Born on 28th November, 1820, Friedrich Engels was a German philosopher, political theorist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist . Along with Karl Marx, Engels compiled The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital.
Friedrich Engels helped define modern communism with the Communist Manifesto. The book has been described as one of the most influential political and social books.
The book brought about a class consciousness among the masses, driving revolution and change around the world. So on the birth anniversary of Friedrich Engels, we are going to look at some of his ideas and see how relevant his works are even today.
1. Class Movement
While writing a book on Class wasn’t an original or a novel idea, But Friedrich Engels’ work dealt with the working class as a whole and not merely with particular sections and industries. In fact, it was the first large-scale attempt to use Marx’s ideas in the study of society . In the book Condition of the Working Class in England , Engels stressed how those who own no means of life and production are defeated and reduced to labouring for a pittance or to starvation when unemployed or, worse, to a life of profound insecurity. The workers are reduced to such a level that they don’t have time for public affairs, giving more power to the upper class.
2. Feminism
In the book The Origins of the Family, Private Property and the State , Engels talks about the “world-historical defeat of the female sex” . The book was compiled with the help of his lifelong partner Mary Burns , a working-class Irish woman. Engels was fascinated by the idea of a world in which women enjoyed more sexual freedom, children were raised with many mothers, and social authority was shared and even, in important ways, centred on women . Engels shares accounts of how exploitation forces women to work just days after giving birth. These ideas have probably given rise to the concept of ‘maternity leave’, a policy which is slowly being introduced in many working spaces.
3. Condition of the Working Class
Engels along with Marx dedicated their life to the working class. They frequently said that the root cause of all problems is labour exploitation. Poverty, Early Death and Diseases can all be attributed to this system of class difference and exploitation . They stressed the idea that all means of production should be publicly owned and functioned for the benefit of all.
Friedrich Engels might have passed away on 5th August, 1895, but he has been immortalized by his ideas. Social activists around the world still read his works to attain consciousness and strive for a better world.
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