botchers who make things worse. Mere social reforms strengthen capitalism, prolong “exploitation,” and keep the corpse alive. Tear capitalism down, completely. Use force and violence. Set up a communist government! To the very end of his life Marx remained a ruthless fighter. Invective, anger, and abuse were his weapons. He defiantly defended his position against all comers. He bitterly denounced all who dared disagree with him, such as Ferdinand Lassalle, the German Socialist leader, and Mikhail Bakunin, the Russian anarchist. He fought wordy battles that lasted for years. Always, by skill or skulduggery, he tried to impose his point of view. If he found that impossible, he worked furiously to destroy his opponent. In 1864 Marx was involved in founding the First International, a motley group of “radicals,” “have-nots,” “socialists,” and “anarchists.” A number of congresses were held, but little was accomplished. Finally, in 1872, after many feuds and quarrels in which Marx was deeply involved, he succeeded in having the group’s headquarters transferred from London to New York, then considered a remote outpost. This was a move made out of spite, Marx preferring to see the organization die rather than fall into the hands of his enemies. In 1876, at a congress in Philadelphia, it was dissolved. The First International’s chief legacy to the cause of world communism lay in giving international structure, for the first time, to communist ideas. Here is another irony of communism. This man who attacked the domination of the capitalists showed his own dominating nature again and again. In theory, he was “for” the common man and wanted to correct the ills of society. In practice, his fanatical intolerance and overbearing ego made him a tyrant, an autocrat, a dictator. Marx’s character helped shape the whole philosophy of communism and, as we shall see, forged a hideous instrument of power for those who were to follow him. 2. _Lenin—And the Russian Revolution_ Marx and Engels formulated the basic doctrines of modern communism. However, they supplied few guides to everyday revolutionary activity. Remaining in the Marx-Engels stage, communism might well have been drowned in an ocean of angry words, manifestoes, quarrels, and personal feuds. If so, the world today would be a much different place for all of us.