The history of economics cannot be imagined without such personalities as Marx, Engels. They have made a huge contribution to many areas of scientific knowledge. Moreover, their contribution was quite significant, therefore, many modern ideas and systems come from the initial thoughts of these great scientists.
Karl Marx
Karl Marx was born in Germany. He is a philosopher, sociologist, economist, political journalist and an active public figure. Marx, Engels were known for their friendship and similar views. Karl Marx was already the third child in a family of a lawyer with Jewish roots. In his youth, the boy studied at the Friedrich-Wilhelm Gymnasium, and at the age of 17 he graduated from it. In one of his essays, he wrote that only a person who works for the benefit of others can become truly great. Since Karl graduated from the gymnasium perfectly, he entered the University of Bonn without any problems, and then continued his studies at the Berlin higher education institution. In 1837, Karl secretly got engaged to his elder sister's girlfriend, Jenny von Westfalen, who soon became his wife. After graduating from university and defending his doctoral dissertation, he moved to Bonn.
In his early years, Karl was fascinated by Hegel's ideas and was a real idealist. And having matured, he highly appreciated Hegel's works, asserting, however, that much he mystified too much. Karl wanted to become a professor of philosophy, and also planned to write a work on Christian art, but life decreed otherwise. The reactionary policy of the state forced Marx to become a journalist. Work in this position showed the young man that he was very weak in political economy. It was this event that prompted him to actively take up the study of this issue.
The subsequent fate of Karl Marx was associated with many countries, as the government tried to lure him to his side. Despite all these circumstances, he continued to work hard on what was interesting to him. He wrote his works, but not all could publish. A great support and support for him was the like-minded Friedrich Engels.
F. Engels
The German philosopher, one of the main founders of Marxism, Friedrich was born in the family of a textile manufacturer. He had 8 brothers and sisters, but he only had a deep affection for Mary's sister. The boy attended school until the age of 14, and then continued his studies at the gymnasium. At the insistence of his father, he had to leave school to start working in the field of trade. Despite this, the guy successfully moonlighted as a correspondent. He also had to devote one year of his life to serving in Berlin. It was a breath of fresh air, because a young man could attend his lectures on philosophy. After that, Engels worked in his father’s factory in London. This stage of life served to ensure that the young man was deeply imbued with the life of workers.
In addition to general works with Karl Marx, Friedrich wrote several works that also expressed theories of Marxism: "Dialectics of nature" and "Anti-Dühring."
The first collaboration
The friendship and cooperation of Marx and Engels began gradually, but lasted a lifetime. They managed to create many quality works, which to this day do not lose their relevance. Moreover, the ideas of scientists are actively applied in many areas of society.
The first common work of two friends was the work “The Holy Family”. In it, two friends symbolically severed ties with their like-minded people of the past - Young Hegelians. The second joint work was “German ideology”. In it, scientists examined the history of Germany from a materialistic point of view. To our great regret, this work remained only in a handwritten version. It was during the writing of these and other works that scientists came to the conclusion that they were ready to create a new doctrine - Marxism.
Marxism
The teachings of Marx and Engels originated in the first half of the 40s of the XIX century. There were several reasons for the development of such ideas: this was the unfolding of the labor movement, and criticism of Hegel's philosophy, which seemed too ideal, and new scientific discoveries in different fields of knowledge. Marx, Engels drew their arguments and thoughts from English political economy, German classical philosophy, French socialism-utopianism. In addition, the role of scientific discoveries that occurred at the same time should not be underestimated: the discovery of a cell, the law of conservation of energy, the evolutionary theory of Charles Darwin. Naturally, the most active supporters of Marxism were K. Marx and F. Engels, but created it on a concentrate of all the latest ideas of their time, taking only the best and seasoning it with the wisdom of the past.
“Manifesto of the Communist Party”
This work was the peak in which the ideas of Marx and Engels found the most vivid reflection. The manuscript describes what goals it sets, what methods it uses and what tasks the Communist Party pursues. The authors of the work say that the whole history of past times is built on the class struggle of the population. Scientists openly declare that capitalism will perish at the hands of the proletariat, which will rise up against injustice in order to create a society outside of classes and divisions.
A large section in the book is devoted to criticizing opposing and pseudoscientific theories that have no real justification. The authors also condemn the "rude" communists, who, without delving into the essence of the idea, simply spread ideas about private property. In addition, Marx and Engels emphasize that the Communist Party does not put itself above others, but supports any movement directed against the existing social and political system.
Karl Marx, Capital
“Capital” is the main work of Karl Marx, which reveals the negative aspects of capitalism and criticizes political economy. This work was written using the dialectical materialistic approach, which was developed by Marx and Engels earlier.
In his work, Marx explained in detail that capitalism would come to an end. He also described in detail the reasons that lead to the death of this system. The scientist admitted that capitalism is progressive, it stimulates the development of productive forces. In addition, such development occurs much faster precisely under capitalism, which is unusual for other forms of organization of production. At the same time, he points out that such growth is achieved through the terrible plunder of the resources of nature, as well as through the exploitation of the main productive force - human resources. He also notes that capitalism leads to uneven development of all industries, delaying many industries.
In addition, capitalism conflicts with relations built on private property. The work of an individual is becoming increasingly insignificant. Indeed, the development of capitalism requires focus on large enterprises. Thus, the proletariat becomes an ordinary dependent force, a labor force that has no choice but to agree to the terms of the employer. This state of affairs turns a person into a machine, which is used for the development of a giant insatiable beast - capitalism.
Karl Marx, whose “Capital” was blatantly daring at that time, gained immense power in the minds of thousands of people who became his followers.
Main ideas
Friedrich Engels, whose works influenced the worldview of Marx, created together with the latter a general theory according to which society should develop according to certain laws. There is no place for capitalism in this global idea. The main ideas of all philosophical works can be formulated as follows:
- the idea that the world should not be thought about, as philosophy does, but changed it;
- focusing on the practical activities of people as a driving force;
- the idea that being determines consciousness;
- the possibility of combining the proletariat and philosophers as complementary elements;
- the idea of economic alienation of man;
- zealous idea of revolutionary overthrow of the capitalist order.
Materialism
Marx and Engels formulated the theory of dialectical materialism, which states that matter is primary and only after consciousness arises. Scientists also identified three laws of dialectics: unity and struggle of opposites, the transition of quantitative shifts into qualitative ones, and the negation of negation.
Scientists also said that the world is knowable and the measure of its knowability is determined by the level of social life and production. The principle of development lies in the struggle of opposing opinions and ideas, as a result of which the truth appears. Much attention was paid to the connection of philosophy with the inner world of man, on the one hand, and with the social system, on the other. The materialism of Marx and Engels has had and continues to have a great influence on modern scholars. The study of the works of these scientists is mandatory in many universities, because it is impossible to understand the history and economy of the last century without the ideas of Marx and Engels.
