INTRODUCTION

Karl Heinrich Marx was a German economist, philosopher, sociologist, historian,

jornalist an! re"oltionar# socialist$ He was %orn into a wealth# mi!!le&class
'amil# in Tier in the (rssian Rhinelan! German con'e!eration on the )*
th
o' Ma#
)+)+ an! he !ie! on the ),
th
o' March in )++-, his wor. in economics lai! the
%asic 'or crrent n!erstan!ing o' la%or an! its relationship to capital an! has
mch in'lence! mch economic thoghts$ He atten!e! the Uni"ersit# o' /onn
an! the Uni"ersit# o' /erlin where he %ecame intereste! in the philosoph# o' the
#ong Hegelians$ 0'ter his st!ies he wrote 'or a ra!ical new paper in Cologne
where he state! wor.ing on the theor# o' !ialectical materialism
Marx collecti"e theor# are re'erre! to as Marxism which he !e"elope! with
1rie!rich 2ngels which is a%ot societ#, economics, an! politics, in which he states
that hman societ# progress throgh class strggle, a con'lict %etween an
ownership class that controls the 'actors o' pro!ction an! a !isposa%le la%oring
class that pro"i!e the la%or 'or pro!ction an! he re'erre! capitalism as the
!ictatorship o' the %orgeoisie which was rn %# the wealth# class 'or their own
%ene'it, his anal#tical strctre %ase! on the notion o' srpls an! representation o'
economic s#stem as circlar 'low o' pro!ction an! consmption !e"elope! %# the
classical economist Da"i! Ricar!o in particlar which tili3e! in an original wa#
which 'ocse! on the wealth class an! the la%oring class clash o' interest
Marx p%lish a nm%er o' %oo.s !ring his time, the most nota%le %oo.s p%lishe!
are TH2 COMMUNI4T M0NI124TO, in )+,+ which presente! an anal#tical
approach to class strggle an! the pro%lems o' capitalism an! D04 K0(IT05, in
)+67&)+8, which is a critical anal#sis o' political economics meant to re"eal the
economic laws o' capitalist mo!e o' pro!ction$ His research in economics was
gi!e! %# a !ominant political aim namel# ra!ical criticism o' capital list mo!e o'
pro!ction, his thogh where in'lence! %# Hegelian philosoph# in particlar
Hegelian 5!wig 1eer%ach, /rno /aer an! Max 4tirner, also 1rench anti&
capitalist 'rom /a%e' , /onarroti $
Marx was a re"oltionar# socialist he %elie"e! in the ine"ita%ilit# o' socialism an!
commnism, he state! that capitalism pro!ce! internal tension which lea! to its
own !emise an! replace! %# socialism, he acti"el# 'oght 'or their implementation
an! arging that social theorist an! n!er pri"ilege! people ali.e shol! carr# ot
re"oltionar# action to topple capitalism an! %ring a%ot social economic change$
He is !escri%e as one o' the most in'lential 'igres in hman histor#, his in'lence
has lea! o"er the #ears 'ormation o' socialist political states li.e the 4o"iet Union,
the Rep%lic o' China, C%a, the commnist part# in Romania was also in'lence
%# Marx$
K0R5 H2INRICH M0R9 :ORK4
Dring his li'e time Marx together with his 'rien! 1rie!rich 2ngels pro!ce! an!
p%lishe! a lot o' wor.ing %t the two most important ones are the Commnist
mani'est which was written in )+,+ an! Das Kapital which was written in %etween
)+67 an! )+8, in s%se;ent "olmes$
The commnist mani'est was originall# title! mani'esto o' the commnist part# it
is regar!e! as one o' the most in'lential political manscript commissione! %# the
commnist leage it !etaile! ot the leages prpose an! program, it present an
anal#tical approach to class strggles %etween the %orgeois an! the proletarians,
the Mani'esto %egins %# annoncing, 0 spectre is hanting 2rope, an! the spectre
o' Commnism$ The %oo. also contains theories a%ot the natre o' societ# an!
politics, the histor# o' all hitherto existing societ# is the histor# o' class strggles$
The mani'est is !i"i!e! in 'or chapters which are$
I$ /OURG2IO4 0ND (RO52T0RI0N4& it examines the Marxist conception o'
histor#, the class strggle which is the initial i!ea it goes on to sa# that in
capitalism the wor.ing class the la%orers are in the a class strggle with the owner
o' the means o' pro!ction, is goes on to sa# the %orgeois exploit the proletarians
throgh constant re"oltionising o' pro!ction an! ninterrpte! !istr%ance he
%lames this exploitation on the accmlation o' pri"ate propert# in the han! o' the
%orgeois
II$ (RO52T0RI0N4 0ND COMMUNI4M& starts %# stating the relationship o'
conscios commnists to the rest o' the wor.ing class, !eclaring that the# will not
'orm a separate part# that opposes other wor.ing&class parties, will express the
interests an! general will o' the proletariat as a whole, an! will !istingish
themsel"es 'rom other wor.ing&class parties %# alwa#s expressing the common
interest o' the entire proletariat in!epen!entl# o' all nationalities an! representing
the interests o' the mo"ement as a whole
III 4OCI05I4M 0ND COMMUNI4M& !i''erentiate commnism 'rom other
socialist !octrines pre"alent at the time the Mani'esto was written$

