Karl Marx
German philosopher and economist who wrote The Communist Manifesto (with Engels) and Das Kapital. His ideas became the basis of Marxism and communist movements.
Biography
Karl Marx was born in Trier, in Prussia's Rhineland, in 1818. He studied law and philosophy in Bonn and Berlin, where he was influenced by Hegel, and became a radical journalist. Expelled from Germany and then France, he formed a lifelong partnership with Friedrich Engels.
In 1848 he and Engels published The Communist Manifesto, which described history as a struggle between classes and predicted the overthrow of capitalism by the working class. After the failure of the revolutions of 1848 he settled in London, where he lived in poverty, supported by Engels.
In London he wrote his major work, Capital, whose first volume appeared in 1867, and helped lead the International Workingmen's Association. He died in 1883. His ideas shaped the socialist movements of the late 1800s and became the official doctrine of the Soviet Union, China and other communist states in the 1900s.
Affiliations
Education
- Oct 1, 1835 – Jan 1, 1836 University of Bonn
- from Oct 1, 1836 Humboldt University of Berlin
- University of Jena
