The Housing Question

Methodology and Conclusions

In «The Housing Question», Friedrich Engels employs a historical-materialist approach to analyze the housing problem in capitalist society. He considers the housing question as part of a broader social and economic system, asserting that the roots of the problem lie in the capitalist mode of production. Engels critiques bourgeois solutions to the housing question, such as building cheap homes for workers, as they do not eliminate the fundamental cause of the problem — the exploitation of the working class. He argues that only radical changes in the economic system, aimed at eliminating class differences, can lead to a solution to the housing question. Engels' conclusions underscore the necessity of a socialist revolution to create conditions under which the housing problem will be resolved in the interests of all, not just the privileged classes.