| − | '''Karl Marx''' (1818-1883) was the most influential of all [[socialist]] thinkers and the creator of a system of thought called [[Marxism]]. He helped organize the international socialist movement. His ideas motivated radical [[political]] activists who joined his call to overthrow [[capitalism]]. Marxism argued that all events in [[history]] are caused by economic forces, especially class conflict between owners and workers. Marx depicted the inevitable evolution from [[feudalism]] to [[capitalism]] (which happened, he argued, during the [[French Revolution]]), to [[socialism]], which was about to happen as soon as the workers got organized. Many intellectuals accepted Marx's "scientific" analysis and prediction. In recent decades there has been little interest in Marx among economists or historians, who nearly unanimously conclude his analysis was faulty and his predictions were wrong<ref>http://www.economist.com/node/1489165</ref>, but there is much more among critics of literature, especially in university English departments. | + | '''Karl Marx''' (1818-1883) was the most influential of all [[socialist]] thinkers and the creator of a system of thought called [[Marxism]]. He helped organize the international socialist movement. His ideas motivated radical [[political]] activists who joined his call to overthrow [[capitalism]]. Marxism argued that all events in [[history]] are caused by economic forces, especially class conflict between owners and workers. Marx depicted the inevitable evolution from [[feudalism]] to [[capitalism]] (which happened, he argued, during the [[French Revolution]]), to [[socialism]], which was about to happen as soon as the workers got organized. Many intellectuals accepted Marx's "scientific" analysis and prediction. In recent decades there has been little interest in Marx among economists or historians, who nearly unanimously conclude his analysis was faulty and his predictions were wrong,<ref>http://www.economist.com/node/1489165</ref> but there is more interest in Marx among critics of literature, especially in university English departments. |