:hile the
!egree o' reproach towar! ri"al perspecti"es "aries, all are !ismisse! 'or
a!"ocating re'ormism an! 'ailing to recognise the preeminent role o' the wor.ing
class$
I< (O4TION O1 TH2 COMMUNI4T IN R250TION TO <0RIOU4 O((O4ING
(0RTI24& %rie'l# !iscsses the commnist position on strggles in speci'ic
contries in the mi!&nineteenth centr# sch as 1rance, 4wit3erlan!, (olan!,
an! German#, an! !eclares that German# =is on the e"e o' a %orgeois
re"oltion an! pre!icts that a worl! re"oltion will soon 'ollow, It then en!s
%# !eclaring an alliance with the social !emocrat, %ol!l# spporting other
commnist re"oltions, an! calling the proletarians to action, en!ing with
the rall#ing cr# o' commnism, wor.ers o' the nite$
D04 K0(IT05 criti;e o' political econom# was p%lishe! in a series o' "olmes
%etween )+67 an! )+8, it>s a critical anal#sis o' political econom# with the
prpose o' re"ealing the economic laws o' the capitalistic mo!e o'
pro!ction$ Karl Marx propose! that the moti"ating 'orce 'or capitalism is
the exploitation o' la%or whose npai! wor. is the ltimate sorce o' pro'it
an! srpls "ale, the emplo#er has claim o"er the pro'it %ecase the# own
the pro!cti"e capital which is legall# protecte! throgh propert# rights %#
the state$
K0R5 M09R 2CONOMIC TH2ORI24
Karl Marx !e"elope! a lot o' economics theories o"er !ring his li'e time which
incl!es$
5a%or theor# o' "ale & are hetero!ox economic ?which re'ers school o'
economic thoght that are consi!ere! otsi!e o' mainstream economics@ it
arges that the "ale o' a commo!it# is onl# relate! to the la%or nee!e! to
pro!ce or o%tain that commo!it# an! not to other 'actors o' pro!ction$ In
this mo!el capitalist !on>t pa# wor.er the 'll "ale o' the commo!ities the#
pro!ce$ It sggest that goo!s that goo!s which ta.e the same amont o'
time to pro!ce shol! cost the same$ Criti;e o' la%or theor# sa# that it>s
not la%or that !etermines the price o' a commo!it# rather it is simpl# a
'nction o' sppl# an! !eman! 'or a gi"en goo! or ser"ice that !etermines
its price$
4rpls "ale A is an economic concept that was !e"elope! %# Marx its re'ers to
the new "ale create! %# wor.ers that is in excess o' their own la%or cost
an! which is there'ore a"aila%le to %e appropriate! %# the capitalist, it allows
then 'or pro'it an! in so !oing is the %asic o' capital accmlation$
Commo!it# 1etishism A which is 'orm Marx criti;e o' political econom# o'
capitalism, commo!it# 'etishism is the perception o' social relationships
in"ol"e! in pro!ction not as relationship among people %t as economic
relationships among people %t as economics relationships among the
mone# an! commo!ities exchange! in the mar.et$ It is a %elie' that it is
natral an! ine"ita%le to measre the "ale o' se'l things with mone#
Marx coine! the term to moc. political economist who %elie"e! that
care'll# st!#ing economic s#stem wol! e"entall# #iel! a set o' natral
law compara%le to !oes 'on! in ph#sics or chemistr#
Theor# o' economic c#cle A it re'ers the econom# wi!e 'lctations on pro!ction
tra!e an! economic acti"it# in general o"er se"eral months or #ears in an
econom# organi3e! on 'ree enterprise principles, it is %asicall# !e'ine! in
terms o' perio!s o' growth an! recession$ Marx anal#sis lea! to the
consi!eration o' economic crisis ?a propensit# to crisis it was recogni3e! as
an inherent 'eatre o' capitalism %# other economist o' Marx time, his
theor# o' economics c#cle was 'ormali3e! %# Richar! Goo!win$
Theor# o' Dialectical Materialism A it>s a philosoph# o' science an! natre, the
main i!ea lies in the concept o' the e"oltion o' the natral worl! an! the
emergence o' new ;alities o' %eing at new stages o' e"oltion$
MB CONCU54ION ON K0R5 H2INRICH M0R9
0'ter st!#ing a%ot Karl Heinrich Marx, his wor.s, his i!eas, economic theories
an! i!ea I ha"e come to n!erstan! that he %elie"e in the simple man an!
woman that wor.s !a# an! night 'or their li"elihoo! an! how he wante! a
societ# where people who wor.e! got what the# earne!, an societ# where
economic %ene'it an! gains sprea! to e"er#one especiall# the la%orer an! to
not jst the person pro"i!ing the means o' pro!ction$ Commnism has
part# o' it origin 'rom commnit# which mean together, wor.ing together in
or!er to ma.e e"er#one happ# %t once the lea!er got in o''ice an! o%tain
power the# also 'orgot the people the# sai! the# were 'ighting 'or the# !i!n>t
'ollow Marx i!eas properl#$ To me I thin. he was ahea! o' his time in his
wa#s o' thing 'rom "er# own points o' "iew
R212R2NC24
Cam%ri!ge Uni"ersit# press A The wealth o' i!eas histor# o' economic thoghts
0 histor# o' economic thoghts %# :illiam C$ /ar%er
www$#ot%e$com Marx an! Marxism httpsDEEwww$#ot%e$comEresltsF
searchG;er#H.arlIJKmarxLsmH-
Karl Marx www$wi.ipe!ia$com httpDEEen$wi.ipe!ia$orgEwi.iEKarlGMarx