Marx

Karl Marx (5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist whose analyses of capitalism and class struggle have influenced political thought and social theory. Born in Trier, he studied law and philosophy in Bonn and Berlin, where he was exposed to Hegelian ideas. He pursued radical journalism and political activity, and in 1848 coauthored The Communist Manifesto with Friedrich Engels, arguing that history is driven by material economic relations and that the working class should overthrow capitalist property relations.

Marx developed the theory of historical materialism, which posits that the mode of production shapes social institutions and ideas. He argued that capitalism produces alienation and class conflict because the means of production are privately owned and workers sell labor for wages. He introduced the concept of surplus value to explain capitalist exploitation and analyzed capitalist development through cycles of crisis. His major theoretical contributions also include discussions of base and superstructure, commodity fetishism, and alienation.

Key works include The Communist Manifesto (1848) and The German Ideology (1846, with Engels), The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte (1852), and Capital, Volume I (1867), with the remaining volumes published posthumously by Engels (1885 and 1894). Marx spent much of his adult life in exile in London, where he collaborated with Engels and was involved with the International Workingmen’s Association.

Marx's writings have profoundly influenced modern socialist and communist movements, as well as a broad range of political economy and sociology. Interpretations of his work vary, and debates continue over determinism, methodological approach, and the applicability of his theories to contemporary capitalism.