''Principles of Communism'' (German: ''Grundsätze des Kommunismus'') is a brief 1847 work written by
Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels ( ,["Engels"](_blank)
'' Marxism
Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...
. It is structured as a
catechism
A catechism (; from grc, κατηχέω, "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult c ...
, containing 25 questions about
communism
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
for which answers are provided. In the text, Engels presents core ideas of Marxism such as
historical materialism
Historical materialism is the term used to describe Karl Marx's theory of history. Marx locates historical change in the rise of class societies and the way humans labor together to make their livelihoods. For Marx and his lifetime collaborat ...
,
class struggle
Class conflict, also referred to as class struggle and class warfare, is the political tension and economic antagonism that exists in society because of socio-economic competition among the social classes or between rich and poor.
The forms ...
, and
proletarian revolution. ''Principles of Communism'' served as the draft version for the ''
Communist Manifesto
''The Communist Manifesto'', originally the ''Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (german: Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei), is a political pamphlet written by German philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Commissioned by the Comm ...
''.
''Principles of Communism'' was composed during October–November 1847, and was preceded by the ''Draft of a Communist Confession of Faith'', a very similar but distinct text which Engels had previously written in June 1847. Like ''Principles'', the earlier ''Confession of Faith'' also used the catechism convention, but with only 22 question-answer pairs. On Engels' recommendation, the catechism format was ultimately rejected in favor of a historical prose narrative, which was used by
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...
to compose the ''Manifesto''. All three documents were attempts to articulate the
political platform
A political party platform (US English), party program, or party manifesto (preferential term in British & often Commonwealth English) is a formal set of principle goals which are supported by a political party or individual candidate, in order ...
of the newly-forming
Communist League
The Communist League (German: ''Bund der Kommunisten)'' was an international political party established on 1 June 1847 in London, England. The organisation was formed through the merger of the League of the Just, headed by Karl Schapper, and the ...
, a political party which was being created through the merger of two ancestors: the
League of the Just, and the Communist Correspondence Committee, the latter led by Marx and Engels. The ''Manifesto'' emerged as the best-known and final version of the Communist League's mission statement, drawing directly upon the ideas expressed in ''Principles''. In short, ''Confession of Faith'' was the draft version of ''Principles of Communism'', and ''Principles of Communism'' was the draft version of ''The Communist Manifesto''.
Background
During the early 19th century, the effects of the
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
inspired
utopian socialists
Utopian socialism is the term often used to describe the first current of modern socialism and socialist thought as exemplified by the work of Henri de Saint-Simon, Charles Fourier, Étienne Cabet, and Robert Owen. Utopian socialism is often de ...
to theorize improved forms of social organization based upon cooperation, as opposed to
free market
In economics, a free market is an economic system in which the prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand expressed by sellers and buyers. Such markets, as modeled, operate without the intervention of government or any o ...
competition; such theorists included
Robert Owen
Robert Owen (; 14 May 1771 – 17 November 1858) was a Welsh textile manufacturer, philanthropist and social reformer, and a founder of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement. He strove to improve factory working conditions, promoted e ...
and
Charles Fourier
François Marie Charles Fourier (;; 7 April 1772 – 10 October 1837) was a French philosopher, an influential early socialist thinker and one of the founders of utopian socialism. Some of Fourier's social and moral views, held to be radical in ...
. Additionally, radical groups sought to overthrow the existing European social order in favour of similar goals. These parties also lamented harsh labour conditions.
One such organization was the League of the Just, which formed in 1836 by splitting off from an ancestor, the League of Outlaws, which had formed in Paris in 1834.
The League collaborated with like-minded groups to plan a violent overthrow of the existing social order, in order to bring about their own ideal society, which they referred to as the "new Jerusalem".
However, the League was not composed of industrial
wage labour
Wage labour (also wage labor in American English), usually referred to as paid work, paid employment, or paid labour, refers to the socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer in which the worker sells their labour power under ...
ers or
proletarians
The proletariat (; ) is the social class of wage-earners, those members of a society whose only possession of significant economic value is their labour power (their capacity to work). A member of such a class is a proletarian. Marxist philo ...
in the Marxist sense, but instead of journalists, political radicals, and craftsmen whose livelihoods were being displaced by the Industrial Revolution.
The League structured itself in chapters divided into local
cells
Cell most often refers to:
* Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life
Cell may also refer to:
Locations
* Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery w ...
, typically of five to ten individuals.
In November 1842, Engels and Marx met each other for the first time in
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
, at the office of the ''
Rheinische Zeitung
The ''Rheinische Zeitung'' ("Rhenish Newspaper") was a 19th-century German newspaper, edited most famously by Karl Marx. The paper was launched in January 1842 and terminated by Prussian state censorship in March 1843. The paper was eventually su ...
'', a newspaper that Marx was editing at the time. Nothing came of this first encounter, but during 1842–43, both had separately contacted the League, though neither joined.
In 1844, Engels and Marx met a second time, at the
Café de la Régence in Paris. This second meeting was the one which began their lifelong friendship and collaboration, which started with the production of ''
The Holy Family'' and ''
The German Ideology''. In 1846, Engels and Marx began their own organization, the Communist Correspondence Committee, and sought other groups for the practical application of their political goals. Again in 1846, Marx invited the League's Paris and London branches to join as chapters of the Committee, and the League reciprocated by inviting Marx's Brussels branch of the Committee to join as a chapter of the League and to assist with political reorganization. By early 1847, the League and the Committee had aligned.
