On the Jewish Question

Philosopher, economist, sociologist, and journalist, Karl Marx became one of the most influential thinkers in history. Born in Trier, Prussia, into a German Jewish family who had converted to Christianity, he spent most of his life in London. Publication of his Communist Manifesto, written with Friedrich Engels, coincided with the European revolutions of 1848. Its closing statement, “Working men of all countries, unite,” became a war cry of class struggle, and Marx’s own role in promoting revolution led to his permanent exile in London. Marx was especially concerned with ideas of property, social justice, and human rights inherited from the Enlightenment via the French Revolution. In On the Jewish Question, Marx writes of Jewish “hucksterism” as emblematic of humanity’s universal need to be emancipated from greed and self-interest.