Marx, Karl (1818–1883)

Karl Marx was born in Trier, Germany, and originated from a Jewish family. His parents were very much attached to the values of humanism, the European Enlightenment, and French socialism. Following his father's advice, Marx started studying jurisprudence, but soon he discovered that he was more attracted to philosophy. Between 1836 and 1841 he studied philosophy in Berlin in an intellectual atmosphere that was still dominated by Hegelian philosophy. His doctoral thesis was on the difference between Democritus's and Epicurus's natural philosophy. After his studies he worked as the chief editor of the Rheinische Zeitung, but because of its left-wing radical views the paper was soon banned. He went to Paris, where he met his friend Friedrich Engels (1820–1895) in 1844. From this point on, ...