by Peg Strobel

Eleanor Marx (1855-1898) is known in some circles as Karl Marx's daughter and assistant and in others as a key figure in conceptualizing and fighting for socialist feminism. In Eleanor Marx: A Life (Bloomsbury, 2015), Rachel Holmes integrates both aspects of Marx's life and more.

The youngest daughter of Karl and Jenny Marx, Eleanor grew up in Britain and was deeply involved in the development of socialism as a movement, not just as a body of ideas. She served as Karl's research assistant during his lifetime and as the preserver and protector of his legacy after his death. She combined theory and practice. Holmes notes, "She was midwife to the twins of trade unionism and socialist internationalism" (313). In 1889-90 she supported and mentored the head of the National Union of Gas Workers and General Labourers during a crucial strike and established the first women's branch of that union. In the last year of her life, she served as fundraiser for the Amalgamated Society of Engineers and  helped carry out the ASE's campaign for the eight-hour day. She fought battles within and without the various organizations and shifting alignments of socialists.