**Karl Marx** (1818–1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, and revolutionary thinker whose analysis of capitalism profoundly shaped modern social science. After working as a journalist, he spent much of his life in exile in London, where he collaborated with Friedrich Engels on his theories of historical materialism and political economy. His best-known work, "Das Kapital" ("Capital"), offers a systematic critique of capitalism and remains one of the most influential books in the history of economics and political thought.