Sorge, Friedrich

Sorge, Friedrich

 

Born Nov. 9, 1828, in Bethau, Prussia; died Oct. 26, 1906, in Hoboken, N.J. German Marxist. Prominent figure in the international and American workers’ movement. Disciple and comrade of K. Marx and F. Engels.

Sorge participated in the Baden-Pfalz uprising (May-July, 1849). After the uprising was defeated he emigrated to Switzerland. At the insistence of police authorities he was forced to leave for Belgium and then for Great Britain. In 1852 he resettled in the United States. Passing through London he made the acquaintance of K. Marx. Sorge took an active part in propagandizing Marxism in the United States. He was a director of the Communist Club in New York (founded in 1857) and of a number of other workers’ and socialist organizations in the United States. Sorge was active in the First International, organizing its sections in the United States. From 1872 to 1874 he served as secretary-general of the First International. Sorge participated in the founding of the Socialist Workers’ Party of North America (1876–77). He headed the struggle against the Lassalleans.

WORKS

“Erinnerungen eines Achtundvierzigers.” Neue Zeit, 1899, vol. 2, nos. 31–40.
In Russian translation:
Rabochee dvizhenie v Soedinennykh Shtatakh. St. Petersburg, 1907.

REFERENCES

Marx, K., and F. Engels. Izbr. pis’ma. Moscow, 1953. (See name index.)
Lenin, V. I., “Predislovie k rus. perevodu knigi Tis’ma I. F. Bekkera,I. Ditsgena, F. Engel’sa, K. Marksaidr. kF. A. Zorge i dr.’” Poln. sobr. soch., 5th ed., vol. 15.
Rumiantseva, N. S. Fridrikh Zorgechelovek upriamoi spravedlivosti. Moscow, 1966.

L. I. GOL’MAN