Who Was Karl Marx

Karl Marx was a German philosopher, economist and revolutionary who is widely considered one of the most influential figures in the field of Marxism and one of the founders of sociology. Born in Prussia in 1818, Marx wrote early works such as The German Ideology and the Communist Manifesto, which laid the groundwork for many of the ideas that would later become part of Marxism.

Marx and his collaborator and lifelong friend, Friedrich Engels, developed a unique view of history, economics, and politics known as historical materialism. This theory holds that history is largely determined by the economic relations between classes and highlights the struggle between workers and capitalists as the driving force of history.

In the early 1850s, Marx and Engels moved to London, where Marx worked as a journalist, wrote more works, and developed his theories further. In particular, he wrote Das Kapital (1867), a critique of capitalism that became the basis for modern, scientific socialism.

Despite being one of the most famous and influential thinkers in history, Marx was widely ignored in his lifetime. He saw no appreciation for his work during his life and died in poverty in London in 1883. However, over the following century, his work—especially historical materialism—would go on to become essential reading in universities around the world and sway politics in many countries. Marx’s work still looms large today and continues to provoke debate and inspire action.