By Krishna Jha
Born on November 28, 1820, it is 206th birth anniversary of Frederick Engels. It brings to light the enduring relevance of his ideas especially in the context of economic inequality, a result of exploitation based capitalist system.
Friedrich Engels was a German philosopher, political theorist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. Along with Karl Marx, Engels compiled The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital. Engels also deciphered modern communism. It was a work that influenced people’s consciousness deeply. One of the most influential books, it paved the way towards a socialist revolution.
The name of Frederick Engels has been historically joined with that of Karl Marx. He was an intimate friend of Karl Marx, extraordinary theoretician himself, was a co-founder of Marxism along with Marx. A phase of transition, when feudalism was fading away along with James Watt bringing to light the power of steam in 1780s, nature losing its supremacy, big scale industrialization getting introduced, capitalism was ushered in. It was also a time when Engels wrote introduction to the book “The Class struggle in France” written by Marx. Engels raised along with Marx the issue of Universal Suffrage for the working class and its parties. The struggle of the working class for their democratic rights for which they were moving ahead through democratic methods had been gaining strength.
Marx and Engels both did not believe in violence and always opposed armed struggle. Chartist movement in England started and continued for almost a decade (1830 to 1840). Marx and Engels supported both their demands which were political and urgently needed by the working class toiling all over the world. One was ten hour working day, and the other was voting right for the proletariat. Both were crucial and advocated democracy. It was also a time when “Fraternal Democrats” came out in support of the Chartist movement.
In those years Engels’s book came out called ‘The Condition of the Working Class in England’ (1845).The book was compiled with the help of his lifelong partner Mary Burns, a workingclass Irish woman.
A Committee of General Workingmen’s Association of London, was formed with William Lovett, and a People’s Charter was drawn up in 1838. It listed six major demands, including voting rights for all the males at the age of 21 and a secret ballot system, using which people could elect those of their choice. Also anyone could be allowed to become an MP even without having any property.
Engels and Marx also attached great importance to universal suffrage and parliamentary institutions considered imperative for a democratic state. These have been more relevant in present day world and Indian situation. Among the contributions of Engels in the field of democracy, peaceful forms of transition and use of democratic and parliamentary institutions became imperative. Very little attention has been given to this contribution, and generally not known much. Yet his contribution in this field is extraordinary. In fact, his teachings have acquired far greater relevance today, when parliamentary and democratic institutions are spread all over the world, the revolutionaries have been trying to use them in the interests of people. In a class divided society, for workers a life with labouring for a pittance or to starvation when unemployed or, worse, to a life of profound insecurity was the reality. Engels said, “The workers are reduced to such a level that they don’t have time for public affairs, giving more power to the upper class.” He observed further, and wrote about the origin of family, private property, and state.
It was Engels who wrote about the plight of women. Engels was fascinated by the idea of a world in which women enjoyed more freedom, and shared social authority and even, in important ways, centred on women. Engels shares accounts of how exploitative forces women to work just days after giving birth.
Engels along with Marx dedicated their life to the working class. They frequently said that the root cause of all problems is labour exploitation. Poverty, early death and diseases can all be attributed to this system of class difference and exploitation. They stressed the idea that all means of production should be publicly owned and functioned for the benefit of all.
Friedrich Engels passed away on August 5, 1895, but was immortalized by his ideas. Social activists around the world still read his works to attain consciousness and strive for a better world.
Engels and Marx always laid great emphasis on voting rights and the use of parliamentary institutions. Frederick Engels, as also Karl Marx, raised the question of importance of the universal suffrage for the working class and its parties, and clarified the attitude of the Communists to this question.
Marx and Engels attached great importance to the struggle for democratic rights and democratic forms of struggle. Many people are under the wrong impression that they were great advocates of armed struggle. Nothing is far from truth. There is not a single reference in their works, where they advocated armed struggle. The attitude of Marx and Engels is clear from their evaluation of the historic Chartist movement of workers of England in 1830s and 1840s.
In the post-Second World War era, particularly in the 21st century, the parliamentary institutions and universal suffrage have spread on an unprecedented scale. Struggle for democracy, right to voting, right of expression and media, defence of Constitution, etc have become crucial, as is shown in our own country. Events in Latin America, Nepal, Western Europe, etc show that the forms of transition to democracy and socialism will be radically different from those in the past.
More than a dozen of countries in Latin America have shown that the left and democratic forces have been consistently forming governments for the last two decades through the ballot box supported by mass movements. This is not yet socialism, but lays foundations for it and socialism in the transition to democracy in 21st century will be qualitatively different from that in Russia, China, Cuba, Vietnam, etc. Democratic revolution today has far greater importance than ever. (IPA Service)
