Ernst Dronke (1822-1891) was a lawyer by training who used his literary and journalistic skills to promote the idea that a drastic change was needed in the structure of German society. The first part of this work is a revealing account of the life of this writer-revolutionary and confidant of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The second part is a close examination of his prose writings. These works are literary documents of the social, political, economic, and ideological forces that led to the March Revolution of 1848, and represent his most significant contribution to German literature.