New Times,
New Thinking.

Why Marx is more relevant than ever in the age of automation

On the bicentenary of his birth, Marx continues to be a key thinker thanks to his surprising faith in the individual.

By Paul Mason

This article originally appeared on 7 May 2018. It has been republished in light of the commemoration of the day on which Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels published the Communist Manifesto – 26 February 1848.

The blurry snapshot catches Leon Trotsky in mid-sentence, in Frida Kahlo’s house sometime in 1937. To the left of the frame is Natalia Sedova, Trotsky’s wife. To the right is Kahlo and, half hidden behind her, a young woman listening intently: Trotsky’s secretary Raya Dunayevskaya.

Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month
Content from our partners
More than a landlord: A future of opportunity
Towards an NHS fit for the future
How drones can revolutionise UK public services
Topics in this article :