Who were Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels?

Karl Marx (1818–1883) and Friedrich Engels (1820–1895) were 19th-century thinkers whose collaborative work formed the foundation of Marxism.12

Karl Marx was a revolutionary, sociologist, historian, and economist born in Prussia. After facing obstacles to an academic career due to his political views, he turned to journalism and radical politics. He is best known for authoring Das Kapital, a seminal critique of capitalism.123

Friedrich Engels, the son of a textile manufacturer, was a capitalist who managed a factory in Manchester. Despite his background, he was deeply disturbed by the poverty of the working class, documenting these conditions in The Condition of the Working Class in England.34

Together, they coauthored The Communist Manifesto (1848), which argued that history is defined by class struggle and predicted the eventual overthrow of capitalism by the proletariat. Their partnership lasted nearly 40 years, with Engels providing financial support to Marx and later completing volumes of Das Kapital following Marx's death.5364