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And since from the 1840s Marx recognized and applauded the potential of the social-democratic route, at least under the appropriate conditions – including national character – Engels was scarcely deviating from Marx and certainly not belatedly. Indeed, some of Marx’s affirmations are quite as strong as those of Engels in 1895. There was, then, ample opportunity for any serious deviations to emerge between the partners during Marx’s lifetime; given their absence, we 14 The range of opinion is, in fact, even greater than I have indicated.

But Foley does, to his credit, seek to define Marx’s vision of “socialism” by following up some of these references. So does Pokorni (1993: 26–31). I shall take this path with respect to Engels as well as Marx. Now it is indisputable that both Marx and Engels frequently denied any intention of dictating to future generations the precise organizational arrangements that would be most appropriate at each and every moment and under all circumstances. We shall encounter a rich sampling of such disclaimers.

Nevertheless, the Outlines in fact provides a sophisticated evaluation of classical value theory and emerges as the founding document in the Marxian theoretical tradition, especially its macroeconomic dimension. Rather than merely a descriptive account of working and living conditions, The Condition of the Working Class in England (1845) is then shown to provide significant elaborations of the main theoretical themes of the Outlines. Furthermore, the wholly bleak perception of contemporary working-class conditions usually attributed to Engels proves to be an exaggeration of his actual position, although it is valid concerning his evaluation of future prospects.