The Condition of the Working Class in England Summary

The Condition of the Working Class in England Summary

The Condition of the Working Class in England (1845) was a book by Friedrich Engels that condemned the moral fallacy of an industrial culture. It studies the reality of an industrialized society and how it affects the most vulnerable class. He argues that the working class in England has suffered profoundly after the onset of industrialization. Further, Engels notes how the condition of those who lived in large urban cities was far worse than those who lived in the countryside and the mortality rate was much higher.

Engels focused a great deal on the living conditions of the working class, pointing out that it was utterly deplorable. His argument was that the working class now lived in much greater poverty than their historical counterparts.

This account by Engels is perhaps one of the few to vehemently critique and condemnation of industrialization. It isn’t surprising that this materialism was condemned by him, if one is to consider the fact that he is one of the founders of communism. The Condition of the Working Class in England has now become one of the seminal works to have influenced the movement.

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