Before revision: Friedrich Engels (1820–1895) used the term "false consciousness" in an 1893 letter to Franz Mehring to address the scenario where a subordinate class willfully embodies the ideology of the ruling class.
After revision: Friedrich Engels (1820–1895) used the term "false consciousness" in an 1893 letter to Franz Mehring to describe the mindset of a subordinate class that willingly adopts the ideology of the ruling class.