The Karl Marx pub crawl is the name for various organised

pub crawls A pub crawl (sometimes called a bar tour, bar crawl or bar-hopping) is the act of visiting multiple pubs or bars in a single session. Background Many European cities have public pub crawls that serve as social gatherings for local expatriates a ...

based around a series of

public houses A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

the

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

philosopher

Karl Marx Karl Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, political theorist, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He is best-known for the 1848 pamphlet '' The Communist Manifesto'' (written with Friedrich Engels) ...

was known to have frequented or, more speculatively, ''may'' have visited in London.

Background

In his lifetime Marx is known to have enjoyed bouts of heavy drinking with friends. A particularly notable pub crawl took place in the 1850s involving Marx, Edgar Bauer and

Wilhelm Liebknecht Wilhelm Martin Philipp Christian Ludwig Liebknecht (; 29 March 1826 – 7 August 1900) was a German socialist activist and politician. He was one of the principal founders of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).Tottenham Court Road Tottenham Court Road (occasionally abbreviated as TCR) is a major road in Central London, almost entirely within the London Borough of Camden. The road runs from Euston Road in the north to St Giles Circus in the south; Tottenham Court Road tu ...

between

Oxford Street Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running between Marble Arch and Tottenham Court Road via Oxford Circus. It marks the notional boundary between the areas of Fitzrovia and Marylebone to t ...

and Hampstead Road. According to an account later written by Liebknecht the group got into a mild altercation with a group of

Odd Fellows Odd Fellows (or Oddfellows when referencing the Grand United Order of Oddfellows or some British-based fraternities; also Odd Fellowship or Oddfellowship) is an international fraternity consisting of lodges first documented in 1730 in 18th-cen ...

, and committed acts of vandalism, before being chased by four policemen. In his memoir of Marx, Liebknecht explained the challenge of the pub crawl;

History

The first regular Marx themed pub crawl was organised by the historian Al Richardson from the late 1960s. Named the Karl Marx Memorial Pub Crawl, it was started as a fundraiser for the

Vietnam Solidarity Campaign The Vietnam Solidarity Campaign (VSC) was originally set up in 1966 by activists around the International Group with the personal and financial support of Bertrand Russell. Ralph Schoenman acted both as Director of the Vietnam Solidarity Camp ...

. Taking in pubs along a route from Marx's former residence in

Soho SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...

Hampstead Heath Hampstead Heath is an ancient heath in London, spanning . This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band of London Clay. The heath is rambling ...

, where he regularly frequented for picnics, the participant who finished a drink in every pub along the way was awarded the

door knocker A door knocker is an item of door furniture that allows people outside a house or other dwelling or building to alert those inside to their presence. A door knocker has a part fixed to the door, and a part (usually metal) which is attached to ...

of Vladimir Lenin's former residence in

Clerkenwell Clerkenwell ( ) is an area of central London, England. Clerkenwell was an Civil Parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish from the medieval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington. The St James's C ...

Organised crawls

A route for the Karl Marx pub crawl based on Liebknecht's account has been published in the book ''Londonist Drinks''. The suggested route visits 6 pubs on Tottenham Court Road, and includes other Marx related sites nearby. Various organised Karl Marx pub crawls take place in London, being particularly popular with students. The London branch of Socialist Students organises an annual Marx themed pub crawl which follows a route past his former residence, the site where he was commissioned to write ''

The Communist Manifesto ''The Communist Manifesto'' (), originally the ''Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (), is a political pamphlet written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, commissioned by the Communist League and originally published in London in 1848. The ...

'', and the Coach and Horses. Student groups from King's College London Students' Union have an organised Karl Marx pub crawl which visits pubs Marx was known to have drunk at such as the Museum Tavern, The Flask, the Red Lion, and the Crown Tavern, where

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...

and

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

first met. Students from Goldsmiths University participate in Karl Marx pub crawls beginning at the former

Jack Straw's Castle Jack Straw's Castle may refer to: * a place associated with Jack Straw's Lane, Oxfordshire * Jack Straw's Castle, Hampstead {{disambiguation ...

pub, taking in the Red Lion, the Lord Southampton, and the Rising Sun, among others.

Other sites

Marx is reputed to have been a regular visitor to the Black Horse and Harrow pub in

Catford Catford is a district in south east London, England, and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Lewisham. It is southwest of Lewisham itself, mostly in the Rushey Green (ward), Rushey Green and Catford South Ward (electoral subdivi ...

, south-east London. Outside of London, the Red Dragon pub in

Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...

is believed to have been visited by Marx and

Friedrich Engels Friedrich Engels ( ;"Engels"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''.Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

Interpretation

The popularity of Karl Marx pub crawls has been interpreted both as a psychogeographic exercise aimed at reconnecting to urban space, and as a social activity in reaction to the

digital age The Information Age is a History by period, historical period that began in the mid-20th century. It is characterized by a rapid shift from traditional industries, as established during the Industrial Revolution, to an economy centered on info ...

References