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Karl Marx's Opinion About Capitalism

Karl Marx's Opinion About Capitalism -  Karl Heinrich Marx (5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a Prussian philosopher, sociologist, political economist and social theorist. Although Marx wrote about many things during his lifetime, he is most famous for his analysis of history, especially of class struggle, which can be summarized as "The history of various societies up to the present is essentially the history of class struggle", as the opening sentence of the Manifesto Communist.

Karl Marx Education

Marx was homeschooled until he was 13 years old. After graduating from the Trier Gymnasium, Marx continued his education at the University of Bonn majoring in law in 1835. At the age of 17, he joined the Trier Tavern liquor club which resulted in him getting poor grades. Marx was interested in studying literature and philosophy, but his father disapproved because he did not believe that his son would succeed in motivating himself to earn a bachelor's degree. The following year, his father forced Karl Marx to transfer to a better university, namely the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität in Berlin. 

At that time, Marx wrote many poems and essays about life, using the theological language inherited from his father such as 'The Deity' but he also applied the atheist philosophy of the Young Hegelians who were famous in Berlin at the time. Marx got his Doctorate degree in 1841 with his thesis entitled 'The Difference Between the Democritean and Epicurean Philosophy of Nature' however, he had to submit his dissertation to the University of Jena because Marx realized that his status as a radical Young Hegelian would be received with a bad impression in society. Berlin. Marx had nephews named Azariel, Hans, and Gerald who greatly assisted him in all the theories he had created.

In Berlin, Marx's interest turned to philosophy, and he joined a circle of young students and lecturers known as the Hegelian Youth. Some of them, also known as leftist Hegelians, used Hegel's dialectical method, separated from its theological content, as a powerful tool for criticizing established politics and religion at the time. In 1981 Marx obtained his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Berlin, a school which was heavily influenced by Hegel and the Young Hegelians, who were supportive but critical of their teachers. 

Marx's doctoral dissertation was just one tasteless philosophical treatise, but it anticipated many of his later ideas. After graduating he became a writer for a radical-liberal newspaper. Within ten months of working there became chief editor. However, due to his political position, the newspaper was shut down ten months later by the government. The early essays published at that time began to reflect some of the views that would guide Marx throughout his life. Freely, these essays spread the principles of democracy, humanism, and youthful idealism. He rejected the abstract nature of Hegelian philosophy, the naive dreams of utopian communism, and activists calling for what he saw as premature political action.

In rejecting these activists, Marx laid the foundation for his work. Marx is best known for his analysis in the field of history which he put forward in the opening sentence of the book 'Communist Manifesto' (1848): "The history of various societies up to the present time is essentially the history of class struggle." Marx believed that the existing capitalism would be replaced by communism, a classless society after a period of radical socialism which turned the state into a revolution against the dictatorship of the proletariat (the lowest in the Roman state).

End of Capitalism

Marx is often dubbed as the father of communism who came from the educated and politicians. He argues that his analysis of capitalism proves that the contradictions of capitalism will end and give way to communism.

On the other hand, Marx wrote that capitalism will end because of the organized action of the international working class. The result of this movement we will self-regulate automatically. Communism is a movement that will eliminate the current state of affairs. And the result of this movement creates the result of the existing environment of the present. – German ideology-

The relationship between Marx and Marxism is a point of controversy. Marxism remains influential and controversial in academia and politics today. In his book Marx, Das Kapital (2006), biographer Francis Wheen reiterates the research of David McLellan who argues that since Marxism was unsuccessful in the West, it did not make Marxism a formal ideology, but it was not prevented by government control from being studied.

Marx married in 1843 and was soon forced to leave Germany in search of a more liberal atmosphere in Paris. There he continued to adhere to the ideas of Hegel and his supporters, but he also explored two new ideas – French socialism and English political economy. This is his unique way of marrying Hegelianism, socialism, and political economy that builds his intellectual orientation.

In France he met Friedrich Engels his lifelong friend, financial supporter and collaborator. Engels was the son of a textile factory owner, and became a socialist who was critical of the conditions faced by the working class. Although Marx and Engels shared a common theoretical orientation, there were many differences between the two men. Marx tends to be more theoretical, intellectually messy, and very family-oriented. Engels was a practical thinker, a neat and conscientious businessman, and a strong distrust of the institution of the family. Much of Marx's testimony to the plight of the working class comes from the accounts of Engels and his ideas. 

In 1844 Engels and Marx had a long conversation in one of the famous cafes in France and this underlies their lifelong bond. In that conversation Engels said, "Our full agreement on the theoretical arena has become clear...and our cooperation begins here." The following year, Engels published an important work, The Condition of the Working Class in England. During this time Marx wrote a number of complex works (many of which remained unpublished throughout his life), including The Holy Family and The German Ideology (both co-authored with Engels), but he also wrote The Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, which overshadowed his keen interest in increasingly in the economic sphere.

In the midst of these differences, Marx and Engels built a strong alliance where they collaborated, wrote a number of books and articles and worked together in radical organizations, and even Engels supported Marx throughout his life so that Marx devoted himself to his political and intellectual adventurers. Despite their strong association with the names of Marx and Engels, Engels explained that he was Marx's junior partner.

In fact, many people believe that Engels often failed to understand Marx's work. After Marx's death, Engels became a prominent spokesman for Marxian theory and by distorting and oversimplifying his theory, although he remained faithful to the political perspective he had developed with Marx. Because some of his writings disturbed the Prussian government, the French government finally expelled Marx in 1845, and he moved to Brussels. His radicalism grew, and he became an active member of the international revolutionary movement. He also joined the communist league and was asked to write a document outlining his goals and beliefs. The result was the Communist Manifesto, published in 1848, a work marked by the echo of political slogans.

In 1849 Marx moved to London, and because of the failure of his political revolution in 1848, he began to withdraw from revolutionary activity and turn to a more serious and detailed study of the workings of the capitalist system. In 1852, he began his famous study of working conditions in capitalism at the British Museum. These studies eventually resulted in three volumes of Capital, the first of which was published in 1867; the other two volumes appeared after his death. He lived in poverty during those years, and barely managed to survive on the meager income from his writings and from Engels' help.

In 1864 Marx became involved in political activity by joining the International workers' movement. He soon came to the fore in this movement and spent several years in it. But the disintegration within this movement in 1876, the failure of a number of revolutionary movements, and the illness he suffered marked the end of Marx's career. His wife died in 1881, his daughter in 1882, and Marx himself died on March 14, 1883.

In his life, Marx was famous as a person who is difficult to understand. His ideas began to show a great influence in the development of workers soon after he died. This influence grew because of the victory of the Marxist Bolsheviks in the Russian October Revolution. Marxian ideas only began to become global in the 20th century.