John Locke vs Karl Marx

Locke fled to the Netherlands due to suspicion of involvement in the Rye House Plot against King Charles II. During his exile, he wrote his major works and associated with Dutch intellectuals. He returned to England after the Glorious Revolution in 1688.

Locke published his major philosophical work arguing that the human mind at birth is a tabula rasa (blank slate) and that all knowledge comes from sensory experience. This work established empiricism as a foundation of modern philosophy and influenced the Enlightenment.

Locke published his political treatise arguing for natural rights to life, liberty, and property, and the right of revolution against tyranny. The work justified the Glorious Revolution and later profoundly influenced the American Declaration of Independence and Constitution.

Locke argued for the separation of church and state and for religious toleration, except for Catholics and atheists. He maintained that civil government should not interfere with matters of conscience. This work became a foundational text for religious freedom in liberal democracies.

Marx and Engels published the Manifesto of the Communist Party, calling for the overthrow of bourgeois society and the establishment of a classless society. The pamphlet's closing line 'Workers of the world, unite!' became a rallying cry for socialist and communist movements worldwide.

After the failure of the 1848 revolutions, Marx was expelled from Prussia and France and settled in London. He lived in poverty while researching at the British Museum, writing Das Kapital, and organizing the International Workingmen's Association (First International).

Marx helped found the International Workingmen's Association (First International) in London, uniting socialist, communist, and anarchist groups from across Europe. He wrote its inaugural address and served on its General Council, shaping its political direction until its dissolution in 1876.

Marx published the first volume of his magnum opus, Das Kapital, a critical analysis of political economy. He developed the labor theory of value, the concept of surplus value, and the theory of capitalist crisis. The work became the foundational text of Marxist economics.