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If in all ideology men and their circumstances appear upside-down as in a camera obscura, this phenomenon arises just as much from their historical life-process as the inversion of objects on the retina does from the physical life-process.

Friedrich Engels

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Friedrich Engels
Age: 74 †
Born: 1820
Born: November 28
Died: 1895
Died: August 5
Author
Economist
Feminist
Journalist
Philosopher
Political Theorist
Revolutionary
Social Scientist
Sociologist
Writer
F. Engels
Frederik Engels
Friedrich Engles
Life
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Upside
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More quotes by Friedrich Engels

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It would appear that the natural frontier of Russia runs from Dantzic or perhaps Stettin to Trieste.
Friedrich Engels
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By bourgeoisie is meant the class of modern capitalists, owners of the means of social production and employers of wage labor. By proletariat, the class of modern wage laborers who, having no means of production of their own, are reduced to selling their labor power in order to live.
Friedrich Engels
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It is a curious fact that with every great revolutionary movement the question of 'free love' comes into the foreground.
Friedrich Engels
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How do you think the transition from the present situation to community of Property is to be effected? The first, fundamental condition for the introduction of community of property is the political liberation of the proletariat through a democratic constitution.
Friedrich Engels
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In 10 years, this sleepy Canada will be ripe for annexation - the farmers in Manitoba, etc., will demand it themselves. Besides, the country is half annexed already socially - hotels, newspapers, advertising, etc., all on the American pattern.
Friedrich Engels
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Bare-faced covetousness was the moving spirit of civilization from its first dawn to the present day wealth, and again wealth, and for the third time wealth wealth, not of society, but of the puny individual, was its only and final aim.
Friedrich Engels
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In a political struggle of class against class, organization of trade unions is the most important weapon.
Friedrich Engels
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The state is nothing but an instrument of opression of one class by another - no less so in a democratic republic than in a monarchy.
Friedrich Engels
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Ideas often kindle each other, like electrical sparks.
Friedrich Engels
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By the same right under which France took Flanders, Lorraine and Alsace, and will sooner or later take Belgium — by that same right Germany takes over Schleswig it is the right of civilisation as against barbarism, of progress as against stability.
Friedrich Engels
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Just as Darwin discovered the law of evolution in organic nature, so Marx discovered the law of evolution in human history he discovered the simple fact, hitherto concealed by an overgrowth of idealogy [sic], that mankind must first of all eat and drink, have shelter and clothing, before it can pursue politics, science, religion, art etc.
Friedrich Engels
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Terror consists mostly of useless cruelties perpetrated by frightened people in order to reassure themselves.
Friedrich Engels
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From the first day to this, sheer greed was the driving spirit of civilization.
Friedrich Engels
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One day we shall certainly 'reduce' thought experimentally to molecular and chemical motions in the brain but does that exhaust the essence of thought?
Friedrich Engels
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The society that will organize production on the basis of a free and equal association of the producers will put the whole machinery of the state where it will then belong: into the museum of antiquities, by the side of the spinning wheel and the bronze axe.
Friedrich Engels
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The free development of each is the condition for the free development of all.
Friedrich Engels
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And what is impossible to science?
Friedrich Engels
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Some laws of state aimed at curbing crime are even more criminal.
Friedrich Engels
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Naturally, the workers are perfectly free the manufacturer does not force them to take his materials and his cards, but he says to them..'If you don't like to be frizzled in my frying- pan, you can take a walk into the fire.
Friedrich Engels
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All history has been a history of class struggles, of struggles between exploited and exploiting, between dominated and dominating classes at various stages of social development.
Friedrich Engels