KARL MARX
Karl Marx was born on 5th May 1818 and died of pleurisy on 14 March 1883. He was a journalist, economist, philosopher, sociologist and a radical socialist. Marx was born in Prussia but was later left with no state and lived in London. Karl Marx’s work in economics laid the foundation for the present comprehension of labor, its connection to capital and ensuing economic thought.
MARX & MARXISM: EXPANDED TRANSCRIPT
EARLY ACTIVISM
- Young Hegelians
While at the University of Bonn, Marx was part of the Young Hegelians. It was a movement that interpreted the entire state apparatus as ultimately claiming legitimacy based upon religious tenets. Their plan to undermine what they felt was the corrupt and despotic state apparatus was to attack the philosophical basis of religion.
- Journalism
In 1842, he started working as a journalist and the radical personality of his works eventually led to the suppression of the newspaper and his subsequent expulsion from Belgium, Germany, and France.
POLITICAL VIEWS
- Religion
According to Marx, religion was the reaction to the pain of being alive or the response to worldly suffering. He said: “The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness.” Marx thought that to understand religion would allow one to understand human history.
- Capitalism
Marx was of the opinion that class is defined by the connections of its members to the production means. He stated that the people only possess their ability to work and merely have the capacity to sell their labor.
LEGACY
- Political
Politically, his legacy is more intricate. During the twentieth century, revolutions in many countries considered themselves “Marxist,” particularly the Russian Revolution that led to the establishment of the USSR
- Academic
From an academic outlook, Marx’s work led to the birth of contemporary sociology. He has been mentioned as one of the three masters of the “School of suspicion.” He is also cited as one of the three main inventors of modern social science.
