Socialism: Utopian and Scientific

This is a short book distilled from a longer set of articles written by Engels as a polemic against a German professor in the 1870s who claimed to have a blueprint for "the complete reorganization of society." It is a brilliant exposition of all the most important tenets of Marxism, written in a lively and polemical style. Along with the Communist Manifesto, this book is an excellent introduction. Engels shows how the earlier, utopian socialists had brilliant insights into the nature of capitalist society, but given the undeveloped state of the class struggle, simply counterposed "what is" with "what ought to be," without showing how the development of capitalism created the conditions-mass abundance and a collective, organized working class-to overturn capitalist social relations and create a classless society. He shows how the division of society into classes-a historical product of the low development of the productive forces-has been rendered obsolete by capitalist production. But for socialism to come to fruition, Engels argues, the working class must seize political power and, over time, abolish classes and state power altogether.

To accomplish the act of universal emancipation is the historical mission of the modern working class. To comprehend the historical conditions and nature of this act, a working class movement must be built. This is the process of scientific socialism. Its essence is self-emancipation.