2 h 51 minAudiobook13 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 2 h 51 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the way people work and produce holds the key to how societies change?
In Socialism, Utopian and Scientific, Friedrich Engels traces socialism from dreams of a better world to what he and Karl Marx regard as a science. He begins with the promises of Enlightenment reason and the utopian socialists, including Henri de Saint-Simon, who sees a divide between idle owners and those who work.
Engels then asks you to see society in motion rather than in fixed categories. He argues that production and exchange shape the social order, and that capitalism creates conflicts it cannot resolve. Written for working people and new readers, this short pamphlet offers a direct entry into Marxist thought—not a balanced debate, but a committed argument.
What you’ll discover
- Dreams of a better society Explore why Engels values the utopian socialists yet finds their visions insufficient.
- A world in motion Follow a method that treats change, rather than fixed categories, as central to understanding.
- Work at history's core Consider Engels's claim that how people produce necessities shapes society and class conflict.
- Capitalism under scrutiny Examine his argument that shared production clashes with private control of its results.
- The case for socialist change Discover why Engels links capitalism's crises to his case for a different social order.
Who will love it
Readers drawn to clear explanations of social change and the origins of socialism will enjoy this compact essay. It suits those curious about how early reformers and industry shaped the working class.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A pamphlet born from a quarrel with Dühring
- Religion often wears the clothes of class interest
- The kingdom of reason was a bourgeois kingdom
- Saint-Simon and Fourier saw further than their plans
- Owen shows what a mill can do and what it cannot
- Seeing the world as a process, not a heap of things
- Production has become social but ownership stays private
- Society takes over production and the state dies out
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 13 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
Sozialismus: Utopisch und wissenschaftlich
by Friedrich Engels · 1880
A mill manager in Scotland shortens the workday, keeps wages flowing, and still asks where the wealth goes.
Challenging2–5 hours to readDeutsch
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
- Read or listen
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
Picture a cotton mill in Scotland where children start school at two. The workday is shorter than at rival mills, and wages keep coming through a four-month shutdown.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A pamphlet born from a quarrel with Dühring
The book begins as a fight. Around 1875 Eugen Dühring, a lecturer in Berlin, announced that he had become a socialist. He offered the German public a complete theory and a plan for reorganizing society, and he poured his anger on Marx.
Engels saw a danger. The two German socialist parties had just merged, and their unity was their strength. Dühring was gathering a sect, the seed of a rival party. So Engels answered him in newspaper articles and later in a large book. Three chapters of it became a pamphlet that Paul Lafargue translated in 1880.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 13 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1880
- Language
- Deutsch
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Engels, Friedrich. Socialism, Utopian and Scientific. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/socialism-utopian-and-scientific.
Engels, F. (2026). Socialism, utopian and scientific. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/socialism-utopian-and-scientific (Original work published 1880)
Engels, Friedrich. Socialism, Utopian and Scientific. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/socialism-utopian-and-scientific.
@book{engels2026socialism,
author = {Engels, Friedrich},
title = {Socialism, Utopian and Scientific},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/socialism-utopian-and-scientific},
note = {First published 1880}
}
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Sozialismus: Utopisch und wissenschaftlich
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Socialism, Utopian and Scientific about?
It traces how socialism moved from the plans of early reformers like Saint-Simon, Fourier and Owen to a method based on history and economics. Engels then explains why he thinks capitalism produces crises and what could follow.
Who are the utopian socialists in Engels's book?
They are Saint-Simon, Fourier and Robert Owen. Each criticized the bourgeois world and imagined a better society. Engels admires their insights, especially Owen's work at New Lanark, but says they built plans from their own minds.
What does historical materialism mean?
It is the view that the ultimate cause of great historical change lies in how goods are produced and exchanged, in the classes this creates, and in their struggles, rather than in ideas alone.
The author
Friedrich Engels
1820–1895 · German socialist philosopher
Friedrich Engels (1820–1895) was a German philosopher and economist born in Barmen, Prussia. He lived in Germany and England, including Manchester and London. He wrote The Condition of the Working Class in England (1845) and The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State (1884). With Karl Marx, he wrote The Communist Manifesto (1848).
More by Friedrich Engels
Alle Bücher des Autors ansehenMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
