The Condition of the Working Class in England · Character

The Masters

Mill owners and employers who extract profit from hunger, hiding behind philanthropy while treating their workers as chattel.

supporting

Also known as the masters

First appearance: the industrial proletariat

As a supporting figure in The Condition of the Working Class in England, The Masters is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The middle-classes are described as the opponents of the workers, whose interests are diametrically opposed.

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They are the bourgeoisie in its industrial form, a class that owns the factories, the courts, and the newspapers, and that Engels accuses of disguised murder through starvation wages and lethal conditions. Their power rests on the state's armed force and on the hypocrisy of calling peace what is in fact a social war. They matter because Engels needs a villain with a face, and the master who cuts wages while preaching thrift is that face.

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Character Web

13 connections

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Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Central Figures and Movements
Factory Critics and Irish Immigrants
Evidence Providers and Symbols

+8 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak where the workers’ suffering…

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In the story

The Masters appears across 7 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

To the Working-Classes of Great-Britain
The middle-classes are described as the opponents of the workers, whose interests are diametrically opposed.
The Condition of the Working Class in England
The masters are depicted as the exploiting class, who benefit from the labor of the workers while showing little regard for their welfare.
Single Branches of Industry
Manufacturers who resisted factory legislation, manipulated inspections, and employed overlookers to testify in their favor.
The Remaining Branches of Industry
Implied as the employers who exploit workers, particularly in the needle industry and iron district.
Labour Movements
The bourgeoisie are depicted as the avowed enemy of the workers, defending their interests with the power of wealth and the state.
The Mining Proletariat
Coal kings who refused to recognize the Union, imposed harsh contracts, and imported Irish and Welsh workers to break the strike.
The Agricultural Proletariat
Implied as the large farmers and landlords who benefit from the dissolution of the patriarchal relation and the lowering of wages.

Chapter companion notes

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See The Masters in the industrial proletariat

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