Karl Marx 1818 – 1883
Karl Marx was a 19th-century German philosopher, economist, historian, and revolutionary socialist whose work founded the tradition of thought that bears his name. With Friedrich Engels he co-authored the Communist Manifesto in 1848, and his major theoretical work, Capital, set out a systematic analysis of capitalist production, value, and class. The materialist conception of history, the labour theory of value, and the analysis of commodity fetishism remain central reference points across the social sciences and humanities. Marx spent much of his life as a stateless political exile, ultimately settling in London. His influence on 20th-century political movements, social theory, and philosophy has been larger than that of almost any other modern thinker.
Key facts
- Nationality
- German
- Era
- Modern
- Movements
- Marxism, Continental
Selected quotes
-
Attributed to Karl Marx:
“Workers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains.”
-
Attributed to Karl Marx:
“Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.”
-
Attributed to Karl Marx:
“The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point, however, is to change it.”
-
Attributed to Karl Marx:
“From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.”
-
Attributed to Karl Marx:
“History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.”