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Fredereick Engels Early Years
Frederick Engels was born November 28, 1820, in Barmen, Prussia His parents were Friedrich Sr. and Elise, and the oldest of seven siblings. His father owned a large textile factory in England leaving the family well off, though this did not stop our young co-founder of communism from finding ways to strain his relationship with his parents. He dropped out of high school at age 17 and would later be sent away to be an unpaid clerk at a commercial house. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAhceJjX8iQ -
Thinking Alike
Dismissed, Friedrich joined the Prussian Army and met a group called the Young Hegelians. As followers of the recently deceased Hegel, they had collected many banned books, some of witch would greatly effect Friedrich, like "The Phenomenology of Spirit". Friedrich soon adopted atheism further distancing him from his parents whom were devout Lutherans. Friedrich would also adopt the pseudonym Oswald so that he could write about his new controversial beliefs without ostracizing his parents. -
First Encounter
After returning from his duties as an artilleryman in the Prussian army his parents sent him away again this time to England to work in a mill. On his way to England he visited the office of Rheinische Zeitung, a newspaper containing philosophical questions to the people, edited famously by Karl Marx. Upon meeting each other neither were impressed due to the fact that Marx believed Fredrich was still associated with the Young Hegelians, a group that Marx had just severed ties with. -
Marx Partnership
Engels ask Marx to edit two articles that he submitted to the "German-French Yearbook". These articles attacked the idea of private property and that it was only to feed the rich while sinking the poor. Engels went to Paris to fortify his partnership with Marx, where they created their first real article together called "The German Ideology". It talked about how the German socialist where ignoring the fact that Germany was in dire need for a revolution. -
In an Instance
It was in England that Friedrich met the love of his life Mary Burns. Mary was able to show Friedrich the horrible conditions of the average working class. This inspired Friedrich's work "Outline of a Critique of Political Economy." Friedrich chose to send this work to Karl Marx and it was published in 1844 alongside other works by Marx in protest of the censorship of his previous works. Marx and Friedrich would meet again as condemned men by the Prussian government. They became instant friends. -
Every Man Needs Support
Engels supported everything that Marx had pushed to pursue his communist agenda their first attempt to make some big changes was in London 1847, where the League of the Just, held its first congressional hearing. This Communist League which consisted of many friends of Engels and Marx insisted for them to write a pamphlet to elaborate the principles of communism. -
The Revolutions
This was Engels and Marx's chance to make a communist nation and to influence the minds of everyone they could. By using the German newspapers to send out the communist ideals, this was the climax event, where they could influence the most and maybe turn the tides for England and Germany into communist utopia. Unfortunately for them, they did not succeed. Engels himself almost going bankrupt. Engels decided to focus on his business so that him and Marx could continue writing. -
Communist Manifesto
The pamphlet 'The Manifesto of the Communist Party’ now known as ‘Communist Manifesto’ is widely considered to be Engels and Marx greatest work as it is still read and referenced around the globe. This fiery, impassioned, work urged the working man to rise up against the ruling classes and has been the point of convergence for revolutions all over the world, even hundreds of years after its publication. It is criticized for stating that communism is inevitable. -
Parting Partners
After the revolution, Engels supported Marx financially so that they could continue with working and influences through their society. During this time Marx wrote his best piece "Das Kapital" where he relied on Engels again to get the word out about it. This went on for years together writing a variety of works on communism and German philosophy. -
Death of Karl Marx
Karl Marx died in 1883 and Engels found it difficult to hold the spirit of communism alive. Since then he has been known as the first Marxist. He made sure that he held regular meetings with German Social Democrats all over the Europe and began editing Marx's unfinished volumes of 'Das Kapital'. With extensive research, Engels was able to put a final touch to Marx's masterpiece. -
Death of Friedrich Engels
This man challenged the evil and tyranny that he saw before him and suggested how to change the world. People have died fighting for what this man stated as fact. I think what we can learn from this man is that we should never stop pointing out oppression and evil in this world but when it comes to theorizing a solution to a problem, more study needs to be done before things are stated as fact. Friedrich died of throat cancer at 74, his ashes were spread across Beachy Head in England.
