Contradiction and Class Conflict: A Reading of Engels' Anti-Duhring .
Frederick Engels assumes an historical materialist mode of analysis to reveal the fundamental contradiction at the heart of capitalism, and the social and economic conflicts that stem from this contradiction. This paper will demonstrate how Engels (following Marx) considered that this contradiction would inevitably foster antagonism between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. Unbridled competition would, almost paradoxically, lead to monopoly (cf. Microsoft, Air Canada). The resulting crisis would reveal the incapacity of capitalists to manage modern productive forces, leading to proletarian revolution. 4 pgs. 10 f/c. 1b.
