Marx and Engel

 Social Contribution And Achievements of Friedrich Engel & Karl Marx At National And International Levels. 1*

1. Dr.Rahul Sadashiv Kharat, Assistant professor, M.S.Kakade College, Waghalwadi-Someshwarnagar.

*Email of the corresponding author: srass229@gmail.com

Introduction:

Friedrich Engels is a German Socialist Philosopher born in Barmen, Rhine province of Germany in November, 1820 in a moderately liberal political viewed family. His father was a successful industrialist and founder owner of textile mill in Berman and partner of Ermen and Engel cotton plant situated at Manchester. Being a part of Protestant faith his family was orthodox and believed in differences of race among the society, Friedrich grew up as a rebel with support of his mother. He was not interested in studies and left his studies before graduation. But he came forward as a good poet and expressed all his feelings, opinions and thoughts about current societal differences and inequalities on the basis of race, wealth and many more. But he could bypass the business of his father and run his business successfully. till 1842, he gained his knowledge and interest in writing also. His interest, opinions and thoughts pushed him towards communism. He started to write articles on the same issue for continental and english journals. He also gained his interest in reading parliamentary reports on  economic and political conditions in england. He also started to  mingle with workers, meeting radical leaders, and gathering information for a projected history of England that would stress the rise of industry and the worsen situation of labor in England. 

Social contribution:

While working with the labor, to the labor and for the labor, he met the uneducated Irish girl Mary Burns and fell in love with her. He also rejected the institution of marriage and lived together as Husband and wife till the death of Mary. In the history of the institution of  marriage, it might be the first “Live in Relationship” relation, which is more common in all over the world including India.  His rebellion thoughts, actions and writing were noticed by Karl Marx when he contributed two famous articles of Scientific Socialism Karl Marx noticed a spark in Engels writing and edited both the articles in Paris in a book named “Germen-French Yearbooks” edited by him in 1944.  Both the articles concluded that the existing liberal and capitalistic economy leads to divide people and society in Millionaires and Paupers.  His articles are praised all over Europe and he gets more recognition in social movements in Germany and Europe. He also becomes a good friend of marx and decides to meet him in Paris. In 1845, he went to Paris for 10 days to meet Karl Marx. After long discussions and on a common agenda they decided to tie a permanent knot with him for the Social Movement. 

After returning from Paris, he wrote an article on “The Condition of The Working Class in England”,  which was the prime area of interest of Karl Marx also. In this article he has focused on principles of socialism.  After reading his article Karl Marx realized the spark available in him and joined hands with him for socialism and eradication of poverty through the ideas and theories of communism.   

Contribution: 

Their first contribution came in 1845 namely “German ideology” became popular in the working class of Germany and all over the world. They also attacked socialists who rejected the need for revolution in Germany and other capitalistic economies of the world. They went to Paris and London to organize socialist and working classes of the concerned nation and organized the first Socialist Congress League in London in 1847. The purpose of these League is to convert this socialist congress league into communist league and become successful in the same. 

In the next year i.e. in 1848, they organized the Second Commnist League in the same city and same place. The purpose of this communist league is to draft communist principles and policies. Which was later published and popularly known to us today as a Commuist Manifesto.   

The first and foremost agenda of Communist League was to overturn feudalism in Germany  and turn it into a Constitutional structure in which representation of oppressed classes and communities were of prime concern. For that their major tool to gather common people was writings in the newspaper. Even after striving hard they could not get success and resulted in failure of revolution. After the German revolution failure they returned to Landon and started a second revolution in London against royal supremacy in the nation and believed that these revolutions would never go in vain. 

In between they were facing financial problems to run communist league. In order to overcome the issue. Engel again joined his fathers partnership business and used to send funds in the form of annual grants to Karl Marx till 1869. The amount of Grant was £ 350 per year. In 1869 he sold his partnership share and whole money was used to survive as well to meet contingencies of marks and communist league as well. While residing in Manchester, he used to write and send articles to Marx. Marx used to publish this article in the Newspaper called “New York Tribune''. Considering the effects and impacts of his articles, Marx published his article in the book form under Engle’s  name and a  worldwide popular book “Revolution and Counter Revolution in Germany” was published in 1848. The book is still a path breaking guide for the socially and economically oppressed communities all over the world.  

Karl Marx’s popular book “Das Kapital” is also a path breaking and milestone guide in the history of communism and socialism as well and will be a guide in future also. “Das Kapital” has had an impact on the ideology and thoughts of Engels. Engle also reviewed Das Kapital and proposed it as a Bible of Socilasit and communists all over the world. 

After the death of Karl Marx in 1883, Engel also continued his legacy and made additions to the Das Kapital. He has introduced Volume 2 and Volume 3 of Das Kapital in 1885 and 1894 respectively. He also completed incomplete manuscripts of Karl Marx namely “The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State” and “Ludwig Feuerbach and the Outcome of Classical German Philosophy” in 1884 & 1888 respectively. 

He and his work received wide recognition all over the world especially communist nations of the world till his death and and after his death. His notable work also includes The Condition of the Working Class in England, Anti-Dühring, Socialism: Utopian and Scientific, The German Ideology and many contributions to the work of Karl Marx. Vladimir Lenin, a first Russian revolutionary, wrote a book on him “Biography of Engels” is one of the famous books on revolutionaries all over the world. He died on 5th August 1895 at Landon but his contribution and thoughts are still a guide for all those who believe in equality, freedom, sociality before the law and among the people. 

References:

1. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Friedrich-Engels/Partnership-with-Marx.

2. Karl Marx (1867), Das Kapital (Vol. 1).

3. Fridrich Engels (1885), Das Kapital (Vol.2).

4. Fridrich Engels (1894), Das Kapital (Vol.3).

5. Stavros Mavroudeas (2020), “Friedrich Engels and his Contribution to Marxism, Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences” https://www.researchgate.net/ publication/342767632_Friedrich_ Engels_  and _his _Contribution_to_Marxism.