Karl Marx opposed tariffs on Prussia and Germany.
Posted by The Pete Quiñones Show, Checked
- Sources
- 2 support2 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 60%
The Pete Quiñones ShowOct 1, 2026
Sources show Marx favoured free trade and called protective duties 'infamous' (1848 speech) and 'conservative' (criticizing German protectionism as serving the bourgeoisie), which supports opposition to tariffs. The sources do not directly address tariffs on Prussia specifically, and Marx's position was qualified rather than a blanket 'any tariffs' stance, so confidence is moderate.
What was said
… and, and money and everything else that the socialists will use, but even more than that, it destroys national boundaries, and, as we've also discussed before, it creates an alienated proletariat, which, according to them, Marxists, doesn't have an identity. So Karl Marx was vehemently opposed to any, like, you know, List and others, uh, Fichte, who was, of course, earlier, who wanted any tariffs on Prussia, later Germany. Um, any talk about sovereignty to Marx was, was backwards. The French and the British revolutions, we gotta keep this in mind, I mean, capitalism is revolutionary. For, among other things, it abolishes the Church's control over man's, ah, passions. …
The Pete Quiñones Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Marx's 1848 Brussels speech on free trade calls protective duties 'infamous' and describes the protective system as conservative while free trade hastens the social revolution.[1][2]
Supports. Marx's writing on German protectionism says Germany's bourgeoisie sought protective duties as weapons against feudalism, and he judged the protective system conservative, which is consistent with opposing such tariffs.[2]
Context. Marx's 1868 article on Prussian import duties on iron takes up a tariff dispute in Prussia but focuses on workers' conditions and does not state a clear position on tariffs as such.[3][4]
Context. The sources describe Marx's stance on trade as qualified rather than an absolute 'any tariffs' opposition, and Engels also declined to defend either protection or free trade outright.[1]
Sources
4 sources: 4 not rated
- 1The Marxist policy on trade | Workers' Libertyworkersliberty.org · not rated · cited for: supports, context
- 2Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, On Free Trade (1848 - 1888)panarchy.org · not rated · cited for: supports
- 3International Workingmen's Association 1868marxists.org · not rated · cited for: context
- 4Marx and Engels Collected Works, Volume 21 : Marx and Engels 1867-70files.libcom.org · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
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