Why Did This Foreign Historical Figure Impact Half the World?

Marx: Why Did This Foreign Historical Figure Influence Half the World?

In the vast river of human history, countless outstanding figures have shone brightly, and Karl Marx is undoubtedly one of the most brilliant stars among them. His thoughts and theories, like a towering lighthouse, have illuminated the path forward for countless people and profoundly influenced the developmental trajectory of half the world.

Historical Background: A Time of Turbulence and Change

Marx lived in 19th-century Europe, an era of dramatic change. The Industrial Revolution was in full swing, with machine-based mass production gradually replacing traditional handicraft labor, and capitalist economy developing rapidly. However, beneath the appearance of economic prosperity lay profound social contradictions.

Capitalists pursued maximum profit, subjecting workers to ruthless exploitation. Workers labored over twelve hours daily in appalling conditions, yet earned only meager wages that could barely sustain basic living. The gap between rich and poor widened increasingly, and social class antagonism became ever sharper. Simultaneously, political inequality was severe, with the vast laboring masses having virtually no political rights, excluded from state decision-making.

Against this backdrop, various social ideologies emerged. People began contemplating how to change this unjust social situation. Utopian socialists proposed visions of ideal societies, but lacking scientific theoretical foundations, these visions remained purely imaginative. Marx began his exploration of social transformation during this era of turbulence and change.

Formation of Thought: A Difficult Path of Exploration

In his youth, Marx studied law and philosophy at the University of Bonn and the University of Berlin. During his university years, he encountered Hegel's dialectics and Feuerbach's materialism, which profoundly influenced him. However, Marx did not rigidly adhere to their doctrines. Rather, through critique and inheritance, he gradually formed his own unique theoretical system.

In 1844, Marx published the "Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844," a work marking his transition toward historical materialism and the theory of surplus value. In this manuscript, Marx deeply analyzed the phenomenon of alienation in capitalist society, pointing out that workers in capitalist production not only had their labor products expropriated by capitalists but were themselves transformed into tools of labor.

Subsequently, Marx collaborated with Engels to write works such as "The Holy Family" and "The German Ideology." In "The German Ideology," they systematically expounded the basic principles of historical materialism, arguing that material production constitutes the foundation of human social existence and development, and that the contradictory movement between productive forces and relations of production, and between economic base and superstructure, drives social development.

In 1867, Marx's monumental work "Das Kapital" Volume One was published. This masterpiece crystallized Marx's lifelong research. Through deep analysis of capitalist production methods, it revealed the source of surplus value and the secret of capitalist exploitation. Marx demonstrated that capitalists obtained profit by appropriating without compensation the surplus value created by workers, which is the root of all contradictions in capitalist society.

Practical Activities: Tireless Struggle for the Ideal

Marx was not merely a great thinker but also a committed revolutionary. He actively engaged in the workers' movement, hoping to change the fate of the working class through concrete action.

In 1846, Marx and Engels established the Communist Correspondence Committee in Brussels to strengthen connections between workers' organizations in different countries and disseminate scientific socialist ideas. In 1847, they joined the League of the Just and reorganized it into the Communist League. The Communist League was the world's first proletarian political party guided by scientific socialism.

In 1848, the "Communist Manifesto," jointly drafted by Marx and Engels, was published. This manifesto struck like a thunderbolt, shocking all of Europe. It systematically expounded the basic principles of scientific socialism, revealing the historical laws that capitalism must inevitably decline and socialism must inevitably triumph, providing a sharp ideological weapon for the revolutionary struggle of the proletariat.

In 1864, the International Workingmen's Association (the First International) was founded in London, with Marx as its guiding spirit. He drafted many important documents for the First International, directing the struggles of workers' classes in various countries. Under the First International's leadership, workers' movements flourished worldwide, and the power of the working class continually grew stronger.

Profound Influence: Transforming Half the World's Progress

Marx's thoughts and theories exerted an extremely profound influence on the world. In the twentieth century, many countries conducted socialist revolutions and construction under the guidance of Marxism.

The success of the Russian October Revolution represented the great practice of transforming Marxism from theory into reality. The Bolshevik Party led by Lenin, applying the basic principles of Marxism and adapting them to Russian circumstances, successfully overthrew tsarist rule and established the world's first socialist state. Although the Soviet Union experienced many setbacks during socialist construction, it also achieved tremendous accomplishments, such as realizing industrialization and popularizing education.

Since its founding, the Chinese Communist Party has always treated Marxism as its guiding ideology. Under the leadership of successive generations including Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao, and Xi Jinping, the Chinese Communist Party has integrated the basic principles of Marxism with China's concrete conditions, charting a path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. China has achieved remarkable accomplishments in economics, politics, culture, society, and ecological civilization, becoming the world's second-largest economy, with the people's living standards dramatically improved.

Furthermore, Marxism spread widely in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and other regions. The national liberation movements and social transformations of many countries were influenced by Marxism. Marxism provided these countries' peoples with a new way of thinking and a weapon for struggle, advancing their pursuit of national independence and social progress.

Contemporary Value: Wisdom That Endures Through the Ages

In the contemporary era, Marx's ideas retain important significance. With the deepening of globalization, the contradictions of capitalist society have not been fundamentally resolved; instead, they manifest new characteristics under current circumstances.

Marx's critique of capitalist society can still help us deeply understand problems existing in today's capitalist world, such as the widening wealth gap, recurring economic crises, and environmental degradation. His theory of surplus value helps us comprehend multinational corporations' exploitation of global workers and unequal phenomena in the international economic order.

Simultaneously, the values of fairness, justice, freedom, and equality advocated by Marxism remain beautiful goals that human society pursues. In constructing a community with a shared future for humanity, Marxist thought can provide beneficial insights, promoting world peace and development.

Marx's ideas also provide important theoretical foundations for the development of social sciences. In economics, sociology, political science, and other fields, Marx's theories remain important subjects of scholarly research, and his research methods and analytical perspectives offer new directions for these disciplines' development.

Through his profound thought, firm convictions, and tireless struggle, Marx profoundly influenced the historical processes of half the world. His thoughts and theories not only played an enormous role in the past but continue to possess significant value in the contemporary era. We should continuously study and research Marxism, drawing wisdom and strength from it, and contribute our efforts toward promoting humanity's progress and development.