Engels’s Utopian and Scientific: Why Socialism Is Possible
The idea of “socialism”, a harmonious society devoid of exploitation and oppression, predates Marx and Engels. Before them came what were called “utopian socialists”—creative and original thinkers who thought their role was to conceive in their head the perfect model of society. With Marx and Engels came a colossal leap. Turning to the study of society, they uncovered the laws of capitalism, and revealed which force could carry through the fight for socialism: the working class. For the first time, they made socialism a science.
This talk will trace the history of utopian socialism, and how Marx and Engels were able to preserve the best of these ideas, while building upon them to develop what is now known as Marxism—the science of revolution.
Reading list:
Books
- Socialism: Utopian and Scientific – Friedrich Engels
- The Development of the Monist View of History – Georgi Plekhanov
- Reformism or Revolution Chapter 5: Socialism: Utopian and Scientific – Alan Woods
Articles
- Introduction to Historical Materialism – Alan Woods
- Utopian Socialism in the Nineteenth Century – Georgi Plekhanov