At two important congresses during 1847 (2–9 June and 29 November-8 December), the two groups merged into one, which now called itself the Communist League. For each of these congresses, Engels drafted versions of a political platform for the new organization. The first version, ''Draft of a Communist Confession of Faith'', was discussed and approved at the first June congress; Marx was not present at the June congress, but Engels was.
This first draft, unknown for many years, was rediscovered in 1968. The second draft, ''Principles of Communism'', was that used at the second November/December congress. Both drafts used a catechism question-and-answer format, with which Engels had grown dissatisfied. Immediately before the second congress, describing ''Principles'', Engels wrote to Marx recommending a further re-draft, in historical prose:
Following the second congress of the Communist League, it commissioned Marx to write a final program. Drawing directly upon the ideas in ''Principles of Communism'', Marx delivered a final revision, the ''Manifesto'', in early 1848. Although Marx was the exclusive author of the ''Manifesto's'' manuscript, the ideas were adapted from Engels' earlier drafts, with the result that the ''Manifesto'' was credited to both authors.
Synopsis
Beginning with a definition of communism as a political theory for the liberation of the proletariat, Engels provides a brief history of the proletariat as the 19th century working class. Ideas are developed in a sequential and logical progression, within the frame of the question-answer style. A given question's answer implies further questions, which are phrased subsequently.
Engels explains the origins of the proletariat as a result of the Industrial Revolution. He describes its differences from other historical poor classes, its precarious and miserable daily life, and its opposition to the owning class, or bourgeoisie. Eventually, all people must inevitably fall into one social class or the other, with the large majority of humanity becoming proletarians. A solution is presented: the abolition of private property. Such abolition is now possible, where previously it was not, because of the newly existing capacity for
mass production
Mass production, also known as flow production or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. Together with job production and batch ...
. This productive capacity can be reorganized to provide for all on a basis of cooperation, as opposed to market competition. Engels predicts that unfortunately, such social reorganization will have to be carried out using violence, because the bourgeoisie will not voluntarily give up its power. Moreover, due to the global character of the Industrial Revolution, such violence must eventually and necessarily occur in all countries, not being limited to some.
When carried out on a sufficiently wide scale, Engels predicts that the abolition of private property will be a
panacea
In Greek mythology, Panacea (Greek ''Πανάκεια'', Panakeia), a goddess of universal remedy, was the daughter of Asclepius and Epione. Panacea and her four sisters each performed a facet of Apollo's art:
* Panacea (the goddess of universal ...
for social ills, as effort previously wasted in competition will be redeployed to the benefit of all. As a result, class and ethnic differences among humanity will gradually dissipate over time, and religion will be rendered superfluous as a historical artefact. Engels also asserts that communism will not have harmful effects upon women or the family, as critics fear. Quite the opposite, Engels rejects critics' fears that communism implies a "community of women", a 19th century
euphemism
A euphemism () is an innocuous word or expression used in place of one that is deemed offensive or suggests something unpleasant. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others use bland, inoffensive terms for concepts that the user wishes ...
which means that several men may have sex with a given group of women. On the contrary, Engels asserts that such an exploitative "community of women" already exists under the existing social order, based in private property and money, which communism will overthrow:
prostitution
Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...
. Engels therefore dismisses the fear as hypocritical, intimating instead that the abolition of private property will eliminate prostitution, thereby emancipating women.
[Marx on Gender and the Family: A Critical Study. Heather Brown. p. 54]
Because the ''Communist Manifesto'' is a redrafting of ''Principles'', it contains many of the same ideas. One difference between the documents is that in the ''Manifesto'', Marx first emphasizes historical technological development and the rise of the bourgeoisie, introducing the proletariat second, whereas in ''Principles'', Engels began by detailing the proletariat.
Adaptation: from ''Confession'' to ''Principles'' to ''Manifesto''
This table shows the reorganization and expansion of material which began with Engels' ''Confession of Faith'', continued with his ''Principles of Communism'', and which concluded with the ''Manifesto'' as re-drafted and completed by Marx. First, the ''Confession of Faith's'' material was reorganized and slightly expanded with new matter (dash marks) to give rise to ''Principles''. In many cases, parallel sections of the first two drafts had identical, or near-identical text. Since the ''Manifesto'' had both a different primary author (Marx) and a different narrative form, its redrafting process was more significant. Effectively, ''Principles' '' first half was rephrased as the ''Manifesto's '' first section, its second half was rephrased as the ''Manifesto's'' second section, its penultimate question-answer pair was significantly expanded to become the ''Manifesto's'' third section, and its final question-answer pair was rephrased as the ''Manifesto's'' fourth and final brief section.
Due to their brevity, all questions are reproduced verbatim from the English translation given below. The answers are significantly longer and therefore summarized here, except for the first, which is the shortest.
Notes
References
External links
Full text of ''Principles of Communism''*
ttps://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/index.htm Full text of the ''Communist Manifesto'', the final revision of ''Principles of Communism''*
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1847 books
1847 in politics
Books about communism
Books by Friedrich Engels