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Birth
Friedrich Engels was born in Barmen, Prussia (Germany). His father owned various, large cotton textile mills in England and Prussia. -
Time in Service
While serving a mandatory year in the Prussian Army, Engels spent his time in Berlin. He attended lectures at the major university there. He anonymously wrote articles to a local journal that spoke of the horrible living conditions and mistreatment of the working class by those in authority and/or wealthier than them. -
A Partnership
Engels and Marx meet for the first time. -
Manchester
Engels traveled to Manchester for the first time to work in a new firm. His family wanted him to forget his radical ideas and join their industry of textile mills. It did the opposite. He wanted to show what the effect of the Industrial Revolution in England had on the working class. He had always felt this way, and his family thought that this new job opportunity would change his mindset. -
A Lifelong Relationship
While in Manchester, Engels was in a relationship with Mary Burns, a woman who also felt the same about the conditions in England and in the Engels' textile mills. They never married as they thought the process of marriage in Victorian England was a form of class oppression. Since she was quite familiar with the area, she took him to the worst neighborhoods and districts so that he could collect vital data to support his ideas and work. -
Compiling His Research
After witnessing the exploitation of human beings in the industrious world of Manchester, England, Engels took note of the conditions and observations he made about the factories, living conditions, and the business. He had always felt that big businesses were taking advantage of their underrepresented laborers. It started off as a series of notes and articles that he collected while living in Manchester. He sent all of his findings to Marx in the form of a trilogy -
Removed from Paris
While spending time in Paris, Engels met up with Marx for the second time. They became involved in the egalitarian society known as the League of the Just. They participated in a rebellion that would cost them their residence in Paris. Engels had left Paris several months before authorities issued orders of removal in early 1845 to Marx and the others involved. He moved back to Barmen, Prussia where he was raised, and his family resided. -
A Socialist Party
Marx and Engels began politically organizing the Social Democratic Worker's Party of Germany: a socialist party that would survive through the early German empire. -
"The Condition of the Working Class in England"
With the help of Marx, Engels' first publication was "The Condition of the Working Class in England." It exposed how impoverished and overworked the laborers were by the hands of their superiors. He conducted mass amounts of research to be able to publish his findings for the public audience, and to support his statements. Engels, Friedrich. The Condition of the Working Class in England. Otto Wigand, 1845. -
Joining
Engels and Marx joined the German Communist League -
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Involvement in the Bigger Picture
Engels travels through several countries to be involved with various rebellions, uprisings, and revolutions for Communist agendas. -
"The Manifesto of the Communist Party" with Video
Engels and Marx shared many ideas. They agreed that this laboring class of people would violently rise up and overtake the bourgeoisie, the wealthy. They were asked by the Communist League to create a pamphlet that would explain the statutes of the philosophy. It is commonly known as the "Communist Manifesto." Engels, Friedrich, and Karl Marx. The Manifesto of the Communist Party. London, Communist League, 1848. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAhceJjX8iQ -
Refugee
During the Prussian coups d'etat in June 1849, Engels joined armed revolts in South Germany after his and Marx's newspaper was shut down. He barely escaped and was able to cross into Switzerland as a refugee. -
Seeking Asylum
After the Prussians issued a warrant for arrest for Engels, he sought refuge in England. He eventually made it there after boarding a ship in Italy, and sailing for quite an arduous voyage. -
Another Revolution?
After sharing correspondence between each other, Engels and Marx pondered their next ideas. They thought about the possibilities of a Communist revolution in Russia, and the implications of a bourgeoisie overthrow in the country. -
Mary Burns Died
Mary Burns suddenly died from heart disease. Shortly after, Engels lived and started a relationship with her younger sister, Lydia. -
Living in London
Engels moved to London with Marx where they could be in close correspondence with each other. -
A Hypocritical Union
Engels, although against the institution of marriage, gets married to Mary Burns' younger sister, Lydia. They lived openly for years as a couple after Mary's death and eventually married. -
Lydia Burns-Engels Died
Hours after marriage, Engel's newlywed wife passed away. -
Marx Died
Marx passed away while living in London with Engels. Engels continued on with Marx's unfinished writings and work. -
Death
Engels died of throat cancer in London. He was cremated and per his request, scattered off of the cliffs in Beachy Head in East Sussex, England.
