The Condition of the Working Class in England

Engels explores the origins and development of the Labour Movement in the United Kingdom. According to him, the workers’ desire for better treatment by the bourgeoisie is a natural outgrowth of their terrible living and working conditions. The open acts of rebellion are simply the visible side of a “social war” waged secretly by the bourgeoisie against the proletariat (224). Since the upper-middle class is dependent on the existence of a working class, these two groups’ interests can never be reconciled, and they are effectively enemies engaged in a long-term conflict.

The earliest attempts at revolting against an unjust society were realized as criminal acts like robbery. However, these were individual and isolated cases, easily suppressed by the law. The next protest stage were acts of vandalism against machines and attempts to set fire to factories and mills. A manufacturer from Hyde was even assassinated in 1831. However, these were also unsuccessful as they were too isolated. In 1824 a new law allowing the free association of men made it possible to form unions. Although unable to control large-scale economic trends that affect wage rates in general, unions are useful in addressing small-scale problems like a random unmotivated reduction in pay.