The year 1848 was also important for European and world history because of the publication of one of the most influential documents ever printed.

After being involved in the revolts in Germany, Karl Marx fled to England where he published 'The Communist Manifesto'. His experience during the revolutions of 1848 had convinced him that the greatest enemies of the workers in mines and factories were not kings or emperors, but the middle class owners of the mines and factories.

Between 1848 and his death in 1883 in London, Karl Marx continued to write and publish works. The most important was "Das Kapital", which helped make the industrial workers throughout Europe become militant, and even violent, in their demands for better pay and better working conditions.

• Back to Europe After Napoleon Homepage
• Top of Page