Skip to main content

Primary sourceBook1880

Socialism: Utopian and Scientific

Friedrich Engels · 1880

A popular 1880 pamphlet by Engels explaining Marxist 'scientific socialism' and distinguishing it from earlier utopian thinkers.

Engels wrote this widely translated pamphlet to popularise Marxist ideas for working-class readers.

Ask Friedrich Engels about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Green front cover of the 1880 French edition of Socialisme utopique et socialisme scientifique by Frédéric Engels, translated by Paul Lafargue. Series label Bibliothèque de la Revue Socialiste I; price 50 centimes; publisher Derveaux Libraire-Éditeur, Paris.
Friedrich Engels, Socialisme utopique et socialisme scientifique, Paris, 1880.

About this source

What it is

Written by Friedrich Engels and first published in French in 1880, this short book was drawn from three chapters of his longer 1878 work Anti-Dühring. It was later published in German and eventually in English, becoming one of the most translated socialist texts of its time.

Why it matters

The pamphlet was meant to make Marxist ideas, especially those from Karl Marx's dense book Capital, accessible to ordinary working-class readers. Engels contrasts earlier

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Friedrich Engels on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Friedrich Engels sources

Meet the AI Friedrich Engels →
Front cover of the 1848 German edition of the Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei, printed in green with a black decorative border. Title in black blackletter type, with 'Veröffentlicht im Februar 1848' and 'London' printed below.Book

Primary source

The Communist Manifesto

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels · February 1848

Title page of the 1845 German edition of Engels's book, reading 'Die Lage der arbeitenden Klasse in England' by Friedrich Engels, published in Leipzig by Otto Wigand. Two blue library stamps appear on the page.Book

Primary source

The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844

Friedrich Engels · 1845

Book

Primary source

Principles of Communism

Friedrich Engels · October–November 1847

Sepia-toned studio portrait of a bearded man with swept-back hair, looking to the right of the frame. He wears a tweed-style jacket, a waistcoat with buttons, and a high-collared shirt with a small tie or cravat.Photograph

Primary source

Portrait of Friedrich Engels

Title page of the 1884 first edition of Engels' work, printed in German within an ornate decorative border on a cream background. Title reads 'Der Ursprung der Familie, des Privateigenthums und des Staats', followed by 'Im Anschluss an Lewis H. Morgan's Forschungen von Friedrich Engels'. Imprint: Hottingen-Zürich, Verlag der Schweizerischen Volksbuchhandlung, 1884.Book

Primary source

The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State

Friedrich Engels · 1884

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Friedrich Engels now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions