Karl Marx

Karl Marx is probably one of the most important historical figures. His works inspired a new philosophy, the Communism, which took over Eastern Europe and East Asia in the 20th century. But, who was the man behind the myth?

Karl Marx (1818-1883)

Karl Marx was born in 1818, in Trier, Kingdom of Prussia. He belonged to an upper-middle class family of Jews who had converted to Christianity recently. He had 8 brothers and sisters. In 1835, he enrolled at Bonn University to study law, but he had poor grades. As a result, he transferred to the University of Berlin, in 1836. At the same time, he became engaged to Jenny von Westphalen, his love interest since childhood.

Jenny von Westphalen

In Berlin, young Marx became more interested in philosophy, especially in the works of the recently deceased German philosopher George Hegel. Furthermore, he joined the Young Hegelians, a group of radical thinkers. In 1838, his father passed away, leaving Marx in a precarious financial situation. In need for money, he got a job as a journalist for Rhineland News. Here, he got a chance to openly express his socialist ideas and by 1842 he had become editor-in-chief. Unfortunately, the newspaper was closed by the Prussian government, in 1843. 

Arnold Ruge (1802-1880)

Being jobless and just got married, Marx decided to relocate to Paris. In France, he met Arnold Ruge, a left-wing activist, and they established a journal, the German-French Annals with the aim of attracting both German and French writers. Marx contributed 2 essays to the paper. In the 2nd essay, ''On the Jewish Question'' he introduced his belief that the working class/proletariat were a revolutionary force. The journal was quickly banned by the French authorities, and after an argument with Ruge, Marx began writing for a radical German newspaper, the Vorwarts (Forward). In 1844, he also met Fredrich Engels and the 2 became lifelong friends. 

Friedrich Engels (1820-1895)

A year later, Vorwarts was also banned by the French, and once again Marx had to relocate. This time, in Brussels. This is the place where Marx and Engels would write their masterpiece. Published in 1848, The Communist Manifesto is a political pamphlet, commissioned by the Communist League and it first appeared in London. It examines the clashes of interest between the bourgeoisie (the wealthy capitalist class) and the proletariat (the working class) and it justifies why the Communist League was truly acting in the interests of the proletariat to overthrow the capitalist society and to replace it with socialism. Later that year, Europe experienced a series of protests and rebellions that became known as the Revolutions of 1848. Marx allegedly tried to arm Belgian workers who were planning revolutionary actions. As a result, the Belgian government forced him to leave the country immediately.

The Communist Manifesto

Marx and Engels returned to Paris and then they moved to Cologne. They started a new publication, the Rhenish Newspaper: Organ of Democracy to put forward news across Europe with his own Marxist interpretation of events. Once again however, the Prussian state closed his newspaper and forced him to leave. After a short stop in Paris, Marx chose his final destination: London. The capital of the mighty British Empire was not unknown to him. Back in the 1840s, he had visited many English factories in which he could notice the poor conditions of the workers. 


Without finances to establish a newspaper, Marx turned to international journalism. In 1852, he became the European correspondent for the New-York Daily Tribune, the most read newspaper in the United States at that time. In 1881, his wife passed away, an event which destroyed Marx emotionally. He would die 2 years later, at age 64. 

Tomb of Karl Marx, Highgate Cemetery, London