The Condition of the Working-Class in England in 1844: with a Preface written in 1892Engels, Friedrich
History
The Condition of the Working-Class in England in 1844: with a Preface written in 1892
Engels, Friedrich
Great Britain -- Economic conditions; Working class -- Great Britain
{293} To prevent misconstructions and consequent objections, I would
observe that I have spoken of the bourgeoisie as a _class_, and that all
such facts as refer to individuals serve merely as evidence of the way of
thinking and acting of a _class_. Hence I have not entered upon the
distinctions between the divers sections, subdivisions and parties of the
bourgeoisie, which have a mere historical and theoretical significance.
And I can, for the same reason, mention but casually the few members of
the bourgeoisie who have shown themselves honourable exceptions. These
are, on the one hand, the pronounced Radicals, who are almost Chartists,
such as a few members of the House of Commons, the manufacturers Hindly
of Ashton, and Fielden of Todmordon (Lancashire), and, on the other hand,
the philanthropic Tories, who have recently constituted themselves "Young
England," among whom are the members of Parliament, D'Israeli, Borthwick,
Ferrand, Lord John Manners, etc. Lord Ashley, too, is in sympathy with
them. The hope of Young England is a restoration of the old "Merry
England" with its brilliant features and its romantic feudalism. This
object is of course unattainable and ridiculous, a satire upon all
historic development; but the good intention, the courage to resist the
existing state of things and prevalent prejudices, and to recognise the
vileness of our present condition, is worth something anyhow. Wholly
isolated is the half-German Englishman, Thomas Carlyle, who, originally a
Tory, goes beyond all those hitherto mentioned. He has sounded the
social disorder more deeply than any other English bourgeois, and demands
the organisation of labour.
{296} And it did.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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