Karl Marx (1818-1883)

Karl Marx was born in Germany in 1818. His many radical ideas led to his exile from Germany and France. He spent 34 years of his life in England.

He spent days studying in the British Museum. His dedication to his studies made it impossible for to earn a living. He and his family lived in poverty. They may have starved if not for Fredrick Engels. a wealthy textile merchant who held similar beliefs as Marx.

Marx and Engles were asked in 1845 by the Communist League to create a belief statement. This work is now referred to as The Communist Manifesto.

A sample of Marx’s beliefs:

• The course of world history has been established by economic forces
• Economic events should be compared to society’s behavior and rules that the government makes
• History has been a series of economic struggles
• Capitalism only allowed workers to earn enough to stay alive
• Factory owners pocketed the surplus which should have been returned to the workers
• Capitalism will collapse when the workers unite and overthrow the capitalists
• After the collapse, Marx stated that each worker would perform to their ability level and would be rewarded to take care of his needs
• Labor is the only source of value