Marxism

Marxism

Noun · /ˈmɑːk.sɪ.z(ə)m/

Definition

The political and economic theory developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, based on the analysis of capitalism as a system producing class conflict, the concept of historical materialism (that material and economic conditions determine social and political structures), and the prediction that capitalism would be replaced by socialism and then communism.

Origin

Named after Karl Marx (1818–1883), the German philosopher, economist, and political theorist. Marxism as a systematic body of thought emerged from works including The Communist Manifesto (1848, co-authored with Friedrich Engels) and Capital (Das Kapital, 1867). The -ism suffix indicates a doctrine or system. Marxism has been interpreted in many ways, producing Leninism, Trotskyism, Maoism, and numerous academic Marxisms.