Karl Marx

Karl Marx was born on May 5, 1818 to Heinrich and Henrietta Marx in the historical city of Trier. Karl was one of seven children raised within a comfortable middle class home provided by his father. Marx's father worked as a counselor-at-law at the High-Court of Appeal in Trier. David McClellan believes that, "Trier first imbued Marx with his abiding passion for history." (Karl Marx: The Legacy (London: British Broadcasting Corporation, 1983), pg. 11.) Although the Marx family was linked to a long lineage of Jewish ancestry, Heinrich converted his family to Protestantism in order to keep his position at the courthouse. "Some have considered this rabbinic ancestry to be the key to Marx's ideas and see him as a secularized version of an Old Testament prophet (Karl Marx: The Legacy (London: British Broadcasting Corporation, 1983)pg.12) Overall, Marx was raised in a very loving, supportive, environment, and maintained a special relationship with his father throughout his life. (Top Biography "Karl Marx: Ancestry and Birth" August 2000, (March 2002).)
         
In 1830, Marx began school at the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Gymnasium, a Jesuit foundation that had become a respectable high school with a liberal headmaster. While in high school, Marx was known as a bully and acted more as a leader to the students than as a close friend. His grades were not good in history, nor were they good in French or math. Marx, however, did earn excellent grades in Greek, Latin, and German. (The Portable Karl Marx (The Viking Portable Library 1983)

          In 1835, Marx graduated from high school and fell in love with Jenny von Westphalen the daughter of a powerful politician. The couple was secretly engaged in the summer of 1836, but, because of their conflicting ancestries, their families would not allow the wedding to commence for seven years. (The Portable Karl Marx (The Viking Portable Library 1983)

          After the couples engagement, Marx was enrolled into the University... [continues]

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