How Marx became a communist

Revolutionary Communist Party
Revolutionary Communist Party
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Published 2024-03-15
141 years ago this week, Karl Marx died. His ideas laid the scientific foundation of the revolutionary communist movement, and would transform the course of world history.

Today, not only do these ideas continue to inspire millions, they also provide our sharpest theoretical weapons in the struggle to overthrow capitalism and bring the working class to power.

In this talk, Josh Holroyd – editor for In Defence of Marxism – explores the theories and events that inspired and shaped the young Karl Marx.

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All Comments (21)
  • @ronmackinnon9374
    Spellings of some of those mentioned (for anyone interested, as closed captioning doesn't help): Etienne Cabet (1788-1856) Etienne-Gabriel Morelly (1717-1778) Gracchus Babeuf (1760-1797) Pierre [not 'Paul,' as misstated by the speaker at about 19:05] Leroux (1797-1871) Louis Auguste Blanqui [who is not to be confused with Louis Blanc] (1805-1881) Wilhelm Weitling (1808-1871)
  • @FreshHeat
    Josh needs a forumn where he can talk about this in detail. Dude is a natural!
  • @pamcj008
    What a wonderful class on marxism! Congrats, comrades!
  • @stavroskarageorgis4804
    Before Berlin, Hegel was at Jena. Interesting that it's from the University of Jena that Marx received his Doctorate.
  • @ronmackinnon9374
    (2:00) To be clear, Frederick William IV didn't become King of Prussia until 1840. While that would have been during Marx's time studying at the University of Berlin, the Prussian monarch up until that point in his life was Frederick William III (whose reign had begun back during the wars of the French Revolution).
  • @ronmackinnon9374
    (24:19) So for Saint-Simon, the 'working class' basically corresponded to what had been called the 'Third Estate' under the ancien regime , in which all the 'commoners' -- i.e., anyone who wasn't part of the nobility or clergy, i.e., not only workers and peasants, but also bourgeois business owners big and small -- were grouped together.
  • @merrick2752
    Oh for ...sake. Marx was a German economist who, using data, predicted where a capitalist society would end up. Right where we are now.
  • @ieatyog
    Great presentation. Bravo comrade.
  • @ronmackinnon9374
    (46:01-46:12) Info on the George Sand work which was the source of the 'combat or death' quote used by Marx at the end of 'The Poverty of Philosophy' isn't that easy to find. But apparently it's from a novel called 'Jean Ziska' (about the Czech historical figure Jan Zizka), first published in 1843.
  • @stavroskarageorgis4804
    The Z in Zeitung is pronounced almost as "ch". The "z" sound is invariably rendered via an 's' (between vowels). Diese, wesen, etc..
  • @ronmackinnon9374
    At 40:10, he first says that Proudhon was considered 'an expert on political economy' in France, but moments later says that he was considered a 'bad economist' in France. Any explanation for that contradiction, other than that the speaker misstated one of those?
  • @lazarbaruch
    I grew up in a communist regime and brings up things that I never knew. As a "theory" looks good. However, it cannot be put in practice without bringing tiranny, horror and misery. That from the sociological point of view. From the economic point of view it was wrong from birth and now, altogether it is a joke. But as history is interesting of you ignore the speaker;s recommandattions.