Karl Marx

Karl Heinrich Marx was born on May 5, 1818 at Brückergasse in Trier to a middle-class fairly wealthy family. His father, Hirschel Marx, was the owner of numerous Moselle vineyards, but as he was a Jew, he faced quite a many disadvantages both legally and financially. As a result, his father decided to convert from Judaism to Lutheranism before his son’s birth. He also replaced Heinrich in place of Hirschel. Initially, Marx received education privately and started attending Trier High School in 1830. In 1835, he commenced studying at the University of Bonn. He was eager to study philosophy and literature, but his father forced him to study law. During this time, Marx even suffered from a weak chest which is why he was refrained from military service. During his years at the University, he became a member of the Trier Tavern Club drinking society and also served as its co-president for sometime. Academically, due to his lack of interest in law, his grades were consistently low which finally resulted in him being transferred to the University of Berlin. In the meantime, Marx was greatly influenced by the work of G. W. F. Hegel, a German philosopher. But this fascination soon turned into disagreement, as Marx got involved with a committee of radical thinkers called as the young Hegelians. Much like Marx, though the group was critical of Hegel's metaphysical assumptions, they still adopted his dialectical method to criticize the established society, politics and religion. Marx gained interest in writing and in 1937 came out with a short novel titled “Scorpion and Felix”. Soon he left writing fictions, rather focused on learning English and Italian. In 1841, he completed his doctoral thesis called “The Difference Between the Democritean and Epicurean Philosophy of Nature”. The thesis invited several controversies too, specifically to the conservative professors of the University of Berlin. Following the same reason, Marx submitted it to the University of Jena. The university also awarded him PhD on the basis of the same.

 

Marx was extensively interested academics but took journalism. In 1842, he shifted to the city of Cologne and started writing for the radical newspaper “Rheinische Zeitung”. In his writings, he showcased his socialist views on politics. Marx greatly criticized Europe governments, their policies, liberals and other members of the socialist movement as according to him their ideas were ineffective or completely anti-socialist. By the course of time, the newspaper became quite appealing to the Prussian government censors. After the newspaper published an article criticizing the absolute monarchy in Russia, an ally of the Prussian monarchy, the Russian Tsar Nicholas I requested this newspaper to be banned. In addition, Marx had also written an article for the journal of Young Hegelian named “Deutsche Jahrbücher”. In this article, he raised questions against the censorship instructions issued by Prussian King Friedrich William IV. Shortly, this journal was also censored and closed by authorities. Marx, in 1943, published his work “On the Jewish Question” distinguishing between political and human emancipation. In the same year itself, he published “Contribution to Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right”, which mainly dealt with religion.

 

After the shutting down of the newspaper “Rheinische Zeitung”, Marx started working with a new radical newspaper “the Deutsch-Französische Jahrbücher” set by a German socialist revolutionary, Arnold Ruge. This newspaper was based in the city of Paris. Therefore Marx moved to the city in October 1843. The newspaper focused on appealing the writers from France and German states but it was greatly taken over by the latter. Only one issue was published of the same which was fairly successful too mainly because of the addition of Heinrich Heine's satirical odes on King Ludwig of Bavaria. On August 28, 1844, Marx met Friedrich Engels, a German socialist and became very good friends eventually. Later Marx and Engels wrote criticizing the philosophical ideas of, the Young Hegelian Bruno Bauer, the work was published in 1845 as “The Holy Family.” in 1844 itself he wrote, “The Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts.” This work explained the Marx’s concept of alienated labour in detailed form. In 1845, Marx wrote “Theses on Feuerbach”. This work of Marx carried great criticism of materialism, idealism and entire critique of philosophy which keeps abstract reality above the physical world. Post the breakdown of the “Deutsch-Französische Jahrbücher”, Marx started writing for the uncensored German radical newspaper in Europe named “Vorwärts” which was handled by several activities linked to the revolutionary socialist League. In 1845 itself, this newspaper was shut down on the request from the Prussian king. Also Marx was also thrown out of the France by the interior minister, François Guizot. Marx then moved to Brussels in Belgium but had to pledge that he would not publish anything on the contemporary politics.        

