Frederick Engels

The work of Thomas Malthus generated a tremendous reaction, both positive and negative. Frederick Engels (1820– 1895) responded to Malthus with as much force as anyone, and his conclusion was that Malthusian theory was very misguided. The following viewpoint is from Engels’s Outline of a Critique of Political Economy, which was published in 1844. Engels asserts that Malthusian theory confuses means of subsistence with means of employment.

Engels was born in Prussia, the son of a textile manufacturer. Because of his revolutionary activities, he was forced to flee Prussia and settle in England. While in England, Engels wrote many books with Karl Marx, the most famous being The Communist Manifesto. Engels managed one of his father’s factories in England, earning enough to support himself, Marx, and Marx’s family.

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