He was attracted by the social democratic labour movement and after the death of Ferdinand Lassalle, in 1864, he became president of the General Working-men's Union of Germany, and in this capacity edited the Sozialdemokrat, which brought him into frequent trouble with the Prussian government.
Ia masuk gerakan buruh sosial demokrat dan setelah kematian Ferdinand Lassalle, pada 1864, ia menjadi presiden Serikat Buruh Umum Jerman, dan dalam kapasitas tersebut, ia menyunting Sozialdemokrat, yang membuatnya bersitegang dengan pemerintah Prusia.