Hi everyone, my name is Robius and today I’m
here to present to you the tenth episode in
the new iteration of Assassin’s Creed the
Real History. In this series I review the
depiction of characters in the Assassin’s
Creed franchise and use that as a launching
point to compare it with the historical source
material and start a discussion. Consequently,
be aware of potential story spoilers ahead.
Today’s episode will center on Karl Marx,
the controversial 19th century philosopher,
journalist and political economist best known
for pioneering the school of thought commonly
referred to as Marxism.
To begin, we’ll start the video by exploring
the history behind the man, prior to his first
appearance in Assassin’s Creed Syndicate.
Born on May 5th, 1818 in the Kingdom of Prussia,
Karl was a homeschooled student until the
age of 12. He then attended a progressive
high school, and experienced the government’s
influence against dissenting ideologies when
the police raided the establishment, clearing
it of what they called liberal propaganda.
In his early adult life, Marx wished to study
philosophy, but was instead pushed towards
law by his father and, by 1836, he was engaged
to a long-term friend, the Prussian baroness
Jenny von Westphalen.
As an adult, Marx continued his studies of
law and philosophy, later moving to Berlin.
Here, Karl joined the Young Hegelians, a group
of anti-establishment students labelled as
radical thinkers, who admired the works of
G. W. F. Hegel. Marx collaborated with fellow
Hegelians on philosophical works, while also
completing his thesis, which earned him a
PhD in mid-1841.
With his ideologies limiting potential career
options, in 1842 Marx instead became a journalist
for a radical newspaper based in Köln. Embracing
his new position, Karl used it to level heavy
criticisms towards European governments and
politicians with whom he disagreed, eventually
leading the Prussian government to step in
and insist they would review the written content
prior to its publication, thus censoring any
radical thoughts.
In mid-1843, after seven years of engagement,
Marx finally married his long-time fiancé
Jenny. Thereafter, they moved to France and
had their first of seven children. While in
Paris he worked for two different radical
leftist newspapers.
In August of 1844, an important meeting occurred
at a French café where Marx encountered a
fellow socialist named Friedrich Engels. Together,
they shared ideas and views on the class system.
These common interests led to collaborative
efforts between the individuals. Throughout
this time, it is believed that Marx developed
the early outline for what would eventually
become known as Marxism, concentrating on
economic theories, the role of labour, materialism
and socialism. However, by mid-1845 Marx’s
paper was shut down and he was expelled from
the country when the French government complied
with a request from the Prussian monarchy,
thus forcing him to move to Brussels on the
condition he abstain from publishing contemporary
political works.
In this new space, Marx instead wrote a general
criticism towards certain popular schools
of philosophy for being too rooted in the
theoretical and not making a connection to
actual, physical results. Within a few months
of his arrival, he was joined by Friedrich
Engels and together they visited England to
learn about the English economy and their
views on socialism.
Soon after, the pair collaborated on a book
entitled “The German Ideology”, a satirical
piece that was censored by the government,
which concentrated on the importance of materialism
when understanding history. Building upon
the momentum of this initial product, the
two developed the idea that for the socialist
ideology to succeed, it needed to appeal to
an entire societal class and not simply a
large group of individuals. It became clear
that if a revolution would ever occur, it
had to be desired and fueled by the working
class. Creating a few manuscripts that embodied
these ideas, Marx became further involved
with the secret socialist organisation known
as the League of the Just. Sharing his theories,
the members were convinced that by making
themselves into a public entity, a de-facto
political party, only then would they be able
to reach the working class and establish a
movement. Having won them over, in mid-1847
the League of the Just re-branded itself and
entered the public eye as the Communist League,
with Marx and Engels authoring much of its
literature. Ultimately, this led to the 1848
publication of the pair’s most recognized
work, The Communist Manifesto. Fundamentally,
this pamphlet held within the core tenements
of this society and expressed that the Communist
League was the sole entity that fought for
the proletariat with the goal of overthrowing
capitalism and replacing it with socialism.
It is important to understand that this was
a tumultuous time with rebellions and protests
erupting around Europe that year, with the
French overthrowing their monarchy in favor
of a Second Republic being one example. While
residing in Belgium, Marx was accused of funding
the armament of local workers who sought revolution.
