Karl Marx

Karl Marx (1818-1883) was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His work in economics laid the foundation for the current understanding of labor and its relation to capital, and is considered the foundation of modern economic and political theory. He is best known for his works, The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital. Marx believed that the economic system of capitalism was the cause of the unjust exploitation of the working class and that the only way to achieve true liberation and equality was to abolish capitalism. He argued that the only way to do this was through a proletarian revolution led by the working class, who he believed would be the main beneficiaries of the revolution. Marx argued that the capitalist system was based on the exploitation of the working class. He argued that the capitalists created a system of economic inequality, where they owned the means of production and profited from the unpaid labor of the working class. He also argued that the capitalist system created a class of people who were unable to own property and were forced to work long hours for low wages, while the capitalists lived in luxury. Marx also argued that capitalist systems led to the concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a few people, who were able to control the political and economic systems of their countries. He argued that this led to the suppression of the rights of the working class and to the exploitation of their labor. Marx believed that the only way to achieve true liberation and equality was to abolish the capitalist system and replace it with a socialist system. He argued that the working class should be given the means of production and control of the economy, and that this would lead to the liberation of the working class and to a more equitable distribution of wealth. Fun Fact: Karl Marx’s father was a successful lawyer who converted from Judaism to Christianity, and Marx himself identified as a Lutheran Christian in his early life.