Who is the author of ‘Das Kapital’ ?

J.J. Rousseau
Adam Smith
Karl Marx
J.S. Mill

The correct answer is (c), Karl Marx.

Karl Marx was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist and socialist revolutionary. Born in Trier, Germany, Marx studied law and philosophy at university. He married Jenny von Westphalen in 1843. Due to his political publications, Marx became stateless and lived in exile in London for decades.

Marx’s best-known works include the 1848 pamphlet The Communist Manifesto and the three-volume Das Kapital. His writings on political philosophy, economics and society—collectively understood as Marxism—hold that human societies develop through class struggle. In capitalism, this manifests itself in the conflict between the ruling classes (known as the bourgeoisie) that control the means of production and the working classes (known as the proletariat) that enable these means by selling their labor power in return for wages.

Marx argued that capitalism would inevitably produce internal tensions which would lead to its destruction. Just as capitalism replaced feudalism, he believed socialism would, in its turn, replace capitalism, and lead to a stateless, classless society called pure communism.

Marx has been described as one of the most influential figures in human history. His work has been cited by academics, politicians, and revolutionaries around the world.