Opinion of Karl Marx

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

This should be interesting.

[TNF]

Probably the second or third most important person to have ever lived, accounting for only Jesus Christ and Adam Smith. Definite FF, even though a lot of what he postulated and predicted has at this point been refuted and/or hasn't happened yet. Hopefully that changes in the next century or so, and the social parasites are once and for all brought under heel.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

The author of suffering and death for millions of people around the world for over a century and a half.  HP (R).

[Mechaman]

Probably the second or third most important person to have ever lived, accounting for only Jesus Christ and Adam Smith. Definite FF, even though a lot of what he postulated and predicted has at this point been refuted and/or hasn't happened yet. Hopefully that changes in the next century or so, and the social parasites are once and for all brought under heel.

[H. Ross Peron]

His analysis was often enlightening and useful but he failed to see the possibility of the reformation of capitalism and the difficulty of establishing real socialism. 

[bedstuy]

He was a great thinker, journalist and historian.  His economic theories are fundamentally flawed and wrong as proven by history and subsequent understanding.  But, they're still valuable as historical documents and intellectual exercises.

Also, it's ridiculous to lay the crimes of 20th century Marxists at the feet of a writer. 

Probably the second or third most important person to have ever lived, accounting for only Jesus Christ and Adam Smith. Definite FF, even though a lot of what he postulated and predicted has at this point been refuted and/or hasn't happened yet. Hopefully that changes in the next century or so, and the social parasites are once and for all brought under heel.

What is that supposed to mean?

[Senator Spiral]

I'd only be a Marxist if we're talking about the Marx Brothers

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

Mega-HP (R)

[Dr. Cynic]

The author of suffering and death for millions of people around the world for over a century and a half.  HP (R).

Sort of like when the poor were thrown into jails and workhouses or allowed to starve and freeze to death when they couldn't pay the rent because they were paid sh**t wages? Or how about all those children that worked and died in factories because they were expendable and there was no regulation, right?

Hyperbole goes both ways.

[TNF]

He was a great thinker, journalist and historian.  His economic theories are fundamentally flawed and wrong as proven by history and subsequent understanding.  But, they're still valuable as historical documents and intellectual exercises.

Also, it's ridiculous to lay the crimes of 20th century Marxists at the feet of a writer. 

Probably the second or third most important person to have ever lived, accounting for only Jesus Christ and Adam Smith. Definite FF, even though a lot of what he postulated and predicted has at this point been refuted and/or hasn't happened yet. Hopefully that changes in the next century or so, and the social parasites are once and for all brought under heel.

What is that supposed to mean?

The capitalists, of course. That's standard Marxist fare.

[Cassius]

Awful. The herald of a foul, brutish ideology.

[Franzl]

The author of suffering and death for millions of people around the world for over a century and a half.  HP (R).

I know it's you I'm talking to, but believe it or not, Marx didn't....oh hell what's the point.

[Franzl]

In all seriousness, FF.

He had some flawed theories and the practical implementation of his ideas doesn't work (indeed, his ideas aren't necessarily desirable either), but he made some important observations.

He's not responsible for what "communism" became in practice.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Certainly one of the greatest thinkers of the modern age.

TNF: Calling him "the 3rd most important person in history" is a bit of an exaggeration if you consider his influence still spans over less than two centuries whereas some people (not only religious leaders, think also of Greek philosophers for example) have held this influence for millennia.

[Gustaf]

He is one of the most important thinkers of the modern age and made some important points that continue to resonate in many fields, such as history.

When it comes to economics and politics he was very misguided though and it's a bit weird that there are people still calling themselves Marxists in that sense NOW.

I mean, at Marx's time it wasn't obvious that he was wrong but by now I'd say it is. His predictions on how capitalism would evolve have turned out to be wrong, after all.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Was a better historian than an economist.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I wonder which one of you HP voters have actually read anything by Marks?

I sure Oldiesfreak have not.

[ElectionsGuy]

On of the worst human beings of the 19th century.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

His analysis was often enlightening and useful but he failed to see the possibility of the reformation of capitalism and the difficulty of establishing real socialism.  

Marx acknowledged the existence of what he termed "bourgeois socialism" and what we call social democracy. He rejected it, though.

[Gass3268]

Ultimate Freedom Fighter. Also if any of you guys that said HP choose to study History or Political Science in college, be prepared to study a ton of Marx.

[Phony Moderate]

Some of the hatred aimed at him is a bit misguided. I mean, if someone were inspired by the Harry Potter series to commit mass murder, would that make J. K. Rowling a HP?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Was a better historian than an economist.

Quite so. Though, in fairness, it isn't as though other economists of the time covered themselves in intellectual glory...

[Flake]

HP

[Marnetmar]

Neutral. Karl Marx wasn't responsible for the tyrannical governments that used his ideas to their personal advantage, he was just a dude.

[SWE]

FF obviously