Edward Aveling
Encyclopedia
Edward Bibbins Aveling was a prominent English
biology
instructor and popular spokesman for Darwinian evolution and atheism
. He later met and moved in with Eleanor Marx
, the youngest daughter of Karl Marx
and became a socialist activist. Aveling was the author of numerous books and pamphlets and was a founding member of the Socialist League
and the Independent Labour Party
.
, the fifth of eight children of Rev. Thomas William Baxter Aveling (1815–1884), a Congregationalist minister
, and his wife, Mary Ann (d. 1877), daughter of Thomas Goodall, farmer and innkeeper, of Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.
Aveling attended Taunton School
, and in 1867 began to study medicine
at University College London
. He graduated with a BSc
degree in Zoology
in 1870. Aveling began teaching biology and lecturing in science at King's College London
but was unable to advance due to his atheism and avowed leftist views. He subsequently lectured on Anatomy
and Biology
at the London Hospital until 1882.
Aveling married the heiress Isabel Campbell Frank on 30 July 1872, but the marriage only lasted two years. The pair separated amicably. According to Aveling, the cause of the split was his wife's inability to abide by his atheist
views, although wags whispered that Aveling had married her for her money.
, the daughter of Karl Marx
, despite being the estranged husband of Isabel Frank, a status which remained until her death in 1892. Although his background was in biology rather than political economy
, Aveling was thrust into the inner circle of British socialism through his personal relationship with Tussy.
Later in 1884, Aveling and Marx were both elected to the Executive Council of the Social Democratic Federation
. This position proved temporary, because the couple separated from the SDF at the end of the year along with William Morris
and Belfort Bax in the acrimonious split which formed the Socialist League
.
In 1884, Frederick Engels enlisted Aveling to help in the translation of first volume of Karl Marx's book Das Kapital
. Aveling also achieved some small success as a playwright under the pen-name
Alec Nelson.
In the autumn of 1886, Aveling and Marx toured and lectured the United States on behalf of the Socialist Labor Party. Upon their return, they wrote a book detailing the situation of the left-wing political movement and trade unions in the US for a British audience. They found the US populated by "unconscious socialists", people who shared socialist values but disclaimed socialist ideas. Aveling and Marx wrote:
During his time in the Socialist League Aveling wrote and translated various socialist texts but nonetheless remained personally unpopular in the movement, the object of a steady steam of gossip and accusations.
In August 1888, the branch to which Aveling and Marx belonged separated from the anarchist-dominated
Socialist League in favor of an independent existence as the Bloomsbury Socialist Society.
After leaving the Socialist League, Aveling became active in the Gasworkers' Union, for whom he served as an auditor.
Aveling was a founding member and was elected to the Executive Committee of the Independent Labour Party
by the 1893 Conference which established the organisation. He left that group to rejoin the Marxist Social Democratic Federation
in 1896, despite his long-standing personal and political quarrel with SDF leader Henry Hyndman.
of kidney disease. His body was cremated in Woking, Surrey, three days later.
Despite his prominence as a member of the fledgling British Marxist movement, no representatives of the Socialist or Labour movements were present at the funeral
due to the widely-held belief that he was responsible for Eleanor Marx's suicide.
Aveling was also disliked by many of his contemporaries for his tendency to borrow money from everyone. A biographer of his wife wrote in 1976:
Although he had numerous relationships with women, Edward Aveling is not known to have fathered any children, although in one episode of the quiz series Eggheads
, one of the contestants claimed to have either been a descendant of him, or at least related to him in some way.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
instructor and popular spokesman for Darwinian evolution and atheism
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
. He later met and moved in with Eleanor Marx
Eleanor Marx
Jenny Julia Eleanor "Tussy" Marx , also known as Eleanor Marx Aveling, was the English-born youngest daughter of Karl Marx. She was herself a socialist activist, who sometimes worked as a literary translator...
