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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
Pivotal piece enumerating the abominable working and living conditions of the lower class of England in the mid 1800s. Definitely a tough read, but pretty fascinating to learn that even though social standards have changed, not much else has! the 99% are still oppressed a.f.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Started and finished date - 07.03.25 to 09.03.25.
My rating - One Stars.
I found this book to boring and dull but I didn't love it and I hate the cover of book. The paced of plot was well structured and the writing was okay.
My rating - One Stars.
I found this book to boring and dull but I didn't love it and I hate the cover of book. The paced of plot was well structured and the writing was okay.
I'll start with the negative. This is a dated book, published by Engels in 1845 based on his time spent in England working for the family firm in Manchester in his early twenties. The language is from the nineteenth century, and there isn't much that would be considered analysis in the modern age. But that's not the strength of this book. Engels' outrage at what he witnessed, coupled with use of emerging statistics and the reports of the factory inspectors makes for powerful indictment of capitalism - an approach that was later to form such an important part of Capital - and not just the nineteenth century variety. You could replace some of the descriptions with "Amazon warehouse" and easily believe you a reading a book describing the 21st century.
The other point to make is that this is written after Engels had first met Marx, but before they really got to know each other. Despite that, and the slightly naive presentation, it is easy to see how Engels came to collaborate so closely with Marx. Underneath the outrage, it's easy to see the basis for what would turn into the analysis of economy and society that Engels would collaborate with Marx on over the next 40 years. Indeed much later there is a letter from Marx to Engels on re-reading this book many years later praising it for the raw sense of indignation, and almost regretting their joint subsequent move into the dull work of economic analysis.
Throughout it made me think of what Marx says in Capital: "If money, according to Augier, 'comes into the world with a congenital blood-stain on one cheek,' capital comes dripping from head to foot, from every pore, with blood and dirt". For all its old fashioned language, it's worth a read even today.
The other point to make is that this is written after Engels had first met Marx, but before they really got to know each other. Despite that, and the slightly naive presentation, it is easy to see how Engels came to collaborate so closely with Marx. Underneath the outrage, it's easy to see the basis for what would turn into the analysis of economy and society that Engels would collaborate with Marx on over the next 40 years. Indeed much later there is a letter from Marx to Engels on re-reading this book many years later praising it for the raw sense of indignation, and almost regretting their joint subsequent move into the dull work of economic analysis.
Throughout it made me think of what Marx says in Capital: "If money, according to Augier, 'comes into the world with a congenital blood-stain on one cheek,' capital comes dripping from head to foot, from every pore, with blood and dirt". For all its old fashioned language, it's worth a read even today.
This was 16 hour audiobook so took me ages to get through but it’s immensely thorough and I really got a feel for the conditions of Victorian England and the consolidation of capital/labour relations. War to the palaces!!! Peace to the cottages!!
Reading all of the history is important if you’re the kind of person who wants to see how someone gets to the conclusions they have come to. Engels lays it out in a detailed manner. There are great snippets in the length section of “the proletariat” but you could probably get away with reading the introduction, the social murder section of the proletariat, “working class movements”, “attitude of the bourgeoisie” and “the conclusion” if you want an overview of Engels since the history is dense and time consuming.
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
I dove into this book just after the uh... "healthcare incident." Mostly because the definition of Social Murder was coined by this author and directly referenced in certain circles of online discourse that I roam.
It's best to approach reading this less as a book and more as a research paper / thesis. It's DRY, but the content is insanely relevant to our situation today within the working class. There are a ton of statistics, and detailed descriptions of the appalling living and working conditions that the Proletariat / Working Class have been forced to endure by the Bourgeoisie (aka The 1%). And many will find direct parallels, if not outright replications, of their own current conditions of today nearly identical to that of the common worker / peasant in the 1800's.
If you read nothing else in this book, I recommend the last chapter: The Attitude of the Bourgeoisie Towards the Proletariat. It is a no-holds-barred opinion of what the Haves think of the Have Nots, and it holds truer today than ever before.
It's best to approach reading this less as a book and more as a research paper / thesis. It's DRY, but the content is insanely relevant to our situation today within the working class. There are a ton of statistics, and detailed descriptions of the appalling living and working conditions that the Proletariat / Working Class have been forced to endure by the Bourgeoisie (aka The 1%). And many will find direct parallels, if not outright replications, of their own current conditions of today nearly identical to that of the common worker / peasant in the 1800's.
If you read nothing else in this book, I recommend the last chapter: The Attitude of the Bourgeoisie Towards the Proletariat. It is a no-holds-barred opinion of what the Haves think of the Have Nots, and it holds truer today than ever before.
Important document on the stark conditions of the working class in England in 1844. Early Capitalism was brutal. It is a little easier these days although conditions are deteriorating for working people in our own time. If the owners had there way with no resistance or legacy of earlier working-class movements those dark satanic mills would return. You can bank on that. Very digestible and makes clear what is implicit but rarely broached in polite circles owners will squeeze workers until they get push back from organized workers and we'd all be better off without the owners.
accidentally provided so much to proletarian feminism in this one thanks king
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced