The Death of Karl Marx

By Milan Perera, 2nd Year English

Today, on the 139th death anniversary of Karl Marx, the Bristorian explores the impact of one of the most consequential historical figures of all time.

There are few people in history who have evoked such visceral responses as much as Karl Marx did, with the exception of Jesus and Mohammed, from quasi-religious fervour to outright contempt.

Some hold him responsible for the deplorable actions of the autocratic one-party states, while others hold the highest respect for Marx, as the unwavering guide of the down-trodden worldwide.

Karl Marx cannot be neatly categorised, as his writings have had a broad impact on philosophy, economics, sociology, history, political theory, and journalism. Marxism has come to define left wing approaches to party politics, as well as wider approaches to life. The term ‘Communism’ became representative of the ideal to emancipate the workers of the world.

Karl Marx was born in 1818 in Trier, an ancient city in the Lower Rhine of Germany. The irony is not lost that Marx, the symbol of working class plight, was born into one of the most affluent and prosperous families in Germany. The paternal line of Marx consisted of rabbinic scholars of repute, while the maternal line comprised of industrialists, including the future founders of Philip Electronics. Marx’s father, Heinrich, an ethnically-Jewish lawyer who had converted to Lutheranism to avoid persecution, berthed Marx and his siblings into the state church.

By the age of 17, Marx was fluent in several languages, including Latin and Ancient Greek, exhaustively reading the canon of the classical literature of antiquity. Although a gifted student, Marx’s experience at the University of Bonn did not have a particularly academic start. Marx, like other university students, spent much of his time on extra-curricular activities, particularly at local taverns passionately arguing about the burning issues of the day. Marx’s flare for leadership and morality became apparent early in his career.

Marx moved to Berlin and resumed studying Law. It constituted an important period in the formation of the Marxist theory as he joined the radical group, Young Hegelians, who expounded the writings of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel whose theory on ‘Dialectics’ had a profound influence on Marx.

With the use of Dialectics, Marx formed his critique of society, politics and religion from a left-wing perspective. Marx did not become an established Socialist until he was in his mid-twenties and began writing for the radical newspaper, Deutsch–Französische Jahrbücher in Paris. 

In 1844, Marx met the fellow German, Friedrich Engels in Paris. Although they met initially in Cologne briefly, they were aloof with one another as they were unsure of the other’s motives. The meeting in Paris was fruitful, laying the foundations for a lifelong friendship and collaboration. 

It’s inconceivable to imagine the output of Marx without the collaboration of Engels. Engels was eminently qualified to comment on the ills of the Industrial Revolution and by extension, capitalism. Engel’s ground-breaking commentary on the work force in England, ‘The Condition of the Working Class in England’ was based on his own experience of overseeing the working conditions of the family-owned cotton mills in Salford, Manchester. 

In 1848, Marx and Engels published ‘The Communist Manifesto’ which is widely considered the summation of Socialist theory and practice. It is the credo and blueprint for the emancipation of the proletariat. In 2013, ‘The Communist Manifesto’ was registered to UNESCO’s ‘Memory of the World’ programme to preserve it for all future generations, enshrining the timeless relevance of the opus.

Fleeing from countries after being targeted for his revolutionary activities, Marx finally settled in London with his family. In London Marx penned his Magnum Opus, Das Capital. The first volume of Das Capital was published in 1867, while the second and third volumes were posthumously published. A critical analysis of capitalism, and the forces at play which perpetuated the wealth of the Bourgeoisie at the expense of the workers is given. As the most perceptive critic of the capitalist system, Marx was well versed in the economics of the British theorists Adam Smith and David Ricardo. The question remains: can the modern world use Marx’s analysis to remedy the inherent problems within capitalism to transform it?

In the wake of the ‘culture wars’, Marx’s name is regularly invoked by commentators on all sides. A prominent right-leaning critique comes from Jordan Peterson, who bemoans the rise of ‘cultural Marxism’ in the West’s university system. According to Peterson, universities and institutions are rampant with Marxists who are forcing their cultural credo on gender and identity onto others. Perhaps what Mr. Peterson misunderstands is that Marx’s influence throughout world history is so significant that not talking about him would be a disservice to the education of the next generation.

Last week we celebrated International Women’s Day. For Marx, every form of discrimination, be it based on gender, race, sexuality, or class are secondary manifestations of the capitalist system as opposed to isolated phenomena. For early 20th century feminists, the answer to the systematic oppression of women was to be able to go out to work. But Marx’s answer is perhaps more multifaceted, as he would suggest that the idea of female emancipation from men would be undermined by their wilful transition into being exploited by the capitalist class, merely perpetuating the inhumane capitalist edifice.

For those questioning the relevance of Marx today, The Bristorian suggests they mull over one of his less well-known quotes:

‘Philosophers have interpreted the world in various ways. The point, however, is to change it’.