The Path Toward Questioning Capitalism (1818–1848): The Young Marx and “New Materialism”

This chapter presents Marx’s life from his university years up to the revolution of 1848, while also providing an overview of the development of his thought during that period. Through tracing the theoretical development that began from his days as a Young Hegelian, the chapter clearly shows the significance of the “new materialism” and “materialistic view of history” that Marx established through his Theses on Feuerbach and German Ideology. This chapter focuses in particular on the development of his critique of the Enlightenment.