Lecture Notes: Manchester and Friedrich Engels

Introduction

• Manchester as a city of contrast.
• Friedrich Engels' experience in Manchester exposed him to both glamour and harsh realities.

Manchester: Cottonopolis

• Known for its cotton industry, symbolized by the cotton ball on the town hall spire.
• Significant growth attributed to its location, climate, and canal system.

Industrial Revolution and Infrastructure

• Bridgewater Canal (1765) improved coal transportation, lowering costs and fostering new factories.
• First railway line (1830) connected Manchester to Liverpool, boosting economic growth.

Friedrich Engels' Journey

• Engels sent to Manchester by his father to work in the family-owned cotton mill.
• Engels was socially aware and interested in workers' living conditions.

Working Conditions

• Poor housing, wage issues, hunger, unemployment were rampant.
• Child labor was prevalent, with children working over 10 hours a day.

Engels' Observations and Actions

• Engaged with Irish worker Mary Burns for insight into workers' lives.
• Outraged by social conditions and became an advocate for workers.
• Documented the harsh realities in his book "The Condition of the Working Class in England" (1845).

Engels' Double Life

• Worked in the family business while advocating for worker rights.
• Supported Marx financially while engaged in capitalist enterprises.

Political and Economic Activities

• Actively involved in studying economic and political theories with Marx.
• Contributed to the development of ideas that led to Marx's "Capital."

Conclusion

• Engels left Manchester in 1870, overjoyed to escape the cotton trade.
• Continued his political activities in London with Marx for another 25 years.