People in the News: Karl Marx

"Democracy is the road to socialism" -Karl Marx

Karl Marx was a German born philosopher and is arguably one of the most influential men in the world of politics. His work inspired revolutions and communist regimes throughout the twentieth century. Marxian socialism in the purest sense is communism.  Marx's theories were centered around the idea that within societies, there are constant class struggles that impede the development of human productive power. Marx concluded that it is only natural for capitalist, democratic societies to move toward communism. He called this pattern dialectical materialism, modeled after George Hegel's thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. Marx's analysis of history and economics came together in a prediction of the breakdown of capitalism and a revolt by the working class, resolving in a classless "perfect society." Though Marx's theories have yet to be proven effective in the real world, he is still one of the most influential thinkers of the nineteenth century.