, the youngest daughter of Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
and became a socialist activist. Aveling was the author of numerous books and pamphlets and was a founding member of the Socialist League
Socialist League
Socialist League may refer to one of several organisations:*Socialist League *Socialist League *Socialist League *Socialist League *Socialist League *Socialist League...
and the Independent Labour Party
Independent Labour Party
The Independent Labour Party was a socialist political party in Britain established in 1893. The ILP was affiliated to the Labour Party from 1906 to 1932, when it voted to leave...
.
Early years
Edward Aveling was born on 29 November 1849 in Stoke NewingtonStoke Newington
Stoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Boundaries:In modern terms, Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area . Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too...
, the fifth of eight children of Rev. Thomas William Baxter Aveling (1815–1884), a Congregationalist minister
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
, and his wife, Mary Ann (d. 1877), daughter of Thomas Goodall, farmer and innkeeper, of Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.
Aveling attended Taunton School
Taunton School
Taunton School is a co-educational independent school in the county town of Taunton in Somerset in South West England. It serves boarding and day-school pupils from the ages of 13 to 18....
, and in 1867 began to study medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
. He graduated with a BSc
BSC
BSC is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:Science and technology* Bachelor of Science , an undergraduate degree* Base Station Controller, part of a mobile phone network; see: Base Station subsystem...
degree in Zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
in 1870. Aveling began teaching biology and lecturing in science at King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
but was unable to advance due to his atheism and avowed leftist views. He subsequently lectured on Anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
and Biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
at the London Hospital until 1882.
Aveling married the heiress Isabel Campbell Frank on 30 July 1872, but the marriage only lasted two years. The pair separated amicably. According to Aveling, the cause of the split was his wife's inability to abide by his atheist
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
views, although wags whispered that Aveling had married her for her money.
Political career
In 1884, Aveling became the partner of Eleanor "Tussy" MarxEleanor Marx
Jenny Julia Eleanor "Tussy" Marx , also known as Eleanor Marx Aveling, was the English-born youngest daughter of Karl Marx. She was herself a socialist activist, who sometimes worked as a literary translator...
, the daughter of Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
, despite being the estranged husband of Isabel Frank, a status which remained until her death in 1892. Although his background was in biology rather than political economy
Political economy
Political economy originally was the term for studying production, buying, and selling, and their relations with law, custom, and government, as well as with the distribution of national income and wealth, including through the budget process. Political economy originated in moral philosophy...
, Aveling was thrust into the inner circle of British socialism through his personal relationship with Tussy.
Later in 1884, Aveling and Marx were both elected to the Executive Council of the Social Democratic Federation
Social Democratic Federation
The Social Democratic Federation was established as Britain's first organised socialist political party by H. M. Hyndman, and had its first meeting on June 7, 1881. Those joining the SDF included William Morris, George Lansbury and Eleanor Marx. However, Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx's long-term...
. This position proved temporary, because the couple separated from the SDF at the end of the year along with William Morris
William Morris
William Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement...
and Belfort Bax in the acrimonious split which formed the Socialist League
Socialist League (UK, 1885)
The Socialist League was an early revolutionary socialist organisation in the United Kingdom. The organisation began as a dissident offshoot of the Social Democratic Federation of Henry Hyndman at the end of 1884. Never an ideologically harmonious group, by the 1890s the group had turned from...
.
In 1884, Frederick Engels enlisted Aveling to help in the translation of first volume of Karl Marx's book Das Kapital
Das Kapital
Das Kapital, Kritik der politischen Ökonomie , by Karl Marx, is a critical analysis of capitalism as political economy, meant to reveal the economic laws of the capitalist mode of production, and how it was the precursor of the socialist mode of production.- Themes :In Capital: Critique of...
. Aveling also achieved some small success as a playwright under the pen-name
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Alec Nelson.
In the autumn of 1886, Aveling and Marx toured and lectured the United States on behalf of the Socialist Labor Party. Upon their return, they wrote a book detailing the situation of the left-wing political movement and trade unions in the US for a British audience. They found the US populated by "unconscious socialists", people who shared socialist values but disclaimed socialist ideas. Aveling and Marx wrote:
The mass of American Workers had scarcely any more conception of the meaning of Socialism than had 'their betters.' They also had been grievously misled by capitalist papers and capitalist economists and preachers. Hence it came to pass that after most of our meetings we were met by Knights of LabourKnights of LaborThe Knights of Labor was the largest and one of the most important American labor organizations of the 1880s. Its most important leader was Terence Powderly...