 

Marx got shortly associated with other exiled socialists and Engels too shifted to the city. Marx and Engels together visited the leaders of the Chartists, a socialist movement in Britain. In association of Engels, Marx wrote a book titled “The German Ideology”. This work was followed by some other like The Poverty of Philosophy and Pierre-Joseph Proudhon's The Philosophy of Poverty. All these works of Marx an Engels set the establishment of a political pamphlet called as “The Communist Manifesto.” It was initially published on February 21, 1848. Later Marx received ample inheritance from his father of approximately 6000 francs. Believing the records of the Belgian Ministry of Justice, Marx utilized a third of this money to arm revolution minded workers of Belgian. But the accuracy of the allegations invited disputes. Therefore Marx was deported from Belgium.

During the same time, the powers ofKing Louis-Philippe in France and Ferdinand Flocon, editor of “La Réforme” and member of the Provisional Government of the French Second Republic, were taken away due to the radical movement. Therefore, Marx was called back to Paris. When Marx reached there, he observed the revolutionary “June Days Uprising” at first hand. In a hope to witness the scattering of the movement to Germany, Marx shifted back to Cologne in 1849. Afterwards on 1^st June, he established a newspaper called “Neue Rheinische Zeitung”. He financed the same with the money inherited from his father. Marx went on trial on February 7, 1849 as he was accused of a press misdemeanor. On 8^th February, he was again charged with incitement to armed rebellion. Both the times, Marx was announced innocent. The newspaper was shortly closed as Marx was asked to leave the country. In August 1849, he decided to move to London.

Marx dedicated all his time towards two activities namely revolutionary organizing, and an attempt to understand political economy and capitalism. Initially he suffered from poverty. In 1851, he worked as correspondent for the New York Tribune. From the end of 1851 to March 1852, he wrote “The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Napoleon”. In this work, Marx focused to expand the concepts of historical materialism, class struggle and dictatorship of the proletariat. In 1864, Marx associated himself with the International Workingmen's Association. He also served as a leader of the Association’s General Council in 1864. Marx was mainly involved in the struggle against the anarchist wing. Marx won the contest but in 1872, he supported the transfer of the seat of the General Council from London to New York, which eventually led to the decline of the association. Experiencing the regular failures and irritations of worker’s revolutions and movements, Marx opted to understand capitalism and devoted a considerable time in the reading room of the British Museum to study and reflect on the works of political economists and economic data. By the year 1857, he gathered more than 800 pages of notes and short essays on capital, landed property, wage labor, the state, foreign trade and the world market. In 1859, he published his first crucial economic work, “Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy”. In the initial years of 1860s, he composed 3 big volumes of “Theories of Surplus Value” which mainly talked about the theoreticians of political economy. This work of Marx was looked as the fourth book of “Capital”. In 1867, Capital’s first volume was published in which he discussed his labor theory and conception of surplus value and exploitation. The next two volumes remained manuscripts in his lifetime but was published after his death by Engels.             

Karl Marx married to Jenny von Westphalen on 19 June, 1843. The couple had seven children, six of whom are Jenny Caroline, Jenny Laura, Edgar, Henry Edward Guy, Jenny Eveline Frances and Jenny Julia Eleanor. Their last baby died the same day it was born.

In the last 15 months of his life, Marx suffered from catarrh which kept him ill. By the course of time he developed bronchitis and pleurisy leading to his death in London on March 14, 1883. He was buried in Highgate Cemetery, London, on March 17, 1883. 

1818: Karl Marx was born on May 5.

1830: Started attending Trier High School.

1835: Enrolled in the University of Bonn to study law.

1841: Completed his doctoral thesis called “The Difference Between the Democritean and Epicurean Philosophy of Nature”.

1842: Shifted to the city of Cologne.

1843: Got married to Jenny von Westphalen; “On the Jewish Question" got published.

1845: “The Holy Family” got published.

1849: Marx went on trial as he was accused of a press misdemeanor. 

1849: Moved to London.

1859: “Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy” got published.

1867: First volume of the “Capital” got published.

1881: His wife died.

1883: Karl Marx died.