Portrait of Karl Marx (Founder of Marxism) Mouse Mat

This design features a famous photograph of Karl Marx (1818–1883), who was a German philosopher, economist, historian, journalist, sociologist, political theorist and socialist revolutionary. He is most famous for founding the political system known as Marxism, based on the idea that the world is divided into classes, workers (proletarians) and capitalists (the bourgeoisie), and that class conflict is inevitable, until communism (a stateless, classless society) arises. Many people disagree about what Marxism means and whether a Marxist society would be a good or bad thing, but it's clear that Karl Marx has had a huge influence on all subsequent politics. This portrait was taken by the photographer John Mayall (1813–1901). The best known writings of Karl Marx are the 1848 pamphlet "The Communist Manifesto" and the three-volume "Das Kapital".