Historical Figure: Karl Marx

Karl Marx was born on May 5, 1818, in Trier, considered the oldest city in Germany. He came into the world in a time of relative calm, within a well-off family. His paternal grandfather was a rabbi, and one of his sons, Hirschel, Marx’s father, studied law, became a lawyer and later a justice counselor in Trier, where in 1824 he converted to Christianity and adopted the name Heinrich Marx. On his mother’s side, he descended from a long line of rabbis; his mother, Henriette Pressburg, was a Dutch Jew. The couple had many children, and Karl occupied the second place after the firstborn daughter. His mother, devoted to the home, watched lovingly over her husband and children; Marx had greater closeness and emotional ties with his mother’s relatives in Holland. His father—Jewish, Rhenish, a jurist and Prussian patriot, a man nourished by bourgeois culture and with a rationalist ideology of impeccable honor—was forced, like many of his time, to change religion to keep his job, due to Prussian legislation. This forced transit to Christianity, imposed in 1824 on the whole family by law and under the pressure of violent antisemitic persecutions, accentuated in Heinrich Marx a culture of a free man, emancipated from religious ties—this being a fundamental legacy he would pass on to his son.

From an early age, his parents projected great expectations onto Karl, highlighting his “magnificent natural qualities.” His father hoped he would put his intelligence at the service of humanity; his mother claimed he was a fortunate child to whom everything turned out well. However, these visions would soon be clouded by constant intellectual clashes between father and son.

A passionate and mischievous youth, Marx devoted himself to classical and literary studies. By his father’s will, he enrolled at the University of Bonn to study law. At the same time, he threw himself into a bohemian life, which worried his parents: he was convicted for drunkenness and nighttime altercations and spent a night in jail. There were also fights with classmates.

At 18, on one of his returns home from university, he began a relationship with a childhood friend: Jenny von Westphalen, to whom he dedicated several love poems that showed his ardent character. Jenny, four years older, stood out for her beauty, talent, and pleasant character. She came from a well-off family, and her father, a high official, ended up accepting the relationship.

Following his father’s decision, Marx continued his studies in law and cameral sciences at the University of Berlin, where he enrolled in 1836. During these years the young Marx’s

character solidified: a tenacious personality, ready to fight to exhaustion for the truth, with an insatiable thirst for knowledge, an inexhaustible capacity for work, a fervent spirit of self-criticism, and a combative temperament that shaped his life.

During his studies he showed little interest in official subjects; history and philosophy captured his true attention, especially philosophical debates. He began to develop great autodidactic talent: while studying law, he translated classical books into German and taught himself English and Italian.

From the second semester on, Marx plunged into the study of multiple disciplines, especially Hegel’s philosophy, which led him to join the doctoral club of the Young Hegelians, his first true intellectual arena. Despite these discoveries, Marx wanted to return home, but his father insisted he continue his studies in Berlin.

In these years the traits were forged that would accompany him all his life: tireless struggle for truth, his fighting spirit, and his visceral rejection of turning his back on humanity’s sufferings. He longed for a better world and aspired to realize his ideals by joining the circle of the Hegelian left, a radical, revolutionary group.

Shortly after turning 20, in 1838, his father died of liver disease. Karl always kept a deep feeling of gratitude toward him, preserving a portrait of him until the end of his days. During the next three years, Marx continued his studies in Berlin, beginning to collaborate with various journals and newspapers, publishing philosophical reflections on the great debates of his time.

Despite his youth, at barely 20 Marx became the natural leader of the Hegelian circle, something that would be repeated throughout his life whenever he entered new groups. Even his companions, many of them a decade older, recognized his intellectual superiority and leadership capacity. The atmosphere of this circle was marked by strong criticism of religion.

His growing political activity and tensions at the University of Berlin, in a context of major transformations in Prussia, led him to transfer to the University of Jena, where he received his doctorate in 1841, at age 23.

