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The Holy Family

work by Marx and Engels
Also known as: “Die heilige Familie”

Quick Summary

"The Holy Family" is a term referring to Jesus Christ, his mother Mary, and her husband Joseph. In art, this theme depicts the infant Jesus with his immediate family, gaining prominence in the late Middle Ages as a subject for popular devotion and altarpieces, particularly during the Renaissance.12

A separate work, The Holy Family, is a critical text by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels published in 1845. It critiques the philosophies of the Young Hegelians, arguing against idealism and emphasizing the need to transform the world rather than just interpret it. Marx and Engels proposed historical materialism, asserting that socioeconomic conditions shape political and cultural institutions, and that class struggle is central to social evolution. The book also explores the concept of revolution, contrasting a catastrophic, violent overthrow with a more gradual, permanent revolution.34

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