Changes

The necessity for material sustenance gives rise to an imperfect means of production, which changes as the internal contradictions of thesis and antithesis work themselves out. A key feature of Marx's sociology was that the competition for resources splits society into mutually antagonistic classes ("The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.") whilst the operation of the dialectic serves to continually reduce the numbers of classes until, in the industrial age, society was almost wholly split between "bourgeoisie" and "proletariat".  

The necessity for material sustenance gives rise to an imperfect means of production, which changes as the internal contradictions of thesis and antithesis work themselves out. A key feature of Marx's sociology was that the competition for resources splits society into mutually antagonistic classes ("The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.") whilst the operation of the dialectic serves to continually reduce the numbers of classes until, in the industrial age, society was almost wholly split between "bourgeoisie" and "proletariat".  

"''Das Kapital''" ("''Capital''") seeks to demonstrate that the bourgeoisie make profits by exploitation of the proletariat.  The exploitation arises where the value of the goods produced by workers is much more than the wages paid, and this "surplus value" is literally stolen from workers by owners. Marx sought to show that the competition amongst the bourgeoisie forced them to exploit their workers as much as possible. If an individual bourgeois refused to continue the exploitation he would soon be forced into bankruptcy or be taken over by someone who would.  The result is a relentless increase in the misery of the proletariat who, eventually, would rebel and replace the existing capitalist system with a socialist/communist system.

"''Das Kapital''" ("''Capital''") seeks to demonstrate that the bourgeoisie make profits by exploitation of the proletariat.  The exploitation arises where the value of the goods produced by workers is much more than the wages paid, and this "surplus value" is literally stolen from workers by owners. Marx sought to show that the competition amongst the bourgeoisie forced them to exploit their workers as much as possible. If an individual bourgeois refused to continue the exploitation he would soon be forced into bankruptcy or be taken over by someone who would.  The result is a relentless increase in the misery of the proletariat who, eventually, would rebel and replace the existing capitalist system with a socialist/communist system. As well as proposing an economic system Marx also had modern views on education, he advocated education for all including women and the lower classes who at the time were without any education.

Marx is considered very controversial in religious circles for his statement, "Religion...is the opium of the people."  This was written in his 1843 work "A Contribution to the  [http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1843/critique-hpr/intro.htm Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right]" and expresses Marx's belief that religion offers a false palliative to assuage the suffering of the oppressed, which he felt prevents people from seeking to cure the conditions which cause that suffering. It is often cited as evidence of Marx's atheism and generally reflects Marx's disdain for those who have found belief in powers higher than man himself.{{fact}}

Marx is considered very controversial in religious circles for his statement, "Religion...is the opium of the people."  This was written in his 1843 work "A Contribution to the  [http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1843/critique-hpr/intro.htm Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right]" and expresses Marx's belief that religion offers a false palliative to assuage the suffering of the oppressed, which he felt prevents people from seeking to cure the conditions which cause that suffering. It is often cited as evidence of Marx's atheism and generally reflects Marx's disdain for those who have found belief in powers higher than man himself.{{fact}}