Karl Marx (1952 words) Essay Example For Students

Karl Marx (1952 words) Essay Karl MarxKarl Marx was the greatest thinker and philosopher of his time. His views onlife and the social structure of his time revolutionized the way in which peoplethink. He created an opportunity for the lower class to rise Above thearistocrats and failed due to the creation of the middle class. Despite thisfailure, he was still a great political leader and set the Basis of Communism inRussia. His life contributed to the way people think Today, and because of himpeople are more open to suggestion and are Quicker to create ideas on politicalissues. Karl Heinrich Marx was born May 5th, 1818 in Trier. Although he hadthree other siblings, all sisters, he was the favorite child to his father,Heinrich. His mother, a Dutch Jewess named Henrietta Pressburg, had no interestin Karls intellectual side during his life. His father was a Jewish lawyer, andbefore his death in 1838, converted his family to Christianity to preserve hisjob with the Prussian state. When Heinrichs mother died, he no l onger felt hehad an obligation to his religion, thus helping him in the decision in turningto Christianity. Karls childhood was a happy and carefree one. His parents hada good relationship and it help set Karl in the right direction. HisSplendid natural gifts awakened in his father the hope that they would One daybe used in the service of humanity, whilst his mother declared him to be a childof fortune in whose hands everything would go well. (The story of his life,Mehring, page 2) In High school, Karl stood out among the crowd. When asked towrite a report on How to choose a profession he took a differentapproach. He took the angle in which most interested him, by saying that therewas no way to choose a profession, but because of circumstances one is placed inan occupation. A person with an aristocratic background is more likely to have ahigher role in society as apposed to someone from a much poorer background. While at Bonn at the age of eighteen he got engaged to Jenny Von Westphalen,daughter of the upperclassmen Ludwig Von Westphalen. She was the childhoodfriend of Marxs oldest sister, Sophie. The engagement was a secret one, meaningthey got engaged without asking permission of Jennys parents. Heinrich Marx wasuneasy about this but before long the consent was given. Karls school lifeother than his marks is unknown. He never spoke of his friends as a youth, andno one has ever came to speak of him through his life. He left high school inAugust of 1835 to go on to the University of Bonn in the fall of the same yearto study law. His father wanted him to be a lawyer much like himself but whenKarls reckless university life was getting in the way after a year Heinrichtransferred him to Berlin. Also, he did not go to most lectures, and showedlittle interest in what was to be learned. Karls reckless ways were nottolerated at Berlin, a more conservative college without the mischievous ways ofthe o ther universities. While at Berlin, Marx became part of the group known asthe Yong Hegelians. The group was organized in part due to the philosophyteacher Hegel that taught from 1818 to his death. The teachings of Hegel shapedthe way the school thought towards most things. Those who studied Hegel and hisideals were known as the Young Hegelians. Hegel spoke of the development andevolution of the mind and of ideas. Although Karl was younger than most in thegroup, he was recognized for his intellectual ability and became the focus ofthe group. While at Berlin He came to believe that all the varioussciences and philosophies were part of one overarching, which, when completed,which would give a true and total picture of the universe and man.(Communist Manifesto, Marx (Francis B. Randal), page 15) Marx was an atheist,and believed that science and philosophy would prove everything. Thus he had nobelief in a god of any type. Marx believed that Hegel must have been an atheistas well because of his strong belief in the mind. Marxs doctoral thesis wascompeted in 1841. It carried the title The Difference Between thePhilosophies of Nature of Democrtius and Epicurus.(The Making of MarxsCritical Theory, Oakley, page 11) It had to do with the Greek philosopherEpicurus and how his beliefs related to Marxs of that day. This thesis was anearly indication of the thinking behind Karl Marx. Much of his later work andideas are evident in this essay. He passed his thesis into the University ofJena because Bonn and Berlin required an oral part to the thesis. The quicknesswas also a matter in this. He passed it in early April, and got his degree inhistory and philosophy in April 15, 1841. After graduation, he was unable tofind work. This caused him to take a job with the German newspaper RheinischeZeitung in early 1842. By the end of the year, Marx made editor-in-chief. A fewmonths after that in 1843 because of his radical writings, and his social views,Marx was forced to step down as editor, and soon after that the paper closedaltogether. He married Jenny von Westphalen, and with a member of the YoungHegelians, Arnold Ruge went to Paris to publish a radical journal on hisbeliefs. It was evident in his works that he was a revolutionary that advocatedcriticism of everything in existence. This was especially anticipated by theproletariat. The proletariat were the working class of the day. They were thepoor and made up the majority of people. Marx went on to believe that theproletariat would rise up against the bourgeoisie. Then in 1844 Marx met a manthat would change his life forever. When going to England after doing militaryservice, he meet Marx in Cologne in the offices of the Rheinische Zeitung. Bothof them had gone through the German philosophic school and whilst abroad theycame to the same conclusions but while Marx arrived at an understanding of thestruggles and the demands of the age basis of the French Revolution, Engles didso on the basis of English indus try. (The Story of His life, Mehring, page 93)Friedrich Engles was born in 1820 in the Rhine Province of the Kingdom ofPrussia. Like Marx he was brought up with the German philosophies of Hegel, andlike Marx, Engles began to follow the works of Hegel. These parallels betweenMarx and Engles formed a relationship that would last for the rest of eachothers lives. They both contributed to each others works, and co-wrote manythings. The similarity in background between the two also meant a similarity inideas. The both believed in the struggle of the proletariat and that it wouldrise up against the bourgeoisie. Marx is considerate to be the greater of thetwo philosophies. The one contrast was the way in which one solved problems. Farai Chideya EssayAlthough Marxs influence was not great during his life, after his death hisworks grew with the strength of the working class. His ideas and theories becameknown as Marxism, and has been used to shape the ideas of most European andAsian countries. The strength of the Proletariat has been due to the work ofMarx. His ideals formed government known as communism. Although he was never arich man, his knowledge has been rich in importance for the struggle of theworking class. BibliographyHimelfarb, Alexander and C. James Richardson. Sociology for Canadians: Imagesof society. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryderson Limited, 1991 Mehring, F, Karl Marx,The story of his life, London: Butler and Tanner ltd., 1936 Marx, K, TheCommunist Manifesto, Germany: J. E. Burghard, 1848 Karl Marx.Microsoft Encarta 96 Encyclopedia. CD-ROM. Microsoft Corp., 1993-1995 Vesaey, G. and P. Foulkes. Collins dictionary of Philosophy. London:British LibraryCataloguing in Publication Data, 1990