Karl Marx, the son of Hirschel and Henrietta Marx, was born in Trier, Germany on May 5th 1818.
Raised in a Christian family, Marx declared himself an atheist, which then led to his later theory of “religion is the opium of the masses”. (Jacobson, 2002) As he entered Berlin university, Marx’s interests turned to philosophy and he eventually devoted his whole life as a political philosopher. In 1836, Karl Marx established the Communist League. He was greatly inspired by the ideas of liberty, equality and fraternity, and upheld the idea of a utopian state.(Malik, 2006)
Till this day, Karl Marx is considered to be one of the most influential thinkers of all time. Although Marx did not live to see his ideas carried lifetime, his writings formed the theoretical base for modern international communists.
A brief 1 minute video that summarizes the lifetime events of Karl Marx as a political theorist, including his early life, socialism theories and his influence towards politicians around the world.
Sketch of Karl Marx working on his theories
Karl Marx, in his young adulthood
DID YOU KNOW?
Despite the powerful theories that Karl Marx has written throughout his lifetime, Marx lived in terrible poverty for most of this adult life. He experienced struggles to persuade the majority with his ideas at that time, because there was little or no market for what he was offering. (Malik, 2006)