The Teachings of Karl Marx

Jul 6, 2026

A biographical and thematic introduction to Karl Marx’s life and development of his ideas, presented by V. I. Lenin. The text traces Marx’s early upbringing and education, his initial adherence to Hegelian idealism, and his participation in the “Left Hegelians” seeking revolutionary conclusions. It describes the shift toward materialist thinking through Feuerbach, Marx’s editorial role at the Rheinische Zeitung, state suppression of the paper, and the personal circumstances surrounding his move toward deeper study of political economy.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages49

Reading Time1 h 15 min

THE TEACHINGS OF KARL MARX

KARL MARX

MARX'S TEACHINGS

Materialist Conception of History

Class Struggle

Marx's Economic Doctrine

Tactics of the Class Struggle of the Proletariat

BIBLIOGRAPHY Or MARXISM

LITTL E LE NIN LI BR AR Y 000705 VOLUME 1 By V.I.LENIN FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY LIBRARY SOCIALIST-LABORCOLLECTION INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHERS381 FOURTH AVENUE·NEW YORK THE TEA CHING SOF KARL MARX BY V.I.LENIN 超的 INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHERSNEW YORK Copyright,1930,byINTERNATIONAL PUBLISHERS CO.,INC. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. 72 CONTENTS KARI.MARX ARL IVIARX··· · · ·· · ………………………………… MARx's TEACHINCS . .. Materialist Conception of History …………………… Class Struggle .· ……………………………………………… Marx's Economic Doctrine. · · · · · . . Tactics of the Class Struggle of the Proletariat . · BIBLIOGRAPHY Or MARXISM . ……………………………………… ·5 .10 10 13 · 14 16 . 18 . 29 32 37 # THE TEACHINGS OF KARL MARX By V.I.LENIN — — KARL MARX KARL MARX was born May 5,1818,in the city of Trier,in theRhine province of Prussia.His father was a lawyer—a Jew,whoin 1824 adopted Protestantism.The family was well-to-do,cultured,but not revolutionary.After graduating from the Gymnasium inTrier,Marx entered first the University at Bonn,later BerlinUniversity,where he studied jurisprudence,but devoted most ofhis time to history and philosophy.At the conclusion of his uni-versity course in 1841,he submitted his doctoral dissertation onEpicure's philosophy.*Marx at that time was still an adherent ofHegel's idealism.In Berlin he belonged to the circle of“LeftHegelians”(Bruno Bauer and others)who sought to draw atheisticand revolutionary conclusions from Hegel's philosophy. After graduating from the University,Marx moved to Bonn inthe expectation of becoming a professor.However,the reactionarypolicy of the government,—that in 1832 had deprived Ludwig Feuer-bach of his chair and in 1836 again refused to allow him to teach,while in 1842 it forbade the young professor,Bruno Bauer,to givelectures at the University—forced Marx to abandon the idea ofpursuing an academic career.The development of the ideas ofLeft Hegelianism in Germany was very rapid at that time.LudwigFeuerbach in particular,after 1836,began to criticise theology andto turn to materialism,which by 1841 had gained the upper handin his conceptions(Das Wesen des Christentums [The Essence ofChristianity]):in 1843 his Grundsätze der Philosophie der Zukunft[Principles of the Philosophy of the Future]appeared.Of these works of Feuerbach,Engels subsequently wrote:“One must him-self have experienced the liberating effect of these books."*“We”(the Left Hegelians,including Marx)"at once became Feuer-bachists.”At that time the radical bourgeois of the Rhine province,who had certain points of contact with the Left Hegelians,founded,in Cologne,an opposition paper,the Rheinische Zeitung [RhenishGazette],which began to appear on January 1,1842.Marx andBruno Bauer were invited to be the chief contributors,and inOctober,1842,Marx became the paper's editor-in-chief and movedfrom Bonn to Cologne.As the revolutionary-democratic tendencyof the paper under Marx's editorship became more and more pro-nounced,the government first subjected the paper to double andtriple censorship,then ordered its complete suppression by April 1,1843.**At this time Marx was compelled to resign his post aseditor,but his resignation did not save the paper,which was forcedto suspend publication in March,1843.Of Marx's larger articlesthat were published in the Rheinische Zeitung,besides those indi-cated below***Engels notes an article on the situation of the peas-ant wine-growers in the Moselle Valley.****Marx's newspaperwork revealed to him that he was not sufficiently acquainted withpolitical economy,and he set out to study it diligently. In 1843 Marx married,in Kreuznach,Jenny von Westphalen,achildhood friend to whom he had been engaged since his studentyears.His wife came from a reactionary family of the Prussiannobility.Her elder brother was Prussian Minister of the Interior inone of the most reactionary epochs,1850-1858.In the autumn of1843,Marx went to Paris in order to publi

FAQs

Who wrote the work and what is it about?

The work is by V. I. Lenin and centers on Karl Marx—his life, intellectual development, and the main components of Marx’s teachings.

How did Marx’s early intellectual orientation change?

Marx initially adhered to Hegel’s idealism and the “Left Hegelians,” then moved toward materialism influenced by Feuerbach’s critiques and writings.

What role did the Rheinische Zeitung play in Marx’s career?

Marx became editor-in-chief in 1842, but increasing revolutionary-democratic influence led the government to impose censorship and ultimately suppress the paper by April 1843.

Jul 6, 2026

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