Despite the legitimacy of this claim still
being argued to this day, Marx was nonetheless
forced to escape the country to avoid incarceration,
at which point he fled to the newly re-established
French Republic. Subsequently, the Communist
League was relocated to Paris and was joined
by the newly established German Workers’
Club.
Marx then travelled to Köln, hoping to spark
a domino effect whereby the bourgeoisie would
turn on the monarchy and then make way for
the proletariat to overthrow the bourgeoisie.
To this effect, he funded the publication
of a new radical newspaper to help spread
his message across Europe. Marx’s efforts
were met with heavy resistance. He was brought
on trial multiple times, his newspaper was
censored and finally he was identified as
a political threat and was ordered to leave.
This exile translated into an 1849 move to
London which was paralleled by the re-location
of the Communist League.
Unfortunately, within the following year the
Communist League was nearly usurped by an
internal movement that wished to inspire spontaneous
uprisings within the working class, leading
to Europe-wide revolutions. Marx and Engels,
staunch believers that societal changes must
occur in stages, first through the support
of the bourgeoisie in ousting the monarchy
and then secondly in the proletariat’s uprising
against the bourgeoisie, adamantly maintained
that this new, radical, disorganized method would
lead to catastrophic failure and the collapse
of the Communist League. In the end, the pair
succeeded in rallying the organization to
their way of thinking, and the radical members
split from the Communist League.
Throughout this period, Marx became an international
correspondent for multiple newspapers, using
this position to help spread his message to
the working class around the world. In addition,
he and Engels came into conflict with other
socialists, whom they criticism for their
unrealistic view that a revolution could simply
occur at any time, whereas this pair had determined
that it would likely only develop successfully
during a period of economic downfall. These
discussions led Marx to invest more time into
his economic and capitalist studies, feeling
that a lack of understanding in these topics
hindered their progress.
These studies culminated in the 1859 publication
of his first large-scale economic piece, which
quickly gained public traction for its analytical
views on currency in a capitalist economy.
Fueled by the interest in his recent publication,
Marx spent the following years preparing what
many consider to be his life’s work, a three-part
political, economic and philosophical series
originally named Das Kapital, and an additional
manuscript known as the Theories of Surplus
Value.
Anecdotally, Karl then acquired a copy of
The Origin of Species, authored by Charles
Darwin, within a year of its release and upon
reading it developed an admiration for the
Englishman. Marx saw parallels between their
writings in terms of similar forms of analysis
and interpretation, within different contexts.
This led him to quote Darwin in some of his
works and even have a brief correspondence
with the man about their shared desire in
seeking knowledge.
Around this time Marx also applauded the works
of Charles Dickens for bringing to light social
issues and realities he felt were ignored
by the existing political structure. In 1864,
Marx then became a founding member of the
International Workingmen’s Association.
Nevertheless, the first manuscript in his
collection, which was published in 1867 contained
Karl’s views on capitalist production and
its effects on the labour force, how the contemporary
economy was established around this system
and how he felt this would ultimately fail.
This first volume exploded in popularity.
Although only the first of these volumes was
published during Marx’s lifetime, his friend
Friedrich Engels would be the once to share
the remaining works with the public after
Karl’s eventual passing.
Historically speaking, it was after this initial
publication that we first met Karl Marx in
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate. According to
the game, in 1868, he identified the twin
Assassins Jacob and Evie Frye as defenders
of the people, and requested their assistance
in supporting the working class. The twins
cooperated, warding off the police who were
spying on Marx and allowed him to organize
a meeting with his allies. Unfortunately,
Karl was betrayed by another ally who gave
away the location of their assembly. After
evading capture, Marx then spoke with the
traitor and expresses his disappointment,
emphasizing the idea that success is only
attained through unity, before letting the
man leave.
Following this initial encounter, a series
of side missions with an indirect timeline
become available, in which the Frye twins
continue to support Marx’s efforts in London.
These include acquiring undeniable proof highlighting
a factory’s abusive behavior and neglect
of workplace safety, preventing a member of
Marx’s organization from attacking the house
of parliament with explosives in response
to his son’s labour-related death, and ensuring
that one of his reformation rallies does not
devolve into violence by silently removing
anarchists who’d been planted in the crowd
in hopes of creating a bloody outcome.
