Karl Marx's Impact On The World

Karl Marx once said, “Let the ruling classes tremble at a communist revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. Workingmen of all countries, unite!”(Karl Marx, “Karl Marx Quote.”) Karl Marx became a great philosopher and leader, whose ideas, known as Marxism, later influenced things like Communism, Socialism, and the way people think (Karl Marx Biography). To better understand more about Karl Marx it is imperative to learn about his childhood, how he got to the position to be the man he was, and how he impacted the world.
Karl Marx’s childhood shaped the way the rest of his life would play out. Karl Marx was born on May 5, 1818 in Trier, Prussia (present day Germany). He was born to Heinrich
Marx, a lawyer, and Henriette Marx, a Dutchwoman in a middle class home. Karl was the third of nine children. He came from a family line of Jewish rabbis, but his father later converted to Christianity (Kreis). Although he later became an atheist, Karl Marx was baptized as a Lutheran at the age of six. Marx was homeschooled until 1830 (Karl Marx Biography). Starting in 1830, he attended the Freidrich Wilhelm Gymnasium for five years. He graduated in 1835. During his time at the Freidrich Wilhelm Gymnasium, Marx learned many languages including English, French and Latin. He also gained a love for literature, particularly the works of Shakespeare (Kreis). After graduating Karl would soon go on to further education.
After finishing high school, Karl decided to go to college.
Near the end of 1835, when he was seventeen, Marx enrolled into Bonn University. At Bonn University, he took law classes, as his father desired for him to become a lawyer like himself. During his time at Bonn, Marx got engaged to Jenny von Westphalen. Not very long into his time at Bonn, Karl got involved in drinking. He went to many parties, drank lots of alcohol, and racked up much debt. After one full year at Bonn, Karl’s father decided that he should not remain at Bonn. His father, ashamed of his son, removed Karl from Bonn and switched him to Berlin University. Karl’s father hoped that Berlin would be a more serious environment, and it was (Kreis). Soon after enrolling in Berlin University, Karl became interested in the Hegelianism, which was the ideas of philosopher: G. W. F. Hegel (Karl Marx Biography). This philosophy was based on the idea that everything was interconnected within one great, complex system or being which he called the “Absolute” (HEGEL’S PHILOSOPHY) Marx joined the Young Hegelianism movement, which had just produced a fundamental critique of Christianity. Marx supported this and was at this point an atheist. Marx was much more serious at Berlin. He studied law and the works of G. W. F. Hegel, whom he found intriguing. In 1841, after four years at Berlin, Marx graduated (Kreis). Later in 1841, Karl’s father passed away. To sustain his family, Karl became a writer. He published articles or
sold them to make money. It was then that he discovered passions for art, philosophy, and history. About a month later, Marx gave up writing and edited a liberal paper called the Rheinische Zeitung. (Kreis). Marx’s articles on economics, specifically the one condemning the Prussian monarchy caused the Prussian government to close the paper. Later that year, on June 19, 1843, he married Jenny von Westphalen (Karl Marx Biography). Since he was finished with education and now married, Karl would go on to make a life for himself with his wife.
The newlywed couple started their new life together. They immigrated to Paris, France. In Paris, Marx reached out to French socialist groups. He found a liberal newspaper, Deutsch-Französische Jahrbücher, which he edited. This paper was intended to bridge the gap between Socialism and Hegelianism. He soon became a communist again and wrote the Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts in 1844. He wrote the Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts as a way to set down his views. It was not published until the late 1930s. While being part of the Communist Party, he developed a friendship with a man named Friedrich Engels. At the end of 1844, Marx was exiled from Paris and moved to Brussels with his family and Engels. He stayed there for three years intensively studying history. He developed and expanded what would later be known as a materialist point of view on history. Additionally, in Brussels, he developed The German Ideology. The main idea of this work was that “the nature of individuals depends on the material conditions determining their production.” In The German Ideology, Marx predicted the decline of capitalism and communism replacing it. At the same time, he was composing The Poverty of Philosophy, which challenged the socialism of P. J. Proudhon. He then officially joined communist league, with Engels. He wrote Communist Manifesto with Engels for the Communist League in late 1847. Soon after the Communist Manifesto was published, revolutions broke out in Europe, which would cause Marx and his family to emigrate.
After revolutions started in Europe, Marx and his family moved to Paris and then directly to Germany