Karl Marx
German philosopher and revolutionary
Karl Marx (1818-1883) was a German philosopher, political theorist and revolutionary socialist. He wrote Capital, a critique of political economy, and co-wrote The Communist Manifesto with Friedrich Engels.
1 summary 18 min of listening
Prussian Born 1818 in Trier Died 1883
Influenced by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Charles Darwin, Immanuel Kant
About Karl Marx
Karl Marx was born in Trier in the Kingdom of Prussia on 5 May 1818. He earned a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Jena in 1841, then turned to radical journalism. He later lived in Paris and Brussels, and settled in London after the Revolutions of 1848. With Friedrich Engels he wrote The Communist Manifesto, published in 1848. His major work, Capital (Das Kapital), appeared between 1867 and 1894 and examines classical political economy and the workings of capitalism. Marx argued that human societies develop through class conflict, and he expected capitalism to be replaced by a classless society. He was a leading figure in the International Workingmen's Association, also called the First International. Marx died on 14 March 1883 and was buried in Highgate Cemetery. The body of ideas that grew from his work is known as Marxism.