According to Karl Marx's theory of historical materialism, societies pass through Six Stages — 1) Primitive Communism 2) Slave Society 3) Feudalism 4) Capitalism 5) Socialism and finally 6) Global Stateless Communism.
The Communist Manifesto, originally the Manifesto of the Communist Party, is a political pamphlet written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. It was commissioned by the Communist League and published in London.
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels published their work in German in London in February 1848.
While they commissioned and wrote the text, Marx and Engels were not present at the publication, as they were active in revolutionary movements elsewhere, with Marx being expelled from Belgium around the same time
The word "communism" was coined around 1840 in Paris, France. It emerged from French revolutionary, utopian, and socialist circles (such as those around Étienne Cabet) to describe a society based on common ownership.
Karl Marx (born May 5, 1818, Trier, Rhine province, Prussia [Germany] — died March 14, 1883, London, England) was a revolutionary, sociologist, historian, and economist.
His family were Jews, and they converted to the Evangelical Established Church of Prussia to minimise harassment from the authorities.
Friedrich Engels (28 November 1820 – and died 5 August 1895) was a German philosopher, social and political theorist, journalist, and businessman.
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels first met in November 1842 at the offices of the Rheinische Zeitung in Cologne, where Marx was the editor-in-chief. However, this initial meeting was reportedly "chilly" and did not immediately lead to a partnership.
However, the true beginning of their lifelong friendship and revolutionary collaboration occurred in August 1844 when Engels visited Marx in Paris. During a 10-day exchange at the Café de la Régence, they discovered they were in "complete agreement in all theoretical fields."
He was one of the founders of the philosophical movement known as German idealism.
After his death, his followers in (English) were wewe called Young Hegelians.
Hegel is well-known for his teleological (the philosophical) belief that events, developments, and natural phenomena are driven by an inherent purpose, goal, or final cause, rather than solely by immediate causes.
Rooted in Aristotle’s view that all things have a "telos" (end), this perspective interprets the world in terms of design, function, or outcome-oriented development.
Marx adopted Hegel's dialectical method (a philosophical technique of reasoning, originating with Socrates and developed by Plato), but he inverted it, arguing that material economic conditions — not idealist consciousness — drive historical development, class struggle, and the eventual move toward communism.
"Opium of the people" (German: Opium des Volkes) is a famous phrase by Karl Marx, describing religion as a "metaphysical balm" that numbs the pain caused by oppression, in 1844.
It suggests that religion acts as a comforting illusion, easing the suffering of the working class in a "heartless world."
Karl Marx was forced into a life of exile, moving across Europe as his radical revolutionary activities and writings made him unwelcome in his native Prussia and neighboring nations. He was effectively expelled or forced to flee from Prussia, Paris, and Brussels before finally settling in London.
He arrived in London in August 1849 as a penniless, stateless political refugee, having been expelled from Prussia and Paris following the failed revolutions of 1848.
Marx would remain in London for the rest of his life, where he produced his most significant work, including "Das Kapital" (1867).
Middle-class liberals sought constitutional monarchy and property rights, while working-class radicals demanded social reforms and better living conditions. This split allowed conservative forces to regroup.
After the Prussian government ordered his expulsion, Marx published the famous "Red Issue" printed entirely in red ink. It contained a defiant farewell to the workers of Cologne, declaring: "We have no compassion and we ask no compassion from you. When our turn comes, we shall not make excuses for the terror".
Middle-class liberals sought constitutional monarchy and property rights, while working-class radicals demanded social reforms and better living conditions. This split allowed conservative forces to regroup.
The Condition of the Working Class in England (1845) Friedrich Engels (1820–1895)
Friedrich Engels' father, Friedrich Engels Sr., was a wealthy textile manufacturer who co-owned the Ermen & Engels cotton mill in Victoria Mill, Weaste, near Manchester (Salford).
The senior Engels sent his son to work there in 1842 to manage family interests and steer him away from radical ideas, which instead allowed Engels to document industrial poverty for his 1845 book.
The firm was known as Ermen & Engels, which the elder Engels co-founded with Dutch partners, expanding with mills in both Barmen, Prussia, and Salford/Manchester.
The company was known as Ermen & Engels, founded in 1838 as a partnership between Engels Sr. and the Dutch manufacturers Peter and Godfrey Ermen.
Engels eventually became a full partner in the firm in 1864, after his father's death, and used the profits to financially support Karl Marx while he wrote Das Kapital (1867).
- Extreme Labor: Workers, including women and children, typically toiled for 12 to 14 hours a day (and sometimes up to 16 hours).
- Dangerous & Unhealthy Environment: The air inside the mills was often hot, damp, and filled with cotton dust, leading to widespread respiratory issues and "lung diseases".
- Physical Deterioration: Engels noted that mill workers were often pale, thin, and suffered from stunted growth. He reported that many were "unfit for work at forty years" due to the intense physical toll.
- Safety Hazards: The machinery lacked safety measures, frequently resulting in crushed limbs, deformities, and other industrial accidents.
- Rigid Discipline: Workers were highly regimented, with their "every move controlled by the boss" and almost no respite except for brief meal times.
The couple lived together for 20 years but never married, as they both viewed the institution of marriage as a "bourgeois" trap. After Mary’s sudden death at age 41, Engels began a relationship with her sister, Lizzie Burns, whom he eventually married on her deathbed in 1878.
In 1789, those supporting the Ancien Régime (monarchy, nobility, church) sat to the right
The "Right and Left" political spectrum originated during the French Revolution, specifically starting with the opening of the Estates General in May 1789 and the subsequent National Assembly. Deputies seated themselves based on their support for the King (right) or the Revolution (left).
