Karl Marx was a German philosopher, economist, and revolutionary socialist whose work profoundly altered the landscape of social and political theory. He is best known for developing historical materialism, a method of analysis that examines the evolution of society through the lens of class struggle and economic development.
In collaboration with Friedrich Engels, he authored The Communist Manifesto in 1848, which outlined the trajectory of capitalism and the eventual rise of the proletariat. His magnum opus, Das Kapital (1867–1894), provided a rigorous critique of classical political economy. The resulting body of thought, known as Marxism, has served as a primary ideological driver for numerous political movements and revolutions globally.