What did Engels have to say about the housing crisis?

Cramped homes. Extortionate costs. Rip-off landlords. Rising homelessness.

Projects to upgrade areas just used to force workers and poor people out. Meanwhile, posh new houses lie empty.

It could be any major town or city in the 21st century. But it was all described by Friedrich Engels back in the 19th century.

Why does capitalism endlessly recreate this social crisis? Why didn’t increasing home ownership solve the problem? What can we learn from Engels’ arguments against anarchists and liberals about housing? And how can socialists start to fix it today?

This episode of Socialism, part of a short series on Engels, looks at the fight for the right to a home: The Housing Question.

Further reading and listening

The Housing Question (Engels): https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1872/housing-question/

Housing crisis: what now and after the pandemic? https://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/31110/22-07-2020/housing-crisis-what-now-and-after-the-pandemic

The end of social housing? How can we solve the housing crisis? (2015): https://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/21777/18-11-2015/the-end-of-social-housing-how-can-we-solve-the-housing-crisis

Socialism episode 45. How renters can beat gentrifiers: https://soundcloud.com/socialismpodcast/45-how-renters-can-beat-gentrifiers

Socialism episode 31. Grenfell and Barking: safe homes for all now: https://soundcloud.com/socialismpodcast/31-grenfell-and-barking-safe-homes-for-all-now