Carl Marx was a German-born economist and journalist. He was also one of the greatest thinkers and philosopher of the 19th century. Carl Marx wrote several books, including his most popular, the Communist Manifesto; he also wrote various works in collaboration with Friedrich Engles, a fellow German thinker. Marxism is the word use to describe all of Marx’s collective theories and views about society, economics, and politics. Some Marx’s radical views and theories revealed a different outlook on social issues that had never been thought of before.
Marx was a pioneer in his definition of the class system. Marx defines class as more of a social relationship compared to the classic view of it being a rank or position in society. In Marx’s view
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He questioned the system of capitalism at a time where it was bringing never seen wealth into the world’s markets. He challenged the notion that capitalism benefited everybody when in reality as “capital grows rapidly, wages may rise, but the profit of capital rises disproportionately faster” (Marx and Friedrich Ch.8). Marx was trying to breach the arguments for this rising new form of economic system. Although capitalism allow for the “material position of the worker to improve” it is done at the cost of his “social position” in society. Capitalism was the catalyst behind the industrial revolution, the same era in which Marx lived. He was able to witness firsthand horrible working conditions employers put their laborers through. They are basically treated like “mere machine” and their needs reduced to the “barest and most miserable level of sustenance.” ( Marx and Friedrich Pg.6). Marx also exposed theory of surplus, essentially explaining it as the idea where “The worker uses one part of the labour day to cover living expenses (wages), while the other part of the day the worker toils without remuneration, creating surplus value for the capitalist. This is the source of profit, the source of the wealth of the capitalist class.” (Erol p. 3) He felt abusing labor for the sake of creating surplus was the cornerstone of the capitalist economy. Marx inferred that soon there would be a clash between laborers and capitalist; he was