Introduction to Friedrich Engels

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Introduction to Friedrich Engels

Let me introduce you to Friedrich Engels, a 19th-century German philosopher and social scientist who played a major role in shaping modern communist theory. You should know him for his close collaboration with Karl Marx, where together they defined the core ideas of communism. Engels co-authored The Communist Manifesto in 1848, which stands as one of the most influential political documents ever written. He passed away on August 5, 1895, in London, England.

Key Takeaways

Friedrich Engels wrote The Communist Manifesto alongside Karl Marx in 1848. He also published works under the pseudonym Friedrich Oswald. After Marx's death, Engels edited the second and third volumes of Das Kapital. With Marx, he established the foundations for the modern communist movement.

Early Life and Education

Friedrich Engels was born on November 20, 1820, in Barmen, Prussia, which is now part of Germany. As the eldest son of a wealthy textile manufacturer, he went to Manchester, England, at age 17 to learn the family business at the Ermen & Engels cotton plant. Despite growing up in a family with moderate political views and strong loyalty to Prussia and Protestantism, Engels developed cynicism toward institutions like religion and capitalism. This perspective became a recurring theme in his writings.

The Bremen Years

After his time in Manchester, Engels worked in the export trade and lived in Bremen, Prussia, from 1838 to 1841. These 'Bremen years' kicked off his career in journalism, politics, and economics, where he wrote under the pseudonym Friedrich Oswald. He got involved in social reform and the literary movement of Young Germany. During this period, Engels led a double life: one as a merchant's clerk and another as an anonymous journalist, commentator, and intellectual.

Meeting Marx

In 1841, Engels volunteered for a year in an artillery regiment in Berlin. While there, he attended university lectures, and his 'Friedrich Oswald' articles got him into the Young Hegelian circle known as The Free, a club that Karl Marx frequented. The Young Hegelians were radical followers of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, active from the late 1830s to the mid-1840s. They emerged amid the mix of religion, philosophy, and politics in Germany, influenced by events like the 1830 French Revolution and the 1848 European revolutions. Marx and Engels rose as leaders in this group.

Socialism

His experiences as a Young Hegelian in Berlin and at the family mill in Manchester reinforced Engels' skepticism of capitalism and boosted his support for socialism, where resources and production are publicly owned for a more equal society. Witnessing the Industrial Revolution's uneven wealth distribution in Manchester, Engels described in his 1845 book, The Condition of the Working Class in England, how it led to women unfit for childbearing, deformed children, enfeebled men, crushed limbs, and generations wrecked by disease—all to enrich the bourgeoisie. He pointed out that urban planning under capitalism set the stage for class conflict and revolution.

The Communist Manifesto

Engels saw capitalism as creating and sustaining class struggles between the bourgeoisie business owners and the proletariat working class. Marx's theory, or Marxism, identified this imbalance and proposed a classless political and economic system. Published in 1848, The Communist Manifesto combined their ideas and became the basis for modern communism. Written during industrial and social upheaval, with people flocking to cities for work and facing exploitation, it argued that class struggles would dismantle capitalism, leading to socialism and then communism. The document spurred revolutions, and by 1950, nearly half the world's population lived under Marxist governments.

Das Kapital

Karl Marx released the first volume of Das Kapital in 1867 in London, with Engels providing financial support. Translated as Capital: A Critique of Political Economy, it claims capitalism's drive comes from labor exploitation, aiming to build a theoretical case for overthrowing it.

Legacy

Engels and Marx laid the groundwork for communism, envisioning a society in social equilibrium without classes, family structures, religion, or private property. Their joint works include The Condition of the Working Class in England, The Communist Manifesto, The Holy Family, and Das Kapital. After Marx's 1883 death, Engels became the leading authority on his ideas, editing two volumes of Das Kapital. He also authored Socialism: Utopian and Scientific in 1880, The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State in 1884, and Ludwig Feuerbach and the Outcome of Classical German Philosophy in 1888. Until his death, Engels corresponded with German social democrats, promoting Marx's image and unifying their followers.

Additional Insights

What drove Engels to write The Condition of the Working Class in England? It stems from his Manchester experiences, detailing child labor, environmental harm, low wages, poor conditions, bad health, and high death rates among workers. Where can you find Engels' works under the pseudonym Friedrich Oswald? Thirty pieces published under that name were discovered in Bremen after his death and are preserved; the pseudonym was revealed posthumously. What's a utopian socialist? Unlike Engels and Marx who saw revolution as necessary, utopian socialists thought capitalists could be morally persuaded to hand over production means peacefully.

The Bottom Line

Friedrich Engels stands as a dedicated 19th-century advocate for communism and social change. With Karl Marx, his writings have shaped societies around the world, especially in places like the former Soviet Union, Cuba, and China.

Introduction to Friedrich Engels

Highlights