Description

As one of the most influential thinkers of the modern age, Karl Marx s political philosophy has resounded throughout politics and history, from the nineteenth century to the present day. In recent times however the concept of Marxism has become a vague term, of uncertain and contestable definition, increasingly inaccessible to those new to Marx s writings. How are we to understand Marxism when it has become so open to appropriation? In Karl Marx, Paul Thomas introduces the reader to Marx s life and writings, to show how each cast light on the other. Concise yet detailed, Thomas concentrates directly on Marx s nineteenth-century life and works to give a clear, precise guide to Marx s own thought and action. The book relates Marx s development as a critical thinker and revolutionary politician to events that took place in his own lifetime, events that strongly influenced his doctrines. A cogent, jargon-free introduction, Karl Marx welcomes those new to Marx s life and work, as well as having much to say to students and scholars of political theory and history.