“Criticism has plucked the imaginary flowers on the chain not in order that man shall continue to bear that chain without fantasy or consolation, but so that he shall throw off the chain and pluck the living flower.”

German philosopher and revolutionary socialist

Karl Marx was a German philosopher, journalist, political theorist, and revolutionary socialist of the 19th century. He is known for shaping modern socialist thought and for his analysis of capitalism and class struggle. He developed historical materialism, arguing that social change is driven by material conditions and conflict between classes. He also co-wrote The Communist Manifesto with Friedrich Engels and spent much of his work on a critique of political economy in Das Kapital. His ideas, later gathered under the name Marxism, became highly influential in politics, scholarship, and revolutionary movements.