, Central Labour UnionCentral Labor UnionThe Central Labor Union of New York, Brooklyn, and New Jersey was an early trade union organization that later broke up into various locals, which are now AFL-CIO members...
men, and members of other working-class organisations, who told us that they, entering the place antagonists to Socialism as they fancied, had discovered that for a long time pas they had been holding its ideas.
During his time in the Socialist League Aveling wrote and translated various socialist texts but nonetheless remained personally unpopular in the movement, the object of a steady steam of gossip and accusations.
In August 1888, the branch to which Aveling and Marx belonged separated from the anarchist-dominated
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
Socialist League in favor of an independent existence as the Bloomsbury Socialist Society.
After leaving the Socialist League, Aveling became active in the Gasworkers' Union, for whom he served as an auditor.
Aveling was a founding member and was elected to the Executive Committee of the Independent Labour Party
Independent Labour Party
The Independent Labour Party was a socialist political party in Britain established in 1893. The ILP was affiliated to the Labour Party from 1906 to 1932, when it voted to leave...
by the 1893 Conference which established the organisation. He left that group to rejoin the Marxist Social Democratic Federation
Social Democratic Federation
The Social Democratic Federation was established as Britain's first organised socialist political party by H. M. Hyndman, and had its first meeting on June 7, 1881. Those joining the SDF included William Morris, George Lansbury and Eleanor Marx. However, Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx's long-term...
in 1896, despite his long-standing personal and political quarrel with SDF leader Henry Hyndman.
Later life, death, and legacy
In 1897 Aveling left Eleanor and on 8 June that year secretly married an actress, Eva Frye, but returned to Eleanor when he was struck down with kidney disease. After nursing him for some time, Eleanor committed suicide mainly due to his infidelity. Aveling died four months later, on 2 August 1898, in BatterseaBattersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
of kidney disease. His body was cremated in Woking, Surrey, three days later.
Despite his prominence as a member of the fledgling British Marxist movement, no representatives of the Socialist or Labour movements were present at the funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
due to the widely-held belief that he was responsible for Eleanor Marx's suicide.
Aveling was also disliked by many of his contemporaries for his tendency to borrow money from everyone. A biographer of his wife wrote in 1976:
The truth is that in moral terms Aveling presented something akin to an optical illusion: looked at in one light, he could be seen as feckless, happy-go-lucky but fundamentally sound; in another, as an unmitigated scoundrel. What, however, could not escape notice from any angle was his infinite propensity to borrow money, which age could not wither nor — more surprisingly — custom stale. He might be cheated...so that resigning from the Secular Society he was loaded with debt. Yet this hardly accounts for his habit of borrowing from the rich, the poor and the positively indigent for trifling amounts — though sometimes cleaning them out — since he never at any time — and this in an age of ostentatious spenders... — lived in a style above that of any other middl-class socialist who had neither business interests nor inherited wealth. * * *
It is not uncommon to come across individuals from whose company and a small sum of money one simultaneously parts. This compulsion to borrow is not easy to explain in those who are neither on their beam ends nor aspire to high living."
Although he had numerous relationships with women, Edward Aveling is not known to have fathered any children, although in one episode of the quiz series Eggheads
Eggheads
Eggheads is a BBC quiz show created by 12 Yard Productions, first broadcast in 2003, and presented by Dermot Murnaghan. For the 2008 series, Jeremy Vine was brought in to present on nights when Murnaghan was hosting the spinoff series Are You an Egghead? This happened again from October 2009 while...
, one of the contestants claimed to have either been a descendant of him, or at least related to him in some way.
Writings
- Why I Dare Not Be a Christian. London: Freethought Publishing Co., n.d. [1881].
