On May 5, 1818, Karl Marx, the future great economist, philosopher, sociologist, as well as a public figure, poet, writer and political journalist, was born in the city of Trier, belonging to Prussian Prussia. The biography of Karl Marx will be considered in this article.
His father was a Jewish lawyer. He adopted Protestantism in 1824. The Marx family was quite wealthy and cultured, but not revolutionary.
University years
Studying at the gymnasium (1830-1835) continues the biography of Karl Marx. A photo of this economist and philosopher is presented below.
After graduating from high school in Trier, Marx enters first at the university in Bonn, and then in Berlin. He studied law, but most of all - philosophy and history. The course was completed in 1841. The philosophy of Epicurus was the subject of Marx's university dissertation. In his views, he was still a Hegelian idealist. In Berlin, Marx joined the circle of the so-called left Hegelians (to which, in particular, Bruno Bauer and others belonged). Its representatives sought from Hegel's philosophy to draw revolutionary and atheistic conclusions.
Relocation to Bonn
Karl Marx's biography in his young years is marked by the fact that he moved to Bonn after graduation. He wanted to become a professor. However, the reactionary policy of the government of that time, which deprived L. Feuerbach of the department in 1832 and refused to let him go to university again in 1836, and also robbed Bruno Bauer, a young professor, of the right to lecture in Bonn in 1841, forced Marx to abandon his career scientist.
The development of left Hegelianism in Germany
In Germany, the development of the views of the supporters of left-wing Hegelianism progressed very rapidly at this time. In particular, since 1836, Ludwig Feuerbach began criticizing theology, trying to turn it to materialism, which finally gained the upper hand in 1841 (The Essence of Christianity). The "Fundamental Principles of the Philosophy of the Future" was published in 1843. Engels later wrote about these works that the left Hegelians immediately became "Feuerbachians."
Moving to Cologne, Rhine Newspaper
The Rhine radical bourgeois who were in contact with left Hegelians in Cologne founded an opposition publication called The Rhine Newspaper. She came out since 1842, from January 1. Bruno Bauer and Marx were invited to its editorial office as the main employees. And in the same year, in October, Marx became editor in chief. He moved from Bonn to Cologne, where the biography of Karl Marx continued.
Under Karl’s editing, the revolutionary democratic direction of this publication became more and more definite over time. First, the government subordinated the newspaper to triple censorship, and then decided to completely shut it down (in 1843, January 1). Marx by this time had to leave editorial activity. However, his newspaper still did not save his departure. In March 1843, it was closed. Engels notes from the largest articles of Marx in the Rhine newspaper, for example, an article on the situation in the Moselle Valley peasant winemakers. Newspaper work revealed to Marx that he was not yet familiar enough with political economy. Therefore, he began to study it diligently.
Marriage, moving to Paris
Karl Marx, whose biography interests us, in 1843 married Jenny von Westafalen in Kreuznach. It was his childhood friend, a girl with whom he, as a student, was engaged to. His wife belonged to a reactionary Prussian noble family.
Her elder brother in Prussia was the Minister of the Interior during one of the most reactionary eras (from 1850 to 1858). In the fall of 1843, Marx moved to Paris in order to publish abroad, together with the left-wing Hegelian Arnold Ruge, a radical journal, The German-French Yearbook. However, only one issue came out. Further work ceased due to difficulties in Germany secret distribution, as well as due to disagreements with Arnold Ruge. Marx in his articles written in this journal appears as a revolutionary proclaiming "criticism of everything that exists". In particular, he criticized the use of weapons, appealing to the proletariat and to the masses.
Acquaintance with Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels arrived in Paris in September 1844 for a few days. Since then, he has become Karl Marx's closest friend. Together they participated in the life of various revolutionary groups in Paris. The teachings of Proudhon were of particular importance. Marx resolutely paid off with him in The Poverty of Philosophy, published by him in 1847. They developed, fighting the teachings of petty-bourgeois socialism, the tactics and theory of communism (or Marxism) and revolutionary proletarian socialism. A photo of Engels is presented below.
Moving from Paris to Brussels, "Union of Communists"
At the insistence of the government of Prussia in 1845 he was expelled from Paris as a dangerous revolutionary Karl Marx. His biography was offered in Brussels, where he moved with his family. In the spring of 1847, Marx and Engels joined a society called the "Union of Communists". They took an outstanding part in his second congress, held in London in 1847. On behalf of this society, Marx and Engels drafted the “Communist Party Manifesto ,” published in 1848, in February. In this work, consistent materialism is outlined - a new world outlook that also covers the field of social life. Dialectics, they believed, is the most profound and comprehensive doctrine of development. The theory of the revolutionary role and class struggle of the proletariat, the creator of a new, communist society, was presented.
Biography of Karl Marx in 1848-1849
The February Revolution began in 1848 . Karl Marx was expelled from Belgium. A brief biography of him in 1848-1849. next one. He again went to Paris, and then, after the March revolution, to Cologne. From June 1848 to May 1849, the New Rhine Newspaper was published here. Its editor-in-chief was Karl Marx, whose brief biography at that time was marked by several important events. The new theory was brilliantly confirmed by the course of revolutionary events held in 1848-1849. Subsequently, it was confirmed by all the democratic and proletarian countries of the world.
First, the victorious counter-revolution put Marx on trial (he was acquitted in 1849, February 9), and then expelled him from Germany (in the same year, May 16). Karl first went to Paris, from where he was expelled after the demonstration on June 13, after which he left for London, where he lived until his death.
Life in exile in London
The conditions of emigrant life were extremely difficult. They are especially visible from the correspondence with Engels Karl Marx, published in 1913. Marx and his family were strangled by need. If it were not for the financial support of Engels, Karl would not only be unable to finish his main work, Capital, but would also perish inevitably under the yoke of poverty. Marx, eschewing emigrant circles, developed a materialistic theory in a number of historical works, mainly devoting his forces to the study of political economy.
I International
Beginning in the late 50s and continuing in the 60s, the era of revitalization of various democratic movements again called on Karl Marx to practice. He founded the First International in London on September 28, 1864. After the fall of the Paris Commune in 1871 , as well as the split of the International in Europe, its existence became impossible. Then Karl Marx, after the congress in The Hague (1872), transferred his General Council to New York.
The last years of Karl Marx
Active work in the International, as well as enhanced theoretical studies, have completely undermined the health of Marx. He continued his work on Capital and the processing of poetic economy, collecting many materials and studying a number of languages (including Russian). However, the disease did not allow him to graduate from Capital.
His wife died in 1881, December 2. And after 2 years, March 14, 1883, Karl fell asleep forever in a chair. He was buried in London, at Highgate Cemetery, with his wife.
Several of Marx’s children died in childhood in London at a time when his family was in dire poverty. Three daughters - Jenny Longay, Laura Lafargue and Eleanor Aveling - married the socialists of France and England. Jenny Longay's son is a member of the Socialist Party of France.
So, we told you about such a great man as Karl Marx. Biography (a brief summary of his life, work and work) gives only a superficial picture of him. We described the main events in order to induce the reader to further acquaintance with this interesting person.
The biography of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in Soviet times was part of the mandatory program of many educational institutions. Now, the study of the lives of these people is mainly done by historians and economists. However, the ideas they developed are of great interest. It would be very interesting to get to know someone like Karl Marx. Biography, interesting facts about him, works and ideas are all pages of history that can be studied for a long time.