Arnold Ruge

Born Sept. 13, 1802, in Bergen, on the island of Rügen; died Dec. 31, 1880, in Brighton, England. German philosopher, publicist, Young Hegelian, and bourgeois radical.

From 1838 to 1843, Ruge was one of the publishers of Hallische Jahrbücher and Deutsche Jahrbücher, oppositionist journals of the young Hegelians. His principal works are concerned mainly with aesthetics.

In 1844, Ruge and K. Marx published the Deutsch-Französiche Jahrbücher in Paris. Ruge, however, was opposed to Marx’ communist views. He criticized Marx and Marx’ adherents on a number of occasions, although he described Das Kapital as an “epochal” work.

During the Revolution of 1848–49, Ruge was a deputy to the Frankfurt National Assembly and an exponent of its left wing. He emigrated to France in 1849, later settling in Great Britain. In the late 1860’s he became a supporter of O. von Bismarck and a champion of the policies of the National Liberals.