Marxism

Photo of Karl Marx, one of the founders and namesake of Marxism.

Marxism is a scientific worldview and school of thought first developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Their theoretical framework was a critical synthesis of French utopian socialism, British political economy and German classical philosophy. Since the 19th century, Marxism has developed as societal conditions progressed. The most advance form of Marxism in the present is Marxism–Leninism. The Marxist scientific worldview has developed through the study of social and historical development based on the historical materialist method.

Marx and Engels first developed scientific socialism through their struggle against the utopian socialists, and reached new grounds with the publication of Capital, vol. I. Marxism was elevated in the 20th century with the practice of the dictatorship of the proletariat, which was the Leninist contribution to Marxism.

Etymology

Marxism is derived from the name of the German revolutionary Karl Marx. The term was popularized by Karl Kautsky who considered himself an "orthodox" Marxist during the dispute between the orthodox and revisionist followers of Marx. Kautsky's revisionist rival Eduard Bernstein also later adopted use of the term. Engels did not support the use of the term "Marxism" to describe either Marx's or his views. Engels claimed that the term was being abusively used as a rhetorical qualifier by those attempting to cast themselves as "real" followers of Marx while casting others in different terms, such as "Lassallians". In 1882, Engels claimed that Marx had criticized self-proclaimed "Marxist" Paul Lafargue, by saying that if Lafargue's views were considered "Marxist", then "one thing is certain and that is that I am not a Marxist".