Karl MarxKarl Marx is often called the father of communism, but his life involved much more. He was a political economist, philosopher and revolutionary of ideas. He was a scholar who believed that capitalism would weaken itself, as he stated in the Communist Manifesto. Although he was relatively ambiguous during his lifetime, his works had enormous influence after his death. Some of the most powerful and populous countries in the world still follow his ideas today. Many of the most eventful periods in history were persuaded by his thoughts. Karl Marx was one of the most influential people in world history, and a brief history of his life will show how he achieved many of his attitudes. Karl Heinrich Marx was born in 1818 into a Jewish family in Prussia. His father converted to Christianity later when the authorities did not allow him to practice his Jewish customs. Marx was one of seven children. He was home-schooled until the age of 13 and then went to school. He went to the University of Bonn at the age of seventeen to learn in the field of law. At university he discovered his love for philosophy and literature for the first time, but his father did not allow him to pursue the subject. During this period he wrote many poems in which he referred to his father as a "deity". Marx received his doctorate in 1841 with a thesis entitled The Difference Between Democritean and Epicurean Philosophy of Nature. As can be seen, this may have been the basis for his most famous works. Marx had joined a group called the Young Hegelians. They consisted of a group of philosophers and journalists. Together, they often criticized both the faculty of their institutions and the country's leaders. This had instilled… half the paper… a point for Lenin. In China, Mao Zedong also claimed to be an heir of Marx, but argued that peasants and not just workers could play a leading role in a communist revolution. Under Stalin, the Soviet suppression of the rights of individuals became a struggle in the name of the fight against capitalism. So many lives were impacted by Marx, that he was named number 27 in Michael Hart's The 100 – A List of the Most Influential People in History. After carefully observing his life, it is easy to see how such an important person could have been shaped by the events around him. Works Cited • Jonathan, Wolff. "Charles Marx." Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2003. Stanford University. November 27, 2007 .• "Biography of Karl (Heinrich) Marx." Biography. November 27, 2007 .• Kreis, Steven. "Karl Marx, 1818-1883." The history guide. February 28, 2006. November 27. 2007 .