On 125th Death Anniversary of Friedrich Engels

A great deal has been written about Friedrich Engels’ unquestionable genius. Much has been said about his unwavering commitment to Marxism’s vast philosophy. Much has been written about his massive contribution into Marx’s unfinished works. On the 125th anniversary of Comrade Engels’ death, however, we shall not only examine what has been said, but also what hasn’t been spoken many times. Today, we’ll talk about his beautiful heart, not just his brilliant mind. Not only will we explore his mighty intellect, but also his deeply adoring soul.

Apart from being one of the greatest scientific virtuosos and proletarian educators, Engels was also a devoted friend. A friend who believed in his best friend more than Marx believed in himself. His devotion and sacrifice for Marx were so great that he went against his instincts and worked as a factory manager for the majority of his life, despite the fact that all he had was sheer disdain for this job. He continued to undertake this job not because it was necessary for his personal survival, but because it was necessary to provide financial assistance to Marx and his family so that Marx could focus on his magnum opus (Capital) without worrying about his financial problems.

In a letter written to his friend Johann Becker after a year of Marx’s demise, Engels writes, "We have lost a lot after the demise of Marx. I now find myself playing the first fiddle since he left. I don’t think I can ever do justice to his works, I was best fitted for playing the second fiddle beside him. There can be no one else who can have such ambition what Marx had."

Such was the reverence the man carried for his friend even after his death. This slightly self-underestimating tone and humility of Engels often present his image simply as a sidekick or someone who merely followed Marx, but this is a naive conception of the scholastic relationship that both of these intellectuals maintained. In actuality, they were both intellectually feeding each other. In several areas, Engels makes contributions that stand independent of Marx’s. For example, in his book “The Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State,” Engels ventures into an uncharted area by employing anthropology to describe personal relations, family and relationship between man and woman. Not only that, but it was Engels who wrote the first draft (Principles of Communism) of what we know now ultimately as the Communist Manifesto.

Engels wasn’t only confined to theories rather his personality also extended beyond essays, books, and pamphlets. He, likewise, was a praxis-oriented person. He actively participated in an armed rebellion against the Prussian state in 1849 and volunteered for August Willich’s troops in South Germany. Over the entirety of his life, our man was a man of action, a man of phenomenal genius, and a deeply loving soul (as Lenin writes in his eulogy to Engels). Lenin further expressed Engels’ passing in these lovely poetic lines:

“What a torch of reason ceased to burn,
What a heart has ceased to beat!”