Born in Trier, Germany, Karl Marx spent much of his life in exile in London, often in poverty. With Friedrich Engels, he wrote the Communist Manifesto and devoted decades to Capital, a critical analysis of capitalism. His ideas shaped labor movements, revolutions and the social sciences worldwide.
Core ideas
History is driven by the struggle between social classes
Material and economic conditions shape ideas, laws and culture
Capitalist profit comes from the unpaid labor of workers
The tradition: Historical materialist
Historical materialism explains society from how humans produce their material life and the class relations that arise from it. Marx created it as the basis of his critique of capitalism.
