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Life of Frederick Engels
Frederick Engels was born to a business owner in 1820. While his initial education was lacking, he had a profound interest in Hegel's philosophy of idealism vs. materialism, leading Engels to communism. Frederick's beliefs led him to begin writing and collaborating with another notable communist, Karl Marx. Engels would eventually become a business owner like his father, though he would use the capital he gained from his business to allow Marx to fully focus on his critiques of capitalism. -
Co-Wrote The Communist Manifesto
During Engels’ correspondence with Marx, the two collaboratively authored several short papers and essays to include The German Ideology, and The Condition of the Working Class in England, however none of them were as objectively influential and revolutionary as the Communist Manifesto. While it primarily had the works of Marx, Engels aided in exposing capitalism as a class based system of production and exchange. . -
Anti-Dühring is Published
German Popular Socialist Eugene Duhring made several statements criticizing Marxism, such as “Ethics of Sympathy” where he claims the contrast between the bourgeoisie and proletariat was unnecessary. In response to Duhring, Engels authored “Herr Eugene Duhring’s Revolutions in Science,” also known as “Anti-Duhring.” This writing not only largely discredited Duhring, but was a key piece in promoting Marxism through a survey of philosophical, natural-science and historical problems. -
Socialism: Utopian and Scientific is published.
Following the success of “Anti-Duhring” Engels separately translated and published several chapters in a pamphlet that presented socialism as not only a utopian, idealistic philosophy, but also, as quoted by Engels, a science based on “the materialistic conception of history and the revelation of the secret of capitalist production through surplus value.” -
Finishing Das Kapital Vol. II & III
Karl Marx died in 1882, leaving what some consider his most important work “Das Kapital”, incomplete. While most of the work had already been done in notes and manuscripts, it was left to Engels to piece it together, finishing volume II and III for his late comrade. While Marx is listed as the sole author of Kapital, it likely would never have been published if not for the help of Frederick Engels. -
Major Works and Educational Video
How did Friedrich Engels redefine history? World History Curriculum Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KBoeJ3dthM
Engels, Friedrich, and Karl Marx. The Communist Manifesto. Lerner Publishing Group, 2017
Engels, Friedrich. Anti-Duhring: Herr Eugen Duhring's revolution in science Progress Publishers Moscow 1969
Engels, Frederick. Socialism: Utopian and Scientific, Electric Book Company, 2000. ProQuest Ebook Central
Marx, Karl. Das Kapital. Edited by Friedrich Engels, Regnery Publishing, 1996
