The Proletariat in Marx and Engels' Critique of Capitalism, 1842–1848.

This article examines the development of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels' understanding of the proletariat and its revolutionary role from 1842 to 1848 within the political context leading up to the European revolutions of 1848–49. It argues that their evolving theoretical work on capitalism, communism, and class struggle was deeply intertwined with their active participation in democratic and communist movements, emphasizing the proletariat as the key revolutionary force capable of overthrowing bourgeois rule through democratic revolution and the socialization of property. The study highlights how Marx and Engels integrated philosophical inquiry, political economy, and practical activism to formulate a strategy that merged communist theory with the working-class movement, stressing international solidarity, the continuation of bourgeois democratic gains, and the necessity of revolution by force. Their writings during this period, including the Manifesto of the Communist Party and revolutionary journalism in the Neue Rheinische Zeitung, reflect these intertwined theoretical and political commitments. The article situates these developments as foundational for Marxist thought, underscoring the proletariat's centrality in Marx and Engels' critique of capitalism and vision for social transformation.