Newly graduated, Marx ran into hard reality: internal political struggles at the universities prevented him and his group from attaining a chair, and their plans to found a radical magazine were frustrated. At the beginning of 1842 he began his political career writing articles for different publications, always with a critical tone. His first texts revolved around censorship and freedom of the press in Germany. From then on a recurring difficulty in his trajectory became evident: his precision and exhaustiveness in writing made his texts much longer than planned, delaying his deliveries. In addition, his torrent of ideas and permanent

nonconformity generated discomfort among readers, colleagues, and editors. Nevertheless, his talent commanded respect even among those older than him.

In this period he developed one of the principles that would mark his life: “It is undeniable that a writer must earn a living with his pen in order to write, but never write in order to earn a living.” This stance caused countless economic problems, both for him and his loved ones, but he never betrayed that ideal.

Little by little, his writings moved away from philosophy and began to focus on material questions: the State, society, the economy. His gaze turned more and more to the living conditions of the poor and oppressed sectors, moving toward the struggle for the proletariat’s economic emancipation.

Marx’s first public interventions coincided with numerous personal difficulties, especially in his relationship with Jenny, whom he reproached for her concern with problems he considered trivial compared to humanity’s great conflicts. Despite these tensions, they married in 1843 and lived their first months of marriage in his maternal family’s house, until Marx was exiled to Paris.

In the French capital he formed friendships and debated intensely with leading figures of the time, such as Louis Blanc, Ruge, Leroux, Bakunin, and Proudhon. He also met who would be his most faithful ally: Friedrich Engels. Around then, a central concern arose in Marx that would always accompany him: the historical need to organize critical thought and to bring together the main transformative ideologues under a single revolutionary project.

Characteristic of his work in this stage is the extraordinary intensity with which he devoted himself to reading and writing, although he found it hard to finish his texts: he left numerous writings unfinished and constantly wrestled in a sea of books, at times reaching states of irritation and violence, working to exhaustion and frequently falling ill. It was common for him to work up to four nights in a row without sleep.

During his exile in Paris, Marx lived a fruitful period, possibly the most significant of his formative years. He developed intellectually and politically, his first daughter was born, and he met his main ally: Friedrich Engels. With him he forged a friendship and alliance that would never break. Together, they were characterized by an implacable critique of their contemporaries, establishing a clear dividing line between “us” and “them.” Engels played a fundamental role in Marx’s life, being his constant support not only intellectually and emotionally, but also economically, helping alleviate his family’s recurrent material hardships. Marx, for his part, never ceased to be a terrible manager of money.

Repression did not take long to appear and, in 1845, Marx was expelled from France after just over a year of residence. At age 27 he suffered his second exile, moving to Brussels.

From his arrival he was harassed by censorship. Political persecution forced him to renounce his Prussian nationality, without ever adopting another citizenship. These were years of growing poverty, in which he suffered editors’ rejection of publishing his writings and constant political censorship. Engels tried at every moment to remedy his friend’s financial situation, organizing collections among comrades in the movement when his own resources were not enough.

Despite his harsh criticism, Marx on various occasions showed notable solidarity, even toward his adversaries. There are accounts of extreme generosity toward ideological opponents who were going through difficult times, even amid his own poverty. This shows the strong alliance he established with his group and his priority of protecting the needy, beyond his personal problems. For Marx, the social ideal was always above any individual interest.

Economic hardships did not stop his intellectual production: he always published when he had the opportunity and maintained active correspondence with the main communist centers in Europe. Organizing the movement was always on his horizon. Also in these years came his break with one of his former references, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon. This tendency would repeat throughout his life: Marx had no qualms about breaking with former teachers or allies if an ideological disagreement arose; in such cases he did not skimp on criticism, even if he had deeply admired the person in the past. This attitude caused the rupture of many friendships and alliances: when the pact was broken, there were no half measures.

By around 1847, at age 29, Marx was already recognized as one of the most brilliant figures of the emerging European communist movement. People spoke of him with great respect, although he generated both admiration and animosity among friends and enemies. It was in this period that he began to scientifically develop the foundations of historical materialism, considered his greatest theoretical contribution—comparable to the Darwinian revolution in the natural sciences. Marx argued that, although the human being has a spiritual dimension, he is conditioned by material needs, and only when these are satisfied can he develop fully at an intellectual and social level. As he himself stated: Living implies first eating and drinking, having a home, clothes, and something more. The first historical action is the creation of means for satisfying these needs.

