200 Years of Friedrich Engels: A Critical Assessment of His Life and Scholarship

Description

This edited volume discusses the life and scholarship of Friedrich Engels. Written to commemorate the two-hundred-year anniversary of Engels’ birth, the contributions take a look into his research from a variety of viewpoints, trace the influence of his predecessors, and critically evaluate his place within 19th century scholarship. In addition, specific topics are taken up, such as his (mis)assessment of American capitalism, his influence on the Italian labor movement, the thematization of social problems and the relevance of his thought in a global economy. Providing a fresh look at the co-founder of scientific socialism, this volume will be of interest to researchers and students of contemporary political, social and economic systems, the history of economic thought, and political history. Contents Introduction References Friedrich Engels at 200 Revisiting His Maiden Paper “Outlines of a Critique of Political Economy” (1844) 1 Introduction 2 The Young Engels: A “Guideless Self-Taught Person” 3 Contents and Peculiarities of Engels’ Essay 4 Engels’ Essay and Marx 5 Concluding Observations References The Internal Contradiction of Land Rent and Young Engels’ Critical Theory of Private Ownership 1 The General Form of Land Rent and Capitalist Form of Land Rent 2 Land Rent Based on Land Ownership 3 Return to the Land Rent Itself References Engels, Werner Sombart, and the Significance of Marx’s Economics 1 I 2 II 3 III 4 IV 5 V 6 VI References Friedrich Engels and Positivism: An Attempt at Classification 1 Introductory Background 2 Philosophers of Positivism: Saint-Simon, Comte, and Mill 3 Engels and the Philosophy of Positivism References Engels’ Conceptions of Dialectics, Nature, and Dialectics of Nature 1 The Engels Problem 2 Engels’ Own Problems: Dialectics, Nature, and Philosophy 3 Outlines of Engels’ Natural Dialectics 4 Some Open Questions in Engels’ Natural Dialectics 5 The Question Concerning Metaphysics 6 The Question Concerning Dialectical Laws 7 Conclusion References Friedrich Engels and the Revolution 1 Introduction 2 Engels’ Editorship 3 The March of Capitalism 4 The Trap of Kapital I 5 Economic Analysis and Communist Politics 6 Marx and Engels on Contemporary Politics 7 The Dream of a Stateless Society 8 Four Conclusions Bibliographical Appendix Diagram I The Pedigree of Kapital I Diagram II The provenance of Kapital II Diagram III The Provenance of Kapital III MEGA Editions Used References Remarks on the Embarrassed Publishing History of Engels, Die Lage der arbeitenden Klasse in England 1 Biographical Background 2 “Own Observation and Authentic Sources” 3 The Long Way to a New Edition 4 The English Translation 5 Conclusion References “Economic Facts Are Stronger Than Politics”: Friedrich Engels, American Industrialization, and Class Consciousness 1 Taking Stock of a Rising Giant 2 Assessing the US Labor Movement References Engels’ Strategic Advice to the Representatives of the Italian Labour Movement 1 The Historical Political Framework 2 First Period: 1848–1871, Bourgeois Revolutions and National Unification 3 Second Period 1871–1880, from the Paris Commune to the Epilogue of the First International 4 Third Period: Birth and Development of Workers’ Organizations References Friedrich Engels and Electricity 1 Electrodynamics in the Nineteenth Century 2 Friedrich Engels as a Journalist of Science References Two Sides of Young Friedrich Engels: Private Letters and Professional Studies 1 Introduction 2 How to Approach the Personality of Friedrich Engels 2.1 The Nineteenth-Century Framework Conditions 2.2 Phases of Engels’ Life 3 “Side One” of Friedrich Engels in Private Letters, Early Publications and Cartoons 3.1 From Barmen to Bremen 3.2 Social Criticism and Private Conflicts 3.3 Poems and Cartoons 4 “Side Two” of Friedrich Engels: Professional Studies – Aims, Conditions and Effects 5 From Pietistic Spirit to Socialism References