Temple of Friedrich Engels

Temple of Friedrich Engels

Engels, Friedrich (1820-95), German revolutionary political economist and cofounder, with Karl Marx, of scientific socialism, now known as communism.
Engels was born in Barmen (now Wuppertal). He came from a wealthy Protestant family. At an early age he was influenced by the works of the radical German poet Heinrich Heine and the German philosopher G. W. F. Hegel, and in 1839 he began writing on literary and philosophical topics for a number of publications. In 1842 Engels was converted to Communist beliefs by the German Socialist Moses Hess. In the same year he met Karl Marx.
Early Writings: Collaboration with Marx
In a Manchester, England, textile firm between 1842 and 1844, Engels came into contact with Chartism, the movement for extension of suffrage to workers. He contributed to the Northern Star and other publications and made a study of political economy. His experience and studies convinced him that politics and history could be explained only in terms of the economic development of society; he believed that the social evils of the time were the inevitable result of the institution of private property and could be eliminated only through a class struggle culminating in a Communist society. These conclusions were embodied in a historical study, Condition of the Working Class in England (1844), which established Engels's reputation as a revolutionary political economist.
In Paris, in 1844, Engels visited Marx, who had published works sympathetic to communism. The two men found that they had arrived independently at identical views and undertook to work together. Their many-sided collaboration continued until the death of Marx in 1883. It had two principal aspects: systematic exposition of the principles of communism, later known as Marxism; and the organization of an international Communist movement. Lesser aspects of their collaboration included journalistic writing for the New York Tribune and other publications.
In elaborating Communist principles, the two men began in the field of philosophy and subsequently turned to other fields. Marx dealt particularly with political thought, political economy, and economic history; Engels's interests included the physical sciences, mathematics, anthropology, military science, and languages.
The Communist Manifesto, which influenced all subsequent Communist literature and is regarded as a classic exposition of modern Communist views, appeared in 1848. It was written by Marx, partly on the basis of a draft prepared by Engels.
Later Works
Contributions to the theoretical exposition of communism made by Engels include the following major works: Herr Eugen Dühring's Revolution in Science (known popularly as Anti-Dühring, 1878; trans. 1934), several chapters of which, published separately under the title Socialism: Utopian and Scientific (1892), have become one of the best-known basic expositions of socialism; Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State (1884; trans. 1902); and Dialectics of Nature, written between 1872 and 1882 and published posthumously (1925; trans. 1940). Engels made what is considered his greatest single contribution to Marxism after the death of Marx by editing, from rough drafts and notes, the second and third volumes of Marx's Das Kapital.
In addition to contributing to the literature and theory of Marxism, Engels participated actively in building the revolutionary movement of his time. Following the outbreak of the revolution in 1848 in Germany, he and Marx went to Cologne, where they published a Communist newspaper.
After the defeat of the revolutions of 1848 in a number of European countries, Engels again became an employee in the textile mill in Manchester, and throughout the years became the chief financial support of Marx and his immediate family. Engels joined the firm that owned the mill in 1864, and retired five years later.
Engels moved to London in 1870 and, after becoming a member of the General Council of the International Workingmen's Association, or First International, began to relieve Marx of the work of directing the council's affairs. After the collapse of the First International in 1872, he maintained contact with revolutionists throughout the world. Engels took no direct part in the founding of the Second International in 1889, but his influence in shaping its programs and policies was considerable.

Communist Manifesto (German Manifest der kommunistischen Partei), declaration of principles and objectives of the Communist League (a secret organization of émigré German artisans and intellectuals), published in London in 1848, shortly before the February Revolution in Paris. Written by Karl Marx in collaboration with Friedrich Engels, the Manifesto is divided into four sections, preceded by an introduction that begins with the provocative words, "A specter is haunting Europe-the specter of communism."
In the first section, Marx outlines his theory of history and prophesies an end to exploitation. Identifying class struggle as the primary dynamic in history, he characterizes the modern world as the stage for a dramatic confrontation between the ruling bourgeoisie (the capitalists) and the downtrodden proletariat (the working class). Driven by the logic of capitalism to seek ever greater profit, the bourgeoisie constantly revolutionizes the means of economic production, the fulcrum of history. In so doing, it unwittingly sets in motion sociohistorical forces that it can no longer control, thus ironically calling into existence the class destined to end its rule-the proletariat. As the proletariat increases in number and political awareness, heightened class antagonism will, according to the Manifesto, generate a revolution and the inevitable defeat of the bourgeoisie.
In the second edition, Marx identifies the Communists as the allies and theoretical vanguard of the proletariat. He emphasizes the necessity of abolishing private property, a fundamental change in material existence that will unmask bourgeois culture, the ideological expression of capitalism. After the revolution, economic production will be in the hands of the state, that is, the proletariat, organized as the ruling class. Because ownership will be in common, class distinctions will begin to disappear.
The third section, criticizing various alternative socialist visions of the time, is now largely of historical interest but displays the author's formidable polemical skills. The final section, which compares Communist tactics to those of other opposition parties in Europe, ends with a clarion call for unity: "Workers of All Countries, Unite!"
The Manifesto is the most concise and intelligible statement of Marx's materialist view of history. Hence, although it produced little immediate effect, it has since become the most widely read of his works and the single most influential document in the socialist canon.

Contributed by:
Lee Congdon