Marx, Karl

Karl Marx (1818–1883) is widely known as the founder of scientific socialism, a revolutionary critic, in his own words, “of all that exists.” Born in Trier, close to the home of the French Revolution, formally educated at Bonn and Berlin, he was initially one of the Young Left Hegelians. His early political journalism led to exile in Brussels, Paris, then finally in London. The circuit was fateful, from German philosophy to French socialism and British political economy. While Lenin later popularised the idea that Marx's work was a combination of German idealism, French utopian socialism, and British radical political economy, it may be more useful to view these as items on an itinerary. Certainly Marx's travel and life path was essential to the development of ...