- Irreligion of Science. London: Freethought Publishing Co., n.d. [1881].
- The Wickedness of God. London: Freethought Publishing Co., n.d. [1881].
- The Creed of an Atheist. London: Freethought Publishing Co., n.d. [1881].
- The Student's Darwin. London: Freethought Publishing Co., 1881.
- The Plays of Shakspere... : The Substance of Four Lectures Delivered at the Hall of Science, London. London: Freethought Publishing Co., n.d. [1881].
- Biological Discoveries and Problems. London: Freethought Publishing Co., n.d. [c. 1881].
- God Dies, Nature Remains. London: Freethought Publishing Co., n.d. [c. 1881].
- Science and Secularism. London: Freethought Publishing Co., 1882.
- Botanical Tables: For the Use of Students. London: Freethought Publishing Co., n.d. [1882].
- A Godless Life: The Happiest and Most Useful. London, A. Besant and C. Bradlaugh, 1882.
- Science and Religion. London, A. Besant and C. Bradlaugh, n.d. [1882].
- On Superstition. London, A. Besant and C. Bradlaugh, n.d. [c. 1882].
- The Borderland Between Living and Non-Living Things: A Lecture Delivered Before the Sunday Lecture Society, on Sunday Afternoon, November 5, 1882..." London: Sunday Lecture Society, 1882.
- General Biology: Theoretical and Practical. London: n.p., 1882.
- The Religious Views of Charles Darwin. London: Freethought Publishing Company, 1883.
- The Darwinian Theory. London: Progressive Publishing Company, n.d. [c. 1883].
- Christianity and Capitalism. With Charles L Marson and Stewart D Headlam. London: Modern Press, 1884.
- The Curse of Capital. London: Freethought Publishing Co., 1884.
- The Darwinian Theory: Its Meaning, Difficulties, Evidence, History. London: Progressive Publishing Co., 1884.
- The Origin of Man. London: Progressive Publishing Co., 1884.
- The Factory Hell. With Eleanor Marx Aveling. London: Socialist League Office, 1885.
- Monkeys, Apes and Men. London: Progressive Publishing Co., 1885.
- The Woman Question. With Eleanor Marx Aveling. London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co., 1886.
- Chemistry of the Non-Metallics. London : J. Hughes, 1886.
- Natural Philosophy for London University Matriculation. London: n.p., 1886.
- Darwin Made Easy. London: Progressive Publishing Co., 1887.
- Mechanics and Experimental Science as Required for the Matriculation Examination of the University of London.." London: n.p., 1887.
- The Working Class Movement in America. With Eleanor Marx Aveling. London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co., 1887. Second Edition, 1891.
- Shelley's Socialsm: Two Lectures. With Eleanor Marx Aveling. London: privately published, 1888.
- Key to Mechanics. London: Chapman and Hall, 1888.
- Key to Chemistry. London: Chapman and Hall, 1888.
- Mechanics, and Light and Heat: For London University Matriculation. London : W. Stewart & Co., n.d. [1888].
- Mechanics and Experimental Science as Required for the Matriculation Examination of the University of London: Magnetism and Electricity. London: Chapman and Hall, 1889.
- An Introduction to the Study of Botany. London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co., 1891.
- The Students' Marx: An Introduction to the Study of Karl Marx' Capital. London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co., 1892.
- An Introduction to the Study of Geology, Specially Adapted for the Use of Candidates for the London B.Sc. and the Science and Art Department Examinations. London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co., 1893.
- Wilhelm Liebknecht and the Social-Democratic Movement in Germany... London: Twentieth Century Press, n.d. [1896].
- Charles Darwin and Karl Marx: A Comparison. London: Twentieth Century Press, n.d. [c. 1897].
Translations
- L.A. Tikhomirov, Russia: Political and Social. London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co., 1888.
External links
- Ernst Haeckel, The Pedigree of Man: And Other Essays." London : Freethought Pub., 1883.
- Edward Aveling biography, Spartacus Educational. Retrieved September 14, 2009.