Friedrich Engels on state socialism

Pateman, Joe

Abstract

In the ideological legacy of Friedrich Engels, the critique of "state socialism" has a prominent, if overlooked place. According to this conception, the essence of socialism is that the existing state intervenes in the capitalist economy and society with reforms to benefit the working class. The first section of this article outlines Engels' critique of state socialism. It mentions how left geographers have approached his remarks on the trend, specifically in regard to the housing question, nationalisation, and liberal democracy. The second part highlights the contemporary significance of Engels' conception of proletarian emancipation-as contained in his critique of state socialism. Engels' remarks can help clarify the objective conditions for socialism, conditions that some left geographers continue to ignore.

Citation

Pateman, J. (2021). Friedrich Engels on state socialism. Human Geography, 14(2), 198-211. https://doi.org/10.1177/1942778620983631

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 3, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Jan 8, 2021
• Publication Date: Jul 1, 2021
• Deposit Date: Jan 4, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 8, 2021
• Journal: Human Geography
• Print ISSN: 1942-7786
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 14
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 198-211
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1942778620983631
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/5198395
• Publisher URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1942778620983631