Brussels was the favorable setting for consolidating the international organization of the proletariat. There Marx perfected his organizational and communication skills, which culminated in the founding of the Communist League, where he was a key figure. Marx and Engels were commissioned to draft the Communist Manifesto, which would lay the foundations of the European communist movement. This work became a milestone in political and literary history, immortalizing the slogan: “Workers of the world, unite!”

His intellectual work alternated with propaganda campaigns and active political participation, giving lectures and holding rallies across Europe, exercising a true role as an agitator and passionate critic. Soon his talent for leading people and his decisive weight in revolutionary organizations became evident. He was described as the soul of the organizations in which he participated. At barely 30, he was already considered the undisputed leader of one of the principal socialist schools of his time.

Marx knew how to surround himself with committed and talented people, attracting attention wherever he went. His interventions were recognized for their solidity, clarity, and logic. However, many did not fail to point out his arrogance, ambition, and authoritarian character. His leadership was seen by some as firm and serene; by others, as disturbing and dictatorial, generating divisions in the collectives in which he participated.

Marx’s personal sacrifices of time, health, and economic resources were considerable. On numerous occasions he invested the little money he had in editorial projects or revolutionary activities, seriously affecting his family, which grew with the arrival of three children: Jenny, Laura, and Edgar. Repression forced him to leave Brussels and head to London after participating directly in the revolutionary movements in Germany and Paris.

Once settled in London, Marx undertook the ambitious project of founding a new newspaper. During this period, many of the figures that had been key in his formation became the object of his fiercest criticisms. However, Marx was not a resentful man: once the struggle ended, the differences were left behind. He was loyal to his friends, though implacable before what he considered betrayal.

With his move to London, a decisive change began in Marx’s life and work. With the revolutionary defeats in Europe and internal fractures in the Communist League, he opted to withdraw into study. A stage of maturity began, marked by public isolation and scientific work, aware of the physical deterioration and exhaustion accumulated after years of political struggle.

In November 1849 his fourth child, Guido, was born; after a difficult, sickly year, he died due to the precarious conditions in which the Marx family lived. The situation was increasingly distressing due to lack of resources, depending almost exclusively on pawning the few belongings they had left: jewelry, furniture, or clothes. According to Jenny, despite these calamities Marx maintained his good humor and faith in the future; he easily rejoiced to see his wife and children happy. He was a family man who greatly enjoyed, when he had time, being with his own. His scientific work continued, for in it he found refuge and comfort. He spent entire days researching in the British Museum, from nine in the morning to seven in the evening, almost every day. It pained him deeply not to be recognized as an author nor to have greater dissemination of his ideas.

Economic difficulties seriously affected his health: he suffered frequent illnesses, had hemorrhoids and liver pains that he attributed to paternal inheritance. The precariousness was such that, on several occasions, he could not go out because his clothes were pawned; his children fell ill without the possibility of paying a doctor; he even lacked paper to write articles or reply to his detractors’ attacks, and he accumulated debts in shops, being forced to live for periods on bread and potatoes. Insecurity and anxiety marked his entire adult life.

Although this situation was partly a consequence of his iron adherence to political principles, it did not spare him the suffering and anguish of seeing his family deprived of the simplest joys. Engels, his closest friend, pointed out that Marx’s greatest problem was his own scruples: driven by a grand ideal of social transformation, Marx remained blind to his own needs and those of his family. He even felt selfish if he thought of his personal well-being before the collective cause.

Misfortunes continued: in 1852 another of his children died of acute bronchitis. The situation was so poor that they had to borrow from a neighbor to pay for the coffin. In 1855 his daughter Eleanor was born, and by then Marx had distanced himself from political circles, dedicating himself almost exclusively to his scientific work, interrupted only by family moments. He was a father who enjoyed playing with his children and used to say: “It is the children who must educate their parents, not the other way around.” However, that same year he suffered a new loss: his son Edgar, nine years old, died, leaving in Marx a wound that would take years to heal.

