This introduction to Marxist philosophy is conceived as a brief reference work for students. First, it explains the principal theories of Marx: his conception of political economy, class theory, historical materialism and notions on base and superstructure. The application of Marxist philosophy in social sciences is expounded using the example of Marxist art history. Conceived for a new generation, the text has deliberately been written in a very short, straightforward form.

Boris Röhrl is professor of art history at RheinMain University of Applied Sciences Wiesbaden near Frankfurt on Main (Germany). His special fields of research are realism in visual arts and the art of the Renaissance.