“When one individual inflicts bodily injury upon another such that death results, we call the deed manslaughter; when the assailant knew in advance that the injury would be fatal, we call his deed murder. But when society places hundreds of proletarians in such a position that they inevitably meet a too early and an unnatural death, one which is quite as much a death by violence as that by the sword or bullet; when it deprives thousands of the necessaries of life, places them under conditions in which they cannot live – forces them, through the strong arm of the law, to remain in such conditions until that death ensues which is the inevitable consequence – knows that these thousands of victims must perish, and yet permits these conditions to remain, its deed is murder just as surely as the deed of the single individual; disguised, malicious murder, murder against which none can defend himself, which does not seem what it is, because no man sees the murderer, because the death of the victim seems a natural one, since the offence is more one of omission than of commission. But murder it remains.”
Rakesh Kumar
Who was Frederick Engels?
Frederick Engels was a German philosopher, social scientist, and revolutionary thinker who played a pivotal role in the development of socialist theory alongside his close collaborator, Karl Marx. Born in 1820 in Barmen, Prussia, Engels co-authored seminal works such as The Communist Manifesto and provided crucial financial and intellectual support to Marx throughout their partnership. His own writings, including The Condition of the Working Class in England, highlighted the harsh realities of industrial capitalism and its impact on the proletariat. Engels’ contributions to dialectical materialism and historical materialism laid the groundwork for modern theoretical socialist and communist ideas. His influence extends way beyond his lifetime, shaping political thought, rebellions and revolutionary struggles across the globe.
