Marx' and Engels' Critique of Capitalism:A Historical Review

Marx' and Engels' lifelong though unfinished efforts lie in their understanding and critique of capitalism, which resulted in such classics as Das Kapital, an exemplar for analyzing capitalism via its particular mode of production. Five phases can be distinguished in the historical development of this exemplar: 1) Before 1844: Criticizing Prussian feudalism in light of bourgeois revolution and making the burgerliche Gesellschaft the departure point for study; 2) From 1844 to the spring of 1845: Probing into political economics and revealing the capitalism, through the theory of entfremdete Arbeit, as an inhuman, disintegrated and industry-dominating society; 3) From the spring of 1845 to 1849: Inquiring scientifically the material production, viewing capitalist society from a historical perspective, and considering the class struggle as the means of realizing communism; 4) From 1850 to the end of 1860s: Restudying economics, starting with Das Kapital, making clear, through analyzing the surplus value, the overall control of social life by the capital and establishing a classic exemplar for the understanding of capitalism; 5) developing the theories of changing capitalism and that of anthropological studies in Marx' and Engels' late years.