KARL MARX BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Marx was born in a jewish German family to a lawyer; took advantage of the opportunities

nities available to jews during the Napolean rule. Influence by Frieher Ludwig Von Westphealer. Joined University of Bonn; was transferred to Berlin. Joined a group of young Hegalians; however ended up constructing a rival system to hegalians positivism. Despite fathers discouragement; he quit law and studied philosophy. However, fathers death forced him to think of a non-academic career. Had become the editor of a journal; but moved to Paris which was the intellectual capital of the period. He wanted to study the reasons behind the failure of the French revolution. Met Frederick Engels; started a long lasting friendship. Wrote against the Prussian Government; thereby getting expelled from Paris. Went to Brussels to form an international association of workers called Communist League. Published the Communist Manifesto, for which he got expelled from Belgium. Was invited back to France after the outbreak of the revolution. Wasnt impressed in Paris; went to Cologne, started a journal, which was suppressed. He, thereby, was prosecuted for publishing an article. During prosecution, gave an emphasizing speech regarding the conditions in Germany and was thereby thanked for enlightenment by the Court and acquitted. His citizenship was taken away; went to France, from where he was expelled again. Escaped to London; joined by Engels there. Lived a life of inactivity and poverty, which helped him develop as a thinker. Wrote about the economic conditions in England. When Workers International was formed; he represented the German artisans in London and delivered a lecture on the inaugural day. In 1857, published Das Kapital; 2nd and 3rd Editions were edited by Engels. It caused a stir and was translated in multiple languages. Workers International, however, lost its zeal and Marx went into obscurity again. Russia welcomed his ideas; and was made a hero after the Russian Revolution. Died of illness there.

The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle. HEGALIAN CONCEPT OF HISTORICAL PROGRESS Hegalian focussed upon how history progresses through stages. Thesis leads to anti-thesis, which in turn leads to a synthesis; thereby, developing a new thesis. According to the Hegalian principle, history is the progress of consciousness of freedom. It progresses with the creation of new ideas that forms the base for every new stage. MARXIAN CONCEPT OF HISTORICAL MATERIALISM Marx agreed with the Hegalian principle to the extent that history moves from one stage to another. However, he disagreed when it came to how it happens. The base of every stage in history is the material conditions that exist. Such conditions include the means of production like land, labour etc., the modes of production and the technological aspects. If a man has to exist then he has to continuously produce the material things in life.

Therefore, the material aspects form the base upon which the superstructure is built. The superstructure includes the laws, or the infrastructure or health and education measures etc. These material conditions thereby influence and create ideas, which Hegel perceived to be the cause of change. The effect such material aspects have on humans is called the relation of production. Relation of production refers to the socio-economic relationship between humans and production. Hence, Marx addressed material conditions of a society to be the cause for the movement from one stage to another. MEANS OF PRODUCTIONS Means of productions refer to the physical and non-human essentials of production, which include land, capital, machinery, tools etc. Thus, for the purpose of growing crops, land, necessary tools, seeds, water resources etc become the means of production. FORCES OF PRODUCTION Forces of production refer to the essentials of human input for the purpose of production or the productive powers of the labour. It includes the technological know-how as to how to use the means of production in order to produce the material goods required. Thus, for growing crops, knowing how to plough, irrigate, remove weeds etc is forces of production. RELATIONS OF PRODUCTION In order to produce material goods, people organize themselves into society. In this sense, labour has always been social in character. Therefore, the social relations developed between the labour involved in the process of production are referred to as the relations of production. There is a strong inter-relation between relations and forces of production, wherein a change in the latter shall always lead to a change in the former or vice versa. This inter-relation or closeness acts as the motor of history; leading to a progress from one stage to another. MODES OF PRODUCTION Modes of Production refer to the ways of producing the surplus and utilizing the same. It is a specific combination of the means of production, the forces of production and the relations of productions. The progress of history is characterized by the movement from one mode of production to the other due the change in the forces of production as well as the relations of production. ASIATIC MODE OF PRODUCTION Primitive Characteristics Ownership of land was communal Partly organized according to kinship Absence of state Class-less society ANCIENT MODE OF PRODUCTION

The mode of production introduced the concept of ownership and slavery. People had a right to own slaves, who were regarded as property. Slaves had no rights of their own and made no contribution to either the demographic or the population of a society. FEUDAL MODE OF PRODUCTION Characterized by the existence of landlords, who owned land. Serfs, not being legally free, had no such right to own any property but could would on the land of the landlords. In exchange, the landlords extracted huge amounts of rent out of the serfs; thereby exploiting them. The serfs were obliged to surrender their labour above and beyond the necessary amount as required by the family; and hence were deprived of their own surplus. The Landlords could also demand any kinds of services to be performed in place of dues to be paid. The key difference between serfs and slaves was that serfs, unlike slaves contributed to the population and were considered persons, and not property. CAPITALIST MODE OF PRODUCTION Characterized by the existence of capital. Capital included not just money but any and every means of production including land. The capital was owned by a few selected individuals called capitalists that led to the exclusion of masses from the concept of ownership of property. The remaining persons owned their own labour which was also subject of sale. Labour used to work on the privately owned means of production to produce goods in exchange of wages. However, the additional goods produced by the labour belonged to the capitalists. Hence, the capitalists deprived the labour of their surplus; and made further profits by the sale thereof. This led to an extensive creation of markets, and trade centres. Lastly, financial decisions were controlled by the capitalists. CLASS STRUGGLE Class (Classis, Latin) has two determining factors: o Group of people having the same relation to the means of production or same relations of production o A mutual class feeling or feeling of belongingness to that particular class It is not sufficient for a class to be class in itself but a class for itself. Any collectivity or grouping of persons having similar relationships would make a category. For it to form a class there must also exist class consciousness. Haves: Bourgeois Have Nots: Proletariat Due to the continuous exploitation of the proletariat, there came about a sense of class consciousness. The Proletariat organized them and demanded improved wages, better working conditions and other necessary rights. Since the capitalist system symbolizes the most acute form of inequality, it paves way for a social revolution whereby the Proletariat takes over the Bourgeois.