Friedrich Engels
Revolutionary socialist and co-founder of Marxism
Friedrich Engels (28 November 1820 – 5 August 1895) was a German philosopher, social theorist, and revolutionary socialist. He is most famous for his long partnership with Karl Marx, together writing *The Communist Manifesto* (1848) and shaping the system of thought called Marxism. After Marx died, Engels edited his friend’s writings, finishing the second and third volumes of *Das Kapital*.
Born in Barmen, Prussia, into a wealthy merchant family, Engels rejected his family’s strict Pietist beliefs early on. While serving in the military in Berlin, he joined the Young Hegelians and adopted a materialist philosophy. In 1842, his father sent him to Manchester, England, to manage a cotton mill the family had invested in. Seeing the harsh lives of industrial workers there inspired his first major book, *The Condition of the Working Class in England* (1845).
In 1844, Engels began a permanent collaboration with Marx in Paris. Together they criticized idealist philosophies and developed their materialist view of history, writing *The Holy Family* and *The German Ideology*. They joined the Communist League, which asked them to write the *Manifesto*. Engels fought in the Revolutions of 1848, even taking part in armed combat, before fleeing to exile in England. From 1850, he lived in Manchester for two decades, working for the family firm Ermen & Engels, leading a double life as a respectable cotton merchant while secretly funding the impoverished Marx family in London.
After retiring in 1870, Engels moved to London and became a key figure in the International Workingmen’s Association (the First International). Following Marx’s death in 1883, he spent his remaining years editing Marx’s work and acting as the main authority on their shared philosophy. Engels’s own books, especially *Anti-Dühring* (1878) and *Socialism: Utopian and Scientific* (1880), helped spread Marxism and became core texts for the Second International. His attempt to apply dialectics to science in *Dialectics of Nature* later became controversial when the Soviet Union turned it into state ideology. Engels died of cancer in London in 1895; his ashes were scattered off Beachy Head.
- born
- 28 November 1820, Barmen, Prussia
- died
- 5 August 1895, London, England
- field
- Philosophy, social and political theory
- nationality
- German
- known_for
- Co-author of The Communist Manifesto; editor of Marx's works; developer of Marxism
Lore & Background
Born in Barmen, Prussia, to a prosperous mercantile family, Engels rejected his family's devoutly Pietist values from a young age. He became involved with the Young Hegelians while performing military service in Berlin and embraced a materialist philosophy. In 1842, his father sent him to Manchester, England, to work in a cotton mill in which the family had an investment. His experiences of the industrial working class there led him to write his first major work, The Condition of the Working Class in England (1845).
Reader's Guide
In 1844, Engels began a permanent partnership with Marx in Paris. Together they worked to critique the prevailing idealist philosophies and develop their materialist conception of history, notably in The Holy Family and The German Ideology. They became active in the Communist League, which commissioned them to write the Manifesto. Engels participated actively in the Revolutions of 1848, including in armed combat, before being forced into exile in England. From 1850, he lived in Manchester and worked for the family firm of Ermen & Engels for two decades, leading a double life as a respectable cotton merchant while providing crucial financial support to the impoverished Marx family in London. After retiring in 1870, Engels moved to London and took on a central role in the International Workingmen's Association (First International). Following Marx's death in 1883, he devoted the rest of his life to editing his writings and acting as the leading authority on their shared philosophy. Engels's own works, particularly Anti-Dühring (1878) and Socialism: Utopian and Scientific (1880), were instrumental in popularizing Marxism and became foundational texts for the Second International. His application of dialectics to science in works like Dialectics of Nature was later controversially developed into the state ideology of the Soviet Union. Engels died of cancer in London in 1895, and his ashes were scattered off Beachy Head.
Did You Know?
- Engels was the eldest of nine children.
- He used the pseudonym 'Friedrich Oswald' for his early writings.
- His maternal grandfather was a pastor and school headmaster.
- Engels's ashes were scattered off Beachy Head.
Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)
"The Magyar Struggle in Neue Rheinische Zeitung (13 January 1849)." — Friedrich Engels "The Magyar Struggle in Neue Rheinische Zeitung (13 January 1849)." — Friedrich Engels "The Magyar Struggle in Neue Rheinische Zeitung (13 January 1849)." — Friedrich Engels "Referring to the Serb uprising of 1848–49, in which Serbs from Vojvodina fought against the previously victorious Hungarian revolution." — Friedrich Engels
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