Karl Marx spent much of his life attempting to describe and understand how capitalism works. In one particularly vivid passage, he described in this way the turbulence he saw as inherent in capitalism: "All that is solid melts into air, all that is holy is profaned, and man is at last compelled to face with sober senses his real condition of life and his relations with his kind." What sort of relationships did he think his readers had with other people?
A) relationships of community and religion
B) relationships based on social bonds and solidarity
C) economic relationships
D) cultural relationships
E) feudal relationships

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Marx believed that capitalism was defined by economic relationships, specifically the exploitative relationship between the bourgeoisie (owners of the means of production) and the proletariat (workers who sell their labor for a wage). He saw this economic relationship as the primary driver of social and political relations in capitalist societies. Therefore, his quote about "real conditions of life and relations with others" likely refers to economic relationships.

Karl Marx Spent Much of His Life Attempting to Describe