Karl Marx 3 Essay, Research Paper

Karl Heinrich Marx was born on May 5, 1818, in the city of Trier in Prussia, now, Germany. He was one of seven children of Jewish parents. His mother, Henrietta, was originally from Holland and never became a German at heart. Shortly before Marx was born, his father converted the family to Christianity and Karl was baptized at the age of six. In High School, Karl stood out amongst the other students. He seemed to be a devoted Christian. In 1835, he attended the University of Bonn but left after only a year and enrolled in the University of Berlin to study law and philosophy. While at Berlin, Marx joined the young Hegelians, a group organized by Hegal, a philosophy teacher. During this time, he came to believe that all the various sciences and philosophies were part of one overarching, which, when completed, would give a true and total picture of the universe and man. (Communist Manifesto, Marx (Francis B. Randal), page 15)In October of 1842, Marx became the editor of the paper Rheinische Zeitung, and as editor, wrote editorials on socio-economic issues such as poverty, etc. He soon made editor-in-chief, but was quickly forced to step down due to his radical writings and social views. In 1843, he married Jenny Von Westphalen. In 1844, Marx met the man who would change his life forever. Both Engles and Marx had gone through the German Philosophic school and had come to the same conclusions but while Marx arrived at an understanding of the struggles an demands of the age basis of the French Revolution, Engles did so on the basis of English industry. (The Story of his Life, Mehring, page 93) In 1845, he left for Brussels, Belgium. It s during these years that Marx is said to have really developed his views and his intellectual standing. In 1848, the Communist Manifesto or Manifest der Kommunistischen Parten was published in London. Marx and Engles wrote this book and its purpose was outlining ten measures toward Communism.

In this, Marx predicts a confrontation between the working class and the higher class, the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. It also discusses the importance of Communism, and the differences between his ideas and other parties . The document ends in bold capital letters WORKINGMEN OF ALL COUNTRIES, UNITE! The days of November 1850 fall almost exactly in the middle of Marx s liffe and they represent, not only externally, an important turning point in his life s work. Marx himself was keenly aware of this and Engles perhaps even more so. (The Story of his Life, Mehring, page 208.) His ideas were soon no longer followed as they once were. From 1850 to 1864, Marx lived in poverty and pain. He and his family were evicted from their hkome and two of his children died. He published his first book on economic theory in 1859 and soon joined the International Working Men s Association where he became its leading spirit and attended all meetings. This ended his isolation period and his name became famous with the revolutionary spirit symbolized by the Paris Commune. The last ten years of his life is known as a slow death. During these years, he was afflicted with various medical problems including apoplexy, bronchitis, etc. Although Marx s influence was not great during his life, after his death his works grew with the strength of the working class. His ideas and theories became known as Marxism, and has been used to shape the ideas of most European and Asian countries. The strength of the Proletariat has been due to the work of Marx. His ideals formed a government known as communism. Although he was never a rich man, his knowledge has been rich in importance for the struggle of the working class.

Bibliography

 Mehring, F, Karl Marx, The story of his life, London: Butler and Tanner ltd., 1936.

 Marx, K, The Communist