Marx is deservedly the most famous man in history.
Yes, right after hitler.
Both progressives and conservatives should be able to agree that Marx is the perfect figurehead for the left. For the left, he's the patron saint of economic progress; for the right, the patron saint of unintended consequences.
Progressives? Karl Marx 'owned the libs' more and better than any person in history. The degree to which he despised liberals really cannot be exaggerated. He despised liberalism even more than capitalism. In fact, he was quite fond of capitalism.
He was not "fond" of capitalism - he rightly considered it preferable to feudalism, but to Marx, capitalism and liberalism were two sides of the same coin: capitalism the economic side, liberalism the political side. He was a revolutionary socialist and a proponent of organized labor; the "liberalism" Marx hated was what we would now call "classical liberalism".
He was fond of capitalism because it was a prerequisite stage to socialism, and saying he considered capitalism "preferrable" to feudalism is far too simplistic. To barely even scratch the surface, capitalism would be preferred by the bourgeoise but a nightmare for peasants and the aristocracy. Peasants everywhere fought aggressively against being forced into factories, but they were unorganized so they never won for very long.
I think the most famous man in history would have to be Jesus of Nazareth. Marx is definitely up there, though.
Fair enough! But Marx would be second.
Indeed. At minimum, approximately everyone in China, Russia, and other states currently or formerly governed by a self-described Communist party, i.e. at least a quarter of all people alive. Not to mention that it is becoming difficult to go online without seeing someone expressing an opinion about Marxism, pro or against.
Also people propagandized by anti-communists in capitalist nations, despite such people being so malinformed.