In 1857 he suffered the loss of another child, who died at birth. It was the fourth child who died practically in his arms. Sunk in misery and pain, the only thing that allowed him to carry on was the economic crisis in England and the rise of the labor movement; as he himself expressed, “The crisis, I can already feel it, produces in me the same physical well-being as a sea bath.” This juncture reactivated him and he once again devoted himself to study, working until four in the morning.

Marx continued writing, publishing, and fighting as long as his health allowed. His liver ailments became chronic, along with carbuncles and boils that caused him constant suffering for years. Despite everything, he continued to find in thought one of his greatest sources of pleasure.

A man of contradictions, he was completely disorganized in domestic life but a pragmatic genius in political matters. Incapable of managing a family budget, yet possessed of an incomparable talent for raising, organizing, and directing an international political movement, Marx always put the cause before any personal well-being. His commitment was total and inexhaustible.

His political and theoretical activity unfolded in hostile environments, under censorship, persecutions, and constant threats. He was one of the most hated and slandered men of his time, and even today he remains the object of criticisms that hold him responsible for later evils. Nevertheless, his influence was decisive.

During these years Marx gestated his magnum opus, Capital, which summed up decades of political and philosophical struggles. He published the first volume in 1867, at age 49. This work would revolutionize the social sciences and political thought, being the first rational theory of wages and the functioning of capitalism. Marx identified the law of capitalist accumulation and laid the foundations for the analysis of economic exploitation, always with the aim of intellectually equipping the working class in its emancipatory struggle. The second and third volumes were left unfinished and were published posthumously by Engels.

He founded and led the First International, the first international workers’ organization, which for a decade set Europe’s political direction and contributed to the gains of the modern labor movement. Although the International declined, its legacy persisted over time as a symbol of proletarian organization.

By 1873, exhausted and ill, Marx withdrew almost completely into intellectual work. He suffered from migraines, bronchitis, pleurisy, and was on the verge of an embolism. He alternated moments of lucidity with long periods of illness, amid stomach pains, nervous depressions, insomnia, and physical weakness. He always rejected doctors’ recommendations to rest, considering it incompatible with his duty to humanity. Marx never stopped working; he even forgot to eat, sustained by an iron will and a typical emotional anesthesia toward physical suffering.

In everyday life he was a talkative man, cheerful, full of humor and wit, always willing to receive visits and offer advice. What most surprised people was his ability to go from the most violent indignation to reflective serenity without an apparent transition.

The last years were especially hard. At the end of the 1870s, his health irreversibly deteriorated. Jenny, his wife, suffered a long and painful cancer, dying in 1881. Two years later, in January 1883, his daughter Jenny died, a blow that plunged Marx into a definitive sadness. Each day he grew weaker, until March 14, 1883, at age 65, he died in his armchair in London.

Karl Marx was a cold, rigorous scientist, capable of dissecting society with surgical precision, but also a passionate militant and man of action, always at the forefront of the emancipatory struggle. His greatness lay in that unique combination: a lucid thinker and tireless fighter. His deepest legacy was to encourage critical thinking and self-criticism. After Christianity, Marxism was the ideological current that most transformed the Western

world in the 20th century. Among his contributions are the founding of the International, the formulation of scientific socialism, the development of historical materialism, and the discovery of the law of surplus value, which explained the dynamics of capitalism. His great objective was always the same: not only to interpret the world, but to transform it. And his humanism was summed up in one of his most remembered phrases: “Nothing human is alien to me.”

If we were to see only the characterological aspect of Marx, we could recognize the sacrifice of life for the realization of his great ideals. He himself affirms that the satisfaction of primary needs is the basis for the development of a spiritual life—when it seems this did not apply to his family, nor to himself. Loyalty to his social principles was always the priority.

At the same time Marx became a pillar reference in philosophy and society; he left a legacy that still inspires a path of salvation for people excluded and exploited by capitalist and patriarchal power. His thought was visionary and scientific at the same time; his analysis and economic critique include a humanistic vision of the human being that is still current. We can say we are before a man who put his character at the service of the world’s good, paying extremely high prices.