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Born into a wealthy middle-class family in
Trier in the
Prussian Rhineland, Marx studied at the
University of Bonn and the
University of Berlin, where he became interested in the philosophical ideas of the
Young Hegelians. After his studies, he wrote for a radical newspaper in
Cologne, and began to work out his theory of
dialectical materialism. He moved to Paris in 1843, where he began writing for other radical newspapers and met
Fredrick Engels, who would become his lifelong friend and collaborator. In 1849 he was exiled and moved to London together with his wife and children where he continued writing and formulating his theories about social and economic activity. He also campaigned for socialism and became a significant figure in the
International Workingmen's Association.
Marx's theories about society, economics and politics – collectively known as
Marxism – hold that human societies progress through
class struggle: a conflict between an ownership class that controls production and a dispossessed labouring class that provides the labour for production. He called
capitalism the "dictatorship of the
bourgeoisie," believing it to be run by the wealthy classes for their own benefit; and he predicted that, like previous socioeconomic systems, capitalism produced internal tensions which would lead to its self-destruction and replacement by a new system:
socialism. He argued that class antagonisms under capitalism between the bourgeoisie and proletariat would eventuate in the working class' conquest of political power in the form of a
dictatorship of the proletariat and eventually establish a classless society, socialism or communism, a society governed by a
free association of producers. Along with believing in the inevitability of socialism and communism, Marx actively fought for their implementation, arguing that social theorists and underprivileged people alike should carry out organised
revolutionary action to topple capitalism and bring about socio-economic change.
Marx has been described as one of the most influential figures in human history. Revolutionary socialist governments espousing Marxist concepts took power in a variety of countries in the 20th century, leading to the formation of such socialist states as the
Soviet Union in 1922 and the
People's Republic of China in 1949. Many labour unions and workers' parties worldwide are influenced by Marxism, while various theoretical variants, such as
Leninism,
Stalinism,
Trotskyism, and
Maoism, were developed from them. Marx is typically cited, with
Émile Durkheim and
Max Weber, as one of the three principal architects of modern
social science.
Timeline
The list on the left recounts significant events in the life of Karl Marx, and his friends and family. The list on the right provides contextual information, recounting wider political and historical events that had an effect on Marx.
The
Congress of Vienna redraws the European map. Reaction and conservatism dominate all of Europe. The
Concert of Europe attempts to preserve this settlement, but the forces of liberalism and nationalism make for dramatic changes.
20 November, Marx's future collaborator and friend, Friedrich Engels (1820–1895) is born in
Barmen,
Prussia as the oldest of nine children of the cotton manufacturer Friedrich Engels and his wife Elisabeth, née van Haar
14 November, the German philosopher
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770–1831) (portrait pictured), whose ideas on
dialectics would influence much of Marx's work, dies at the age of 61
1832
27–30 May, the
Hambach Festival, a mass political demonstration, is held in the
Palatinate region demanding the unification of Germany
1835
24 September, Marx graduates Friedrich Wilhelm Gymnasium[3] with good grades in Latin and Greek, decent in French and Mathematics, and a low grade in History
15 October, at the age of seventeen, Marx is enrolled by his father at the
University of Bonn as a law student, despite his wishes to study philosophy and literature
22 October, having mismanaged his studies in Bonn, Marx is enrolled at the
Frederick William University in Berlin as a law student and soon becomes a member of the
Young Hegelians
1838
10 May, Marx’s father, Heinrich, dies in Trier
Chartism, the first mass revolutionary workers’ movement, emerges in England
Engels performs one year of compulsory military service with the
Prussian Army in Berlin. While in the city he befriends the zionist philosopher and socialist
Moses Hess (1812–1875), attends lectures at the
Frederick William University and, like Marx before him, comes in contact with the
Young Hegelians
23 January, two poems by Marx, "Der Spielmann" and "Nachtliebe", are published in the periodical Athenäum in Berlin
Early work and communist agitation in continental Europe
Year
Marx
History
1842
5 May, Marx begins writing for the Rheinische Zeitung (front-page pictured) in
Cologne, where he becomes editor-in-chief on 15 October and publishes increasingly more radical articles
12 April to 22 December, Engels anonymously contributes a total of seventeen articles to the Rheinische Zeitung
3 March, Freiherr
Ludwig von Westphalen, the father of Marx's fiancée Jenny, dies in Trier
16 November, Marx first encounters Engels, who briefly visits the office of the Rheinische Zeitung on his way to England
1843
In Manchester, Engels met
Mary Burns (1823–1863), a young working woman with radical opinions. They begin a relationship that lasts until her death two decades later, although they never marry
17 March, under censorship and heavy pressure from the Prussian government, Marx resigns as editor-in-chief of the Rheinische Zeitung
31 March, the last issue of the Rheinische Zeitung is published before it is completely banned the following day
May, in a letter Marx formally brakes off any future relationship with Ruge, after quarrelling repeatedly over money and other matters during the publication of the first issue of Deutsch–Französische Jahrbücher[4]
1 May, Karl and Jenny Marx's eldest daughter
Jenny Caroline (1844–1883) is born in Paris
28 August, meets
Friedrich Engels (pictured) at the
Café de la Régence in Paris, this second encounter becomes the start of their lifelong friendship and intellectual collaboration
29 November to 8 December, participates in the first congress of the
Communist League in London and is tasked, together with Engels, to write a manifesto on behalf of the group
17 December, birth of Jenny and Karl Marx's eldest son Edgar (1847–1855) in Brussels
14 September, publication of the first volume of Das Kapital (title page pictured), Marx's influential analysis of political economy and and criticism of the
capitalist mode of production
1868
1869
1870
During 1870 and the following year Engels writes about 60 articles on the
Franco-Prussian War for the London daily newspaper the Pall Mall Gazette
2 December, Marx’s wife Jenny dies in London after a long illness
1882
1883
11 January, At the age of 38, Marx’s eldest daughter
Jenny dies at
Argenteuil near
Paris, probably from
cancer of the bladder, a condition which had afflicted her for some time
After nine years of work Engels publishes the third volume of Das Kapital
5 August, at the age of 74, Engels dies in London of
throat cancer
1896
1897
1898
31 March, at the age of 43, Eleanor Marx commits suicide after discovering that her partner,
Edward Aveling, had secretly married a young actress in June the previous year
Barnett, Vincent (2009). Marx. Routledge Historical Biographies. Routledge.
ISBN978-0415435925.
Berlin, Isaiah (1996) [First published 1939]. Karl Marx: His Life an Environment (fourth ed.). Oxford University Press.
ISBN978-0195103267.
Easton, Loyd David; Guddat, Kurt H., eds. (1997) [First published 1967]. Writings of the Young Marx on Philosophy and Society. Hackett Publishing Company.
ISBN978-0872203686.
Freeman, Richard B. (1977),
"On the Origin of Species", The Works of Charles Darwin: An Annotated Bibliographical Handlist (2nd ed.), Folkestone, England: Dawson,
ISBN0-7129-0740-8
Gabriel, Mary (2011). Love and Capital: Karl and Jenny Marx and the Birth of a Revolution. Little, Brown & Company.
ISBN978-0316066112.