Biography of Friedrich Engels

Brave capitals

28 November 1820
5 August 1895
Friedrich Engels was born on 28 November 1820 in Barmen, Germany. His father, Friedrich Engels, with cotton spinning mills, the mother is Elisabeth Franziska Mauritia van Haar. In 1837 Engels is withdrawn from high school, since the father follows the creed Pietist, contrary to social life and the spread of culture. Friedrich then starts working within the commercial Office of the father and the following year he works in Bremen in a firm owned by the Consul Heinrich Leupold, which deals with exports. In these years he started to get fond especially politics, adhering to the Hegelian left current. During his stay in Bremen also became passionate about music, writes poems and devoted himself to reading. It is precisely in Bremen that he made his first work, "the Bedouins", in which he praises Schiller and makes a critical analysis of August von Kotzebue.
After this written, draws up an article, published in Telegraph für Deutschland ", entitled" letters from Wuppertal "; This text describes the living conditions of the workers working in factories in this region, who are forced to perform their duties by breathing the steam emitted by coal and dust wafting in the air. In the article is a harsh criticism to the owners of the factories employing child labour work within their facilities. Engels considers the use of minors in the factories a genuine form of exploitation, since owners of these give children wages lower than those which are given to adults. Continues to work with the Telegraph für Deutschland, writing other articles that tell the living conditions of the workers at German factory. An article always writes for the German newspaper is one in which describes the German war of liberation of 1813 against Napoleon Bonaparte.
Engels recognizes Napoleon who administered well the Germany under his domination, carrying out of the measures are very important for the country: the adoption of the new civil code, the emancipation of the Jews. In 1841 in Berlin on military service, being passionate to strategies of war. During this period he writes new articles in which criticism both political thought of Hegel's the philosophy of Schelling. Claims that Hegel starts from progressive policy considerations to reach the development of conservative principles, while on the philosophy of revelation of Schelling says that the German philosopher philosophical principles concerning processes the dogma and mysticism. The following year ends the military and moved to England, in Manchester, to work in the firm Ermen & Engels whose father is co-owner. During his stay in English can see the difficult living conditions of workers who are very poor. In Manchester, Friedrich Engels living with an Irish worker, Mary Burns, he met the owner of the newspaper "The Northern Star", Julian Harney and he began working in journalism with "The New Moral World" by Robert Owen. In 1844, during his return trip to Germany, he met Karl Marx in Paris which will tighten a great friendship.
For three years traveling between Paris and Brussels, operating clandestinely in the League of Communists. In recent years a new book, "Die Lage der arbeitenden Klasse in England", where it is said the condition of the English working class during the industrial revolution and draw up together with his friend Karl Marx's "the Communist Manifesto"; This is without any doubt one of the most important works of his political career. In the "Manifesto", made on Commission of the League of Communists, the two philosophers describe the story up in their days as a class struggle, in which to Excel is the middle class, defined as revolutionary as it has managed to drive the industrial revolution. The bourgeoisie, in order to ensure the development of the industrial revolution, has exploited the working class, called the proletariat. With its dialectical skill then in turn the proletariat has defeated the bourgeoisie.
The authors then demonstrate how the work takes so the story is a class struggle. The only way to stop this class warfare so it will be overcome by the proletarian class of capitalist production model. This will only happen if the proletariat organizes a revolution that will allow him to take political power in his hands. At this point there will be a transitional phase in which, with the tools provided by the State, you can create a new social model. After the transition period then switches from the bourgeois state proletarian State. In recent years, along with Marx, he also wrote other works such as "the Holy Family" and "the German ideology". In 1848 Engels back in Germany, settling in the city of Cologne where together with Marx directs "The Rhenish Gazette". In Europe begin a series of revolts aimed at the fall of totalitarian regimes. Revolutionary ideologies are spreading also in Germany, where we organize the risings. Fearing that the German revolt is suppressed with weapons as had happened in Paris and other European capitals, Engels founded the "Committee of public safety". Unfortunately also in Germany the revolt is harshly repressed by the Prussian army. Cologne is in State of siege and press freedom is suppressed with many socialist leaders who are arrested. Engels is forced to escape from Germany, taking refuge first in Brussels from which is expelled and then in Switzerland, in Bern. The city participates in the Swiss labour Congress.
The following year back to Cologne, where goes on trial along with Marx on charges of subversion. After being acquitted, he returns to the direction of Cologne Journal, whose business was suspended during the uprisings. When they resume the revolts in the Rhenish area Engels and Marx the lean, trying in vain to arrange new throughout the territory of Germany, not having success. With the failure of the European revolutions, Engels settled down for the rest of his life in Britain, while Marx in France. In 1864 the two founded the workers International Association, known as the "first international", which will be dissolved in 1872. In 1883 he died, Karl Marx and Engels continues its political activities, serving as Director and Manager of the most important European Socialist movements. In 1885 ends the second volume of "capital" written with Marx and in 1889 she writes an essay on Fauerbach Dialektik der Natur "and the book".
The following year he participated in the Foundation of the "second international" in Paris where you decide that 1 may will be the labour day. Some years later, on the anniversary of the Paris Commune, processes the preface to the book "the civil war in France" written by Karl Marx. After participating in the International Congress in Brussels in 1891 and the Zurich Congress held two years later, he suffered a esophageal cancer. Friedrich Engels died on 5 August 1895 in London, at the age of seventy-four.
Article contributed by the team of collaborators.