Nonetheless, the Frye twins succeeded in helping
their ally, with him finally asking if they
would like to join the Worker’s Party. Although
they appreciated the offer, the Assassins
each declined for their own reasons, with
Marx still thanking them for helping him and
the working class.
Since that represented the final encounter
with Marx in Syndicate, we are now able to
move onto the next, brief portion of the video
and discuss his life after the game. Historically
speaking, in his later years, Marx succumbed
to illness and lost some of his physical vigour,
thus shifting from a position as an activist
in the field, to more of a commentator on
current developments and an advisor to more
involved participants. Although the exact
cause of his ailment has been argued, different
sources have proposed that he may have suffered
from long-term liver problems, a skin-related
infection or perhaps this was simply the product
of his unfortunate habit of drinking and smoking
heavily, while not prioritizing sleep or a
proper diet. Throughout these years, he continued
working on his written projects, many of which
he wouldn’t publish.
In the aftermath of his wife’s death in
late 1881, it is believed Marx developed bronchitis,
which consequently led to his own death on
March 14th 1883.
Having reached the conclusion of Karl Marx’s
life, we can proceed to the final chapter
in the video, review everything we’ve learned
about this individual and compare it to his
depiction in Assassin’s Creed Syndicate.
Let’s start with the portions of his portrayal
that the game got right. First, in a few intervals
Marx makes reference to being harassed by
authorities in the past, listing off Paris,
Brussels and Köln as places where he experienced
conflict, implying it was the reason why he
moved to London. He can then be seen throughout
his side missions as a defender of the proletariat
and the working class, supporting those he
felt weren’t represented in government while
pushing a message of solidarity.
In contrast, considering how brief his appearance
in the game actually was, short of his relationship
with two members of a secret order of Assassins
who helped him during those invented side
missions clearly being completely fictionalized,
most of the other points worth discussing
center on minor historical variations or different
interpretations of the individual.
The major point of discussion when it comes
to Marx’s appearance in Syndicate is his
portrayal as more of a reformer than a revolutionary.
Although this may not seem correct to many
players, and it could be argued otherwise
based on the vast array of conflicting records
on the man, I’d like to explain why I believe
he was shown in this light. Given his previous
conflicts with governing bodies, with some
accusing him of funding an armed revolution,
if those claims are to be believed they establish
a reasonable interpretation of Marx as a pro-violence
revolutionary. However, all of these accusations
and the associated circumstances occurred
in his earlier life. As Marx aged and saw
how quick, violent rebellions would rise in
certain countries, often only to be quelled
rather quickly, he and Friedrich Engels adopted
a different view in which they believed the
revolution could only succeed if it was accomplished
in progressive stages. In addition, certain
sources propose that following the passing
of the Second Reform Act in 1867, also known
as the Representation of the People Act, the
franchise in Britain grew significantly and,
due to these changes for the workers and the
so-called class struggle, Marx adapted his
philosophy to the current circumstances. This
meant not necessarily concentrating on overthrowing
the government, but rather using democracy
as a way of achieving socialism, enacting
change politically, and pushing the benefits
of workers’ unions.
Having said all that, when considering whether
or not Karl Marx was fairly depicted in Assassin’s
Creed Syndicate, in terms of his personality
and behavior I’d have to say that in general
yes, but that depending on which sources you
believe, you may think he was a little toned
down politically for the game’s sake. Either
way, however you personally interpret this
controversial individual, what can be said
is that the game did well in representing
the divisiveness within Marx’s movement,
with more progressive, democracy-based approaches
coming into conflict with more anarchy-oriented
avenues, as some individuals pursued non-violent
change, while others demanded a radical, bloody
revolution. Lastly, I’d like to also quickly
mention that I liked how Syndicate had the
Frye twins helping Marx, due to an overlapped
between his politics and their ideologies,
however it had them both stop short from actually
joining his movement, thus making them more
like allies of opportunity rather than two
parties with the exact same goals.
And with that, we have finished today’s
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Thanks for watching.
