Karl Marx

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Karl Marx

Karl Marx was born in 1818, and the effects of his theories and philosophies are still apparent today in any communist nation. China and Cuba come to mind right off hand, as two countries that are heavily influenced by the teachings of Marx. Although these countries feel the effects of Marx, Marx originally envisioned something far different from what we now call communism. Basically the only thing that communism as we know it today, shares with Marx’s idea of communism is the fact that means of production are publicly owned.

Karl Marx was an intelligent young man and even attended Bonn University in 1835. He studied law and had set out to make a good life for himself. While in college, Marx began to see that the political situation in Prussia at the time, was keeping the common man down. He shifted from law studies to philosophy and his new field of study, became a vehicle for ideas that opposed the way in which Prussia was governed. Marx joined a small group of teachers and students that felt the same as he did, and his life as a revolutionary began. Later he would meet Engels in Paris and write the communist manifesto.

Marx was filled with ideas about how the government could be better. He felt that the problems which plagued society, stemmed from the separation of classes. In an industrial capitalist society, the rich own the means of production and the poor who own nothing are exploited to benefit the rich. The poor workers do get paid, but they make far less then the owners, and they have little opportunity to move up on the social hierarchy. The owners make far more money than they actually need to live comfortably, and they could easily afford to pay their workers more, but they are too gre...

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...all in with the commoners? Castro? I think not. Who would want to produce 3 times as much as someone else to get the same benefit? No one.

Marx was a brilliant man. His ideas helped bring the U.S. elements of socialism that were needed to balance the ups and downs of a capitalist economy. Without socialist elements people would starve every time the economy went into a recession. That said, Marx’s communist manifesto was still far too much to expect of human beings.

Bibliography:

Bibliography

1. "Marx, Karl," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001

http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

2. "Communist Manifesto," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001

http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

3. World Book Encyclopedia. Volume 13, world book inc. 1990

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