SOURCE: “Engels' Development from Christianity to Communism,” in Revolutionary World: An International Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 23/25, 1977, pp. 180-90.

In the following essay, Parsons analyzes the progress of Engels' beliefs from his Christian upbringing to his espousal of communism. In particular, Parsons discusses the influence on Engels of Christian Pietism and Hegelianism.

The life of Friedrich Engels (1820-1895) spanned the greater part of the 19th century—a period which in many parts of the western world saw both the ripening and the rottening of capitalism and its ideological ally, Christianity. From childhood through adulthood Engels was so situated that he could easily observe and reflect upon these processes in capitalism and Christianity. In the second half of the 18th century Engels' great-grandfather founded a thriving textile business in Barmen, a major industrial center of Germany. It is significant that, swayed by the humanistic promptings of Christianity, he supplied houses...