Karl Heinrich Marx was born on May 5th, 1818 in Trier, Germany, into a middle-class Jewish family. His father, a lawyer, converted to Lutheranism to avoid discrimination. Marx received a broad education and was influenced by his mentor, Ludwig von Westphalen, who introduced him to early socialist ideas.
As a student in Bonn and Berlin, Marx was drawn to Hegelian philosophy but aligned with the radical "Young Hegelians." His political views hindered an academic career, leading him to journalism. His radical writings attracted Prussian censors, forcing the closure of his publication and his subsequent move to Paris in 1843.
In Paris, a hub for radicals, Marx met Friedrich Engels. Together, they began developing the foundations of Communism. Expelled from France in 1845, Marx moved to Belgium and became involved with the Communist League. In 1848, he and Engels published the Communist Manifesto, a call to revolution.
After the failed revolutions of 1848, Marx settled in London. Initially awaiting renewed revolution, he eventually focused on theoretical work, culminating in the first volume of Das Kapital (1867). In 1864, he helped found the International Workingmen's Association (First International), gaining significant influence. However, internal conflicts, notably with anarchists, led to its dissolution in 1876.
Marx's later years were spent in London, where he continued writing and advising socialist movements, though he held no formal leadership roles. He died in 1883, his predicted proletarian revolution still unrealized.