The Meaning of Karl Marx

Why is Marxism the major secular religion of our day? This provocative book seeks to answer that question by examining the complex interrelationship of Karl Marx's life and writings. Mazlish traces the evolution of Marx's ideology in the context of the 19th century and the industrial revolution, looking closely at Marx's early poems and essays as well as his relations with his father and family and his early philosophical, economic, and revolutionary writings. Examining how Marx worked toward the economic theory of history that culminated in Capital, this book illuminates the so-called conflict between the "young" humanist Marx and the "old" scientific Marx by concentrating on a human Marx who consistently pursued his revolutionary millennial vision in both phases of his career.