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How British capitalism gave birth to Marxism
Living in 19th century Britain put Marx in the best possible position to observe and expose the inner workings of the capitalist mode of production, writes DAVID McLELLAN
A child labourer in a Victorian cotton mill

IF HE had not spent the second half of his life in Britain, Marx would not have been able to produce his magnum opus.

Marx arrived in London in August 1849 and remained there until his death. British capitalism was at its zenith during this period and Britain was the world’s leading industrial nation.

Marx was thus in the best possible position to observe and expose the inner workings of the capitalist mode of production. If, as he said, “the country which is more developed industrially only shows, to the less developed, the image of its own future,” then his view from Britain could be said to be truly global.

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