Manuscript notes for Das Kapital. Kritik der politischen Oekonomie (Capital. A Critique of Political Economy)

Karl Marx’s foundational account of capitalist production and its manifold effects on human lives still inspires argument, insight, and resistance. The first volume of the work appeared in print in 1867 following a protracted period of research and composition, largely carried out in the reading room of the British Museum. As a supporter of the 1848 revolutions in France and Germany, Marx was expelled from both countries, and London became his permanent home. Volumes two and three were published posthumously, completed by Marx’s friend and collaborator Friedrich Engels. The work has exerted an immense and lasting influence on world events: over the past century, its ideas have not only maintained a secure place in the realm of economic and political theory, but also inspired anti-capitalist revolutions across the globe.