Socialism: Utopian and Scientific

Composed of three chapters taken from the landmark work of Marxism, Anti-Dühring, Friedrich Engels' Socialism: Utopian and Scientific is a powerful overview and popularization of scientific socialism. Engels succinctly outlines the emergence of utopian socialism as a response to burgeoning capitalist relations of production in the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as its limitations. The ahistorical and idealist nature of utopian socialism would be criticized by the founders of a new, all-powerful ideology taking root among the working-class—Marxism. The development of scientific socialism, principally by Karl Marx, for the first time demonstrated the objective laws of development of human society, with class struggle being the motive force propelling historical change.

Engels' "Introduction to the English Edition" and his 1892 article "The Mark" — two brilliant expositions of historical materialism — are also included in this volume.