Skip to main content

Primary sourceBook1847

The Poverty of Philosophy

Karl Marx · 1847

Marx's 1847 French-language book attacking Proudhon's economic theories, his first published statement of materialist economics.

This is Marx's own 1847 polemic, an early published statement of his economic theory against a rival socialist, Proudhon.

Ask Karl Marx about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Title page of the 1847 French first edition of Misère de la philosophie. Text reads: MISÈRE DE LA PHILOSOPHIE, Réponse à La Philosophie de la Misère de M. Proudhon, Par Karl Marx. Publisher lines: Paris, A. Frank, 69 rue Richelieu; Bruxelles, C. G. Vogler, 2 petite rue de la Madeleine; 1847.
Karl Marx, Misère de la philosophie, 1st edition, Paris/Brussels, 1847.

About this source

What it is

This is Karl Marx's book Misère de la philosophie (The Poverty of Philosophy), published in Paris and Brussels in 1847 while Marx lived in exile. Written in French, it answers Pierre-Joseph Proudhon's 1846 book The Philosophy of Poverty.

Why it matters

Marx had known and admired some of Proudhon's earlier writing on property and the working class, but strongly disagreed with his later economic theories. After reading Proudhon's book in late 1846, Marx wrote a detailed critical letter and then this full book-length reply, completed and published within months. It is considered an early, sharp public statement of Marx's materialist approach to economics, written against a rival socialist thinker.

Look closer

  • Why might Marx have chosen to write this book in French rather than German?
  • What does the title's wordplay against Proudhon's book title suggest about Marx's tone?
  • What does this public dispute reveal about disagreements within the socialist movement of the 1840s?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Karl Marx on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Karl Marx sources

Meet the AI Karl Marx →
Front cover of the 1848 German edition of the Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei, printed in green with a black decorative border. Title in black blackletter type, with 'Veröffentlicht im Februar 1848' and 'London' printed below.Book

Primary source

The Communist Manifesto

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels · February 1848

Title page of the first German edition of Das Kapital by Karl Marx, 1867, published in Hamburg by Verlag von Otto Meissner. Ornate border, handwritten note at top right, Erster Band, Buch I: Der Produktionsprocess des Kapitals.Book

Primary source

Capital: A Critique of Political Economy

Karl Marx · 1867

Color slide in a black mount with handwritten label reading 'Moskau, K.-Marx-Denkmal v. Lew Kerbel, 1961 voll. '62'. The photo shows a large grey stone monument of Karl Marx's bearded head and shoulders on a tall rough pedestal, with a plaza, trees, and buildings behind under a cloudy sky.Sculpture

Secondary source

Karl Marx Monument in Moscow

Lew Kerbel · 1961-1962

Black-and-white studio portrait of a bearded older man with wavy white hair, seated in a carved wooden chair with his arms folded, wearing a dark suit and light shirt, against a dark backdrop with a draped curtain on the right.Photograph

Primary source

Portrait of Karl Marx

John Mayall · 1875

Glass lantern slide in a black mount with a handwritten label reading 'TRIER, K.-Marx-Geb.-Haus, Brückenstr. 1965'. The slide shows a color photograph of a three-story white-facade house with dark slate roof, dormer windows, shutters, and a central stone-framed doorway. A small figure stands at the right near the entrance, and a street runs along the bottom.Photograph

Secondary source

Karl Marx's Birthplace House in Trier

1965

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Karl Marx now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions