Karl Marx

Karl Marx was a German philosopher, economist, and political theorist whose critique of capitalism and writings with Friedrich Engels shaped modern socialism and communism.

Historical materialism: A theory that explains historical change through material conditions and conflicts over production. It frames Marx’s account of social change around the organization of production.
Capitalism: An economic system organized around private ownership, wage labor, and production for profit. It is the social order Marx examined most closely and criticized.
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel: A German philosopher whose account of history and dialectical development influenced nineteenth-century thought. Marx transformed Hegel’s dialectical method while rejecting its idealist basis.
Friedrich Engels: A German philosopher and political theorist who collaborated with Marx and supported him financially. Engels co-authored major works with Marx and edited volumes of Capital after his death.
Marxism: A family of theories and political movements derived from Marx’s critique of capitalism and account of history. Marx’s writings became the central texts interpreted and contested across this tradition.
Class struggle: Conflict between social classes with opposed economic interests. Marx treated conflict between owners and workers as a driver of historical transformation.
Labor theory of value: An economic theory that relates the value of commodities to the labor required to produce them. Marx adapted this theory to explain value, wages, and exploitation.
Ludwig Feuerbach: A German philosopher who explained religion as a projection of human attributes. Feuerbach’s materialist critique helped shape Marx’s early account of religion and human activity.
Jenny von Westphalen: A German writer and political activist who was Karl Marx’s wife and intellectual companion. Her correspondence and political work illuminate the personal and activist life surrounding Marx.
Communism: A political and economic ideal of a classless society based on common ownership. Marx and Engels presented communism as the movement seeking to overcome capitalist class relations.

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