Friedrich Engels, The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844
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The bourgeoisie ... lets him have the appearance of acting from a free choice, of making a contract with free, unconstrained consent, as a responsible agent who has attained his majority. Fine freedom, where the proletarian has no other choice than that of either accepting the conditions which the bourgeoisie offers him, or of starving, of freezing to death, of sleeping naked among the beasts of the forests!
— Friedrich Engels on Wage slavery
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "The bourgeoisie ... lets him have the appearance of acting from a free choice, of making a contract with free, unconstrained consent, as a responsible agent who has attained his majority. Fine freedom, where the proletarian has no other choice than that of either accepting the conditions which the bourgeoisie offers him, or of starving, of freezing to death, of sleeping naked among the beasts of the forests!" in the context of "Friedrich Engels, The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Wage slavery" (E)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels (November 28, 1820 – August 5, 1895) was a 19th-century German philosopher, social scientist, and journalist. He created Marxist theory together with Karl Marx. In 1845, he published The Condition of the Working Class in England, based on personal observations and research in Manchester.
About Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels (November 28, 1820 – August 5, 1895) was a 19th-century German philosopher, social scientist, and journalist. He created Marxist theory together with Karl Marx. In 1845, he published The Condition of the Working Class in England, based on personal observations and research in Manchester.
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