Karl Heinrich Marx (German pronunciation: [ka l han ma ks] !

Ma" #$#$ % #&

March #$$'( )as a German philosopher* economist* sociolo+ist* historian* ,ournalist*
an- re.olutionar" socialist/ Marx0s )ork in economics lai- the 1asis 2or the current
un-erstan-in+ o2 la1our an- its relation to capital* an- has in3uence- much o2
su1se4uent economic thou+ht/[&][!][5][6] He pu1lishe- numerous 1ooks -urin+ his
li2etime* the most nota1le 1ein+ 7he 8ommunist Mani2esto (#$&$( an- 9as Kapital
(#$56%#$:&(/
;orn into a )ealth" mi--le<class 2amil" in 7rier in the =russian >hinelan-* Marx
stu-ie- at the ?ni.ersit" o2 ;onn an- the ?ni.ersit" o2 ;erlin* )here he 1ecame
intereste- in the philosophical i-eas o2 the @oun+ He+elians/ A2ter his stu-ies* he
)rote 2or a ra-ical ne)spaper in 8olo+ne* an- 1e+an to )ork out his theor" o2
-ialectical materialism/ He mo.e- to =aris in #$&'* )here he 1e+an )ritin+ 2or other
ra-ical ne)spapers an- met Brie-rich Cn+els* )ho )oul- 1ecome his li2elon+ 2rien-
an- colla1orator/ Dn #$&:* he )as exile- an- mo.e- to Eon-on to+ether )ith his )i2e
an- chil-ren* )here he continue- )ritin+ an- 2ormulatin+ his theories a1out social
an- economic acti.it"/ He also campai+ne- 2or socialism an- 1ecame a si+niFcant
F+ure in the Dnternational Gorkin+men0s Association/
Marx0s theories a1out societ"* economics an- politics % collecti.el" kno)n as Marxism
% hol- that human societies pro+ress throu+h class stru++le: a con3ict 1et)een an
o)nership class that controls pro-uction an- a -ispossesse- la1ourin+ class that
pro.i-es the la1our 2or pro-uction/ He calle- capitalism the H-ictatorship o2 the
1our+eoisie*H 1elie.in+ it to 1e run 1" the )ealth" classes 2or their o)n 1eneFt an-
he pre-icte- that* like pre.ious socioeconomic s"stems* capitalism pro-uce- internal
tensions )hich )oul- lea- to its sel2<-estruction an- replacement 1" a ne) s"stem:
socialism/ He ar+ue- that class anta+onisms un-er capitalism 1et)een the
1our+eoisie an- proletariat )oul- e.entuate in the )orkin+ class0 con4uest o2
political po)er in the 2orm o2 a -ictatorship o2 the proletariat an- e.entuall" esta1lish
a classless societ"* socialism or communism* a societ" +o.erne- 1" a 2ree association
o2 pro-ucers/[$][:] Alon+ )ith 1elie.in+ in the ine.ita1ilit" o2 socialism an-
communism* Marx acti.el" 2ou+ht 2or their implementation* ar+uin+ that social
theorists an- un-erpri.ile+e- people alike shoul- carr" out or+anise- re.olutionar"
action to topple capitalism an- 1rin+ a1out socio<economic chan+e/[#I]
Marx has 1een -escri1e- as one o2 the most in3uential F+ures in human histor"/[##]
>e.olutionar" socialist +o.ernments espousin+ Marxist concepts took po)er in a
.ariet" o2 countries in the JIth centur"* lea-in+ to the 2ormation o2 such socialist
states as the Ko.iet ?nion in #:JJ an- the =eople0s >epu1lic o2 8hina in #:&:/ Man"
la1our unions an- )orkers0 parties )orl-)i-e are in3uence- 1" Marxism* )hile
.arious theoretical .ariants* such as Eeninism* Ktalinism* 7rotsk"ism* Maoism* an-
9en+ism )ere -e.elope- 2rom them/ Marx is t"picall" cite-* )ith Lmile 9urkheim an-
Max Ge1er* as one o2 the three principal architects o2 mo-ern social science/[#J]