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Karl Heinrich Marx ( May 5, 1818 – March 14, 1883) was an influential German economist, philosopher, social and political theorist. Although Marx addressed many issues in his career as a journalist and philosopher, he is most famous for his analysis of history in terms of class conflict, summed up in his assertion that, "The interests of capitalists and wage-laborers are diametrically opposed to each other."[1] His writings formed the basis of later communist and socialist movements.1 Biography
1.1 Early life
Karl Marx was born into a progressive Jewish family in Prussian TrierTrier or Treves is Germany's oldest city. It is situated on the western bank of the Moselle River in a valley between low vine-covered hills of ruddy sandstone. It is located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate near the German border with Luxembourg. (now in GermanyThe Federal Republic of Germany ( German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland is one of the world's leading industrialized countries, located in the middle of the European Union. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark and the Baltic Sea, to the east). His father Herschel, descending from a long line of rabbiA Rabbi ( Classical Hebrew ''ribbi modern Ashkenazi and Israeli ''rabbi is a religious Jewish scholar who is an expert in Jewish law. The term means teacher or more literally my master (from rav which is equivalates to something between sir and Mr. in Engs, was a lawyer; Herschel´s brother Samuel was — like many of his ancestors — chief rabbi of Trier. As advancement opportunities for Jews were rather limited in early 19th century Prussia, and as they were not extremely religious, Herschel decided to change his name to Heinrich and convert the family to the Prussian state religionSee also civil religion. A state religion (also called an established church or state church is a religious body or creed officially endorsed by the state. The term state church is most closely associated with Christianity, although it is sometimes used i of Lutheranism, after which his legal career prospered. The Marx family was very liberal and the Marx household hosted many visiting intellectuals and artists through Karl's early life.
1.1.1 Education
Marx received good marks in gymnasiumA gymnasium is a school of secondary education in parts of Europe. The word "" (gymnasium) was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men. At some countries there is a notion of progymnasium which, the Prussian secondary schoolSecondary education or secondary school is a period of education which follows directly after primary education (such as intermediate school or elementary school), and which may be followed by tertiary or "post-secondary" education. The purpose of a secon program (or the approximate equivalent of high schoolHigh school or secondary school is the last segment of compulsory education in Hong Kong, United States, Australia, Canada, China, Korea and Japan. It provides a secondary education. Hong Kong Secondary education in Hong Kong is largely based on the Briti). His senior thesis (which anticipated his later development of a social analysis of religion, although in a way that emphasized social functions rather than economic and political inequality) was a treatise on "Religion: The Glue That Binds Society Together", for which he won a prize.
Marx enrolled in the University of Bonn in 1833 to study law, at his father's behest. Bonn was a notorious party school, and Marx did poorly as he spent most of his time singing songs in beer halls. The next year, his father made him transfer to the far more serious and academically oriented Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität in Berlin (now known as the Humboldt University).
