Liberty Exposed: The Character of Karl Marx
Hennie Stande
The left has a worldview that is built on a hierarchy of the oppressed and the oppressor. This fundamental structure that underlies their entire beliefs stems from the works of Karl Marx, the father of communism. Not merely economically but socially, by having a list of oppressed classes by gender, race, and sexual orientation. The left has turned this into their playbook, and because his tactics have been so widely adopted, Karl Marx may be the most influential philosopher and political theorist of the day.
There is something to be said about the character of a person who is attempting to develop ideas that will change the world. While some ideas may be objective, good, or bad, it is a good rule to study the personal lives of those who developed them. Let us negate the fact that Karl Marx's ideas would ultimately lead to the deaths of over 100 million people, but judge the many on his person dealing with his friends, loved ones, and contribution to society. That way, we can determine whether or not they are hypocritical of their own ideals or if they have acted in a moral way that we would like to emulate in our society.
The saying “action speaks louder than words” is a standard that we should all bear, particularly when it involves issues and such a grand scale of how we should be conducting our society. How a person acts in their life says a lot about what they value and truly think. By this same standard, Karl Marx’s personal life was that of neglect for his wife and children, being a nuisance to the community, and manipulating those around him.
A Student
In the fall of 1835, Karl Marx attended the University of Bonn to study law. However, instead of taking his studies seriously, Karl Marx decided to join a drinking tavern club, where he would act like a drunken derelict and accumulate large debts. This would leave the University of Bonn to issue a soft expulsion and transfer Marx to the University of Berlin.
It was there in Berlin that Karl Marx would change his studies from law to philosophy in hopes of becoming a professor. Marx would then join the left-wing school of Hegelians, which sought an anti-Christian campaign that looked to discredit the religion. He also wrote and distributed pro-revolutionary literature, which would get Marx in trouble with both the government and the university.
His action would lead to the university stating that he would never be allowed to become a professor anywhere in Germany, so he then willingly transformed the University of Jena. It would be fair to say Marx's college experience was a mess, to say the least. He was uninterested in his studies and instead drank, which he would do heavily for the rest of his life.
Family
In July of 1843, Karl Marx married Jenny von Westphalen, the daughter of a wealthy architect from Marx’s hometown. All throughout their marriage, Karl Marx neglect any responsibilities delegated to the husband or father. Even in dire circumstances where his wife and children were left cold and starved, Karl Marx only found interest in studying at the library. A British government official described the state of their living.
“(Marx) lives in one of the worst, therefore one of the cheapest, neighborhoods in London. He occupies two rooms. There is not one clean or decent piece of furniture in either room, but everything is broken, tattered, and torn, with thick dust over everything and the greatest untidiness everywhere. In the middle of the parlor, there is a large old-fashioned table covered with oilcloth. On it, there are manuscripts, books and newspapers, as well as the children’s toys, odds and ends and his wife’s sewing basket, cups with broken rims, dirty spoons, knives and forks, lamps, an ink-pot, tumblers, some Dutch clay-pipes, tobacco ashes—all in a pile on the same table. . . . But all these things do not in the least embarrass Marx or his wife.”
1 Wilson, Edmund, “To the Finland Station,” pp. 217-218
Jenny and their many children lived in abject poverty because of Marx’s unwillingness to seek employment. Nevertheless, Jenny remained extremely loyal to her husband. A letter from her personal diary describes the suffering that she and her children endured.
“Let me describe only one day of this life, as it actually was. . . . Since wet nurses are exceedingly expensive here, I made up my mind, despite terrible pains in the breasts and the back, to nurse the baby myself. But the poor little angel drank in so much sorrow with the milk that he was continually fretting, in violent pain, day and night. Since he has been in the world, he has not slept a single night through, at most two or three hours. Of late, there have been violent spasms, so that the child is continually betwixt life and death. When thus afflicted, he sucked so vigorously that my nipple became sore and bled; often the blood streamed into his little mouth. One day I was sitting like this when our landlady suddenly appeared. . . . Since we could not pay this sum (of five pounds) instantly, two brokers came into the house and took possession of all my belongings—bedding, clothes, everything—even the baby’s cradle and the little girls’ toys, so that the children wept bitterly. They threatened to take everything away in two hours. (Fortunately, they did not.) If this had happened, I would have had to lie on the floor with my freezing children beside me. . . .
"Richie, Otto, “KARL MARX,” pp. 202-204.
At this time, Marx could be found soused in alcohol or at the library. As a man, husband, and father, it should be appalling to have such a low character that you subject your wife and children to these conditions. To ignore all responsibilities and spend his time drinking or reading while his family was focused on those who suffered such hardships should be a testament to how Karl Marx cared for the people around him.
The Relationship With Friedrich Engels
The relationship between Friedrich Engel and Karl Marx was well established; Marx manipulated him for his own personal gain. Friedrich Engels, who would later help co-write the Communist Manifesto, was already an avid fan of Marx before meeting him. He himself traveled to London in order to meet his idol. Their relationship grew fast, and before long, Engels was financing Marx's work and advocating for revolution alongside him. This seemed like a great honor for Engels. After being expelled from the states of France for attempting to start a revolutionary movement, Engels wrote
“Please take it as a matter of course that it will be the greatest pleasure in the world to place at your disposal the fee I hope shortly to receive for my English literary venture. I can get along without any money just now, for my governor (father) will have to keep me in funds. We cannot allow the dogs to enjoy having in-volved you in pecuniary embarrassment by their infamous behavior.”
This money would never be used to support his family, but only to fund Karl Marx's drinking habits. Marx sent many letters to Engels, urging him to send more money until eventually, Engels had nothing left to give. Karl Marx was a leech and manipulated Engel, or his wealth, and took his generosity for granted.
Conclusion
These examples of Karl Marx as a friend, husband, and father should express the poor and little character Marx had. He neglected the life and safety of his family. Karl Marx would never be used as an appropriate example of how one should conduct their business or professional life. If this is true, then why would anyone be willing to take their philosophical opinion on the world as valid? You would not, and yet Karl Marx still remains the epicenter of leftist views on the economy, family, structure, race, and government.
While no one is perfect, a lot can be determined about a person by how they choose to spend their life during their time on this earth. As some on the left looked for guidance, one could not have picked a worse person. The life of Karl Marx, based on his own actions, grew to be just as destructive and wasteful as his ideas of communism would be towards the rest of the world.