Karl Marx

Karl Marx was born on May 5, 1818, in a place called Trier in Prussia. Marx attended the university of Bonn and later the university at Berlin, where he studied in law, while majoring in history and philosophy. Marx handed in his doctoral thesis of the philosophy of Epicures, and finished college in 1841. After his education, Marx associated himself with the "Left Hegelians," along with Bruno Bauer, which were a group who formed atheistic and revolutionary ideas from Hegel's philosophy. In 1842 Marx and Bruno Bauer were asked to contribute to the Rheinische Zeitung, an opposition paper, in Cologne. Marx in October of 1842, became editor-in-chief, and decided to move from Bonn to Cologne. As the paper became more and more distinguished the government decided to censor, and eventually wasn't allowed. This paper stopped operation in March of 1843.

Karl Marx was married to his childhood friend Jenny Von Westphalen, in 1843. Later in the fall of that year Marx along with another Left Hegelian, Arnold Ruge moved to Paris and began publication of a radical journal entitled Deutsch-Franzosische Jahrbucher. However due to the difficulty in distributing such a radical paper, only one issue appeared.

Karl met his closest friend in September of 1844, when Frederick Engels arrived in Paris. Together they participated in the activities of many revolutionary societies, and formed the theory and ideas of revolutionary proletarian socialism, also known as communism. Finally in 1845 Marx was banished from Paris as a dangerous revolutionary. He decided to head for Brussels, where he and Engels joined, in 1847, a group called the Communist League. At the leagues request Marx and Engels drew up the Communist Manifesto in 1848. Once the Revolution of February 1848 took place, Marx was again banished, except this time from Belgium. He briefly returned to France for the March Revolution, and then traveled to Germany where he published the Neue Rheinische Zeitung, from June 1, 1848 to May 19, 1849. Again Marx was banished from Germany, and again he returned to Paris. After the demonstration of June 13 1849 Karl Marx was banished once again. That would be the last time Karl Marx was banished anywhere. His last voyage would take him to London where he would live for the rest of his life.

Marx lived a hard life in London. If it had not been for the financial help from his good friend Engels, he would have not been able to continue his lifelong struggle.

Marx re-involved himself in political activity in the 1850's and 1860's with the revival of democratic activities. Marx became the core of the International Working Men's Association, for whom he wrote the first address, and made many resolutions and manifestoes for. Ultimately, Marx's health declined due to his strenuous work with the International and the Capital. His bad health was the cause of him not being able to complete the Capital. On December 2, 1881, His lifelong wife passed away. And just more than a year later Karl Marx died peacefully at his home. Both were buried at Highgate Cemetery in London, where they still lie today.