Socialism: Utopian and Scientific

Like the remainder of this text, the preface to the first German edition is written by Engels. Unlike the biographical French introduction, this section is mainly concerned with the pamphlet’s publication history. Engels writes, “The following work is derived from three chapters of my book: Herrn E. Dürings Umwalzung der Wissenschaft, Leipzig, 1878” (7). The German translation was preceded by French and Polish versions.

The German version of Socialism: Utopian and Scientific came about when Engels granted the Zurich Sozialdemokrat’s editors use of this work to be published as propaganda pamphlets. He notes that this was not what the piece was written for, which meant significant changes needed to be made. He explains a few editorial choices made for this edition—for example, the removal of “unnecessary foreign words.” These changes were intended to make the text more accessible to less educated working-class readers.

Engels also introduces a few “surprising” influences on his socialism, including Charles Darwin and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. He states that, despite its German origins and roots in German philosophical traditions, scientific socialism is not “exclusively German.” Rather, it is a product of international influences. However, Engels also admonishes “the schoolmasters of the German bourgeoisie” (9) for ignoring great German philosophers in favor of “empty eclecticism.” This introduction ends on acknowledgment and celebration of German and non-German philosophical predecessors to scientific socialism. 

The first introduction to the 1892 English Edition is subtitled “General Introduction and the History of Materialism.” It introduces more of the text’s publication history, this time detailing the origins of Herr Eugen Dühring's Revolution in Science (1878). Socialism: Utopian and Scientific is a rebuttal of Dühring’s “system of philosophy”; it consists of its first three chapters rearranged into a pamphlet at the request of friend and colleague Paul Lafargue. Alongside the French, Polish, and German versions, the English translation of Socialism: Utopian and Scientific was preceded by Spanish Italian, Russian, Danish, Dutch, and Romanian variations.

Engels transitions to describing some of Socialism: Utopian and Scientific’s core theoretical ideas. He proposes three post-medieval periods of industrial production: handicraft, manufacture, and modern industry. Each of these periods represents a change in how laborers relate to their work and the articles they produce. This three-phase model was initially presented by Marx in Capital: Critique of Political Economy (1867).

Engels states that this book is a defense of historical materialism, to which he expects British readers to take exception: “This book defends what we call ‘historical materialism’, and the word materialism grates upon the ears of the immense majority of British readers. ‘Agnosticism’ might be tolerated, but materialism is utterly inadmissible” (13). Engels notes that, although materialism is out of favor with contemporary English readers, it was initially developed by the 17th century English philosopher Francis Bacon. Furthermore, he argues that agnosticism is itself thoroughly and inherently materialistic. This analysis is followed by a reiteration and general definition of historical materialism:

And, thus, I hope even British respectability will not be overshocked if I use, in English as well as in so many other languages, the term "historical materialism", to designate that view of the course of history which seeks the ultimate cause and the great moving power of all important historic events in the economic development of society, in the changes in the modes of production and exchange, in the consequent division of society into distinct classes, and in the struggles of these classes against one another. (19-20)

Engels closes this introduction with a transition into the second English introduction, which he states will explain the historical role of religion in the English middle class.

The second introduction to the 1892 English Edition describes the fall of the medieval feudal system and the subsequent development of the middle class/bourgeoisie, which “became incompatible with the maintenance of the feudal system” (21). Engels states that the nucleus of the feudal system was the Roman Catholic Church, meaning that its power had to be destroyed before feudalism could be dismantled.

Engels also argues that the “great revival of science” (21) significantly benefited the bourgeoisie: “Now up to then science had but been the humble handmaid of the Church. […] Science rebelled against the Church; the bourgeoisie could not do without science, and, therefore, had to join in the rebellion” (21). According to Engels, the clash between the English bourgeoisie and the church was decided by three cultural “battles”: the German Protestant Reformation, the birth of Calvinism, and the French Revolution.

The first two upheavals resulted in a “compromise” between the aristocratic former feudal lords and the rising middle class. He states that “the bourgeoisie was a humble, but still a recognized, component of the ruling classes of England,” (24); they benefited from the subjugation of the working class. In the meantime, materialism became popular in France, where it grew to influence the French Revolution. Engels argues that, because of materialism’s “revolutionary character,” the English bourgeoisie rejected it in favor of religion, which they used as a means to maintain their power.

The arrival of the Industrial Revolution in England caused the bourgeoisie’s wealth to increase exponentially, making them into a class of wealthy capitalists. However, this also resulted in a class of workers which outnumbered them. The working class became increasingly agitated over the course of the 19th century and took part in several revolts.

The English aristocracy and bourgeoisie began to struggle for dominance, though the latter saw limited success. Engels observes that, even at their most powerful, the bourgeoisie still hold less political power than the aristocracy.

At the time of writing, Engels notes that English workers are beginning to rally again, though the workers of France and Germany are “well ahead” of them. He notes Germany as the birthplace of the bourgeoisie’s first cultural victory and wonders if it will also be the scene of the first European proletariat victory.