The state is nothing but an instrument of oppression of one class by another—no less so in a democratic republic than in a monarchy. (Friedrich Engels, Preface to Marx’
The Civil War in France)
Friedrich Engels was born into a privileged family, but fought all his life for the poor. The eldest son of a prosperous textile manufacturer, young Friedrich both trained on the job at Ermen and Engels, the company of which his father was a co-owner, and excelled at his studies—from an early age he had an extraordinary proficiency in languages. In a sense, this opposition between intellectual and businessman was to define Friedrich Engels’ entire life: he was to become a political-economic theorist, a prolific writer, and a revolutionary, but he also worked dutifully at a job he
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Citation: Wood, Kelsey. "Friedrich Engels". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 September 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1429, accessed 23 November 2024.]
