Vol. I, Ch. 31, pg. 824.
• N.B. frequently paraphrased as "Force is the midwife of progress" (e.g. https://archive.org/details/apeessence00huxl/page/94/mode/2up?view=theater, https://archive.org/details/historicalbasiso00hynd/page/422/mode/2up (footnote), https://archive.org/details/essaysinsofabian00fabirich/page/x/mode/2up).
• N.B. frequently paraphrased as "Force is the midwife of progress" (e.g. https://archive.org/details/apeessence00huxl/page/94/mode/2up?view=theater, https://archive.org/details/historicalbasiso00hynd/page/422/mode/2up (footnote), https://archive.org/details/essaysinsofabian00fabirich/page/x/mode/2up).
“
Force is the midwife of every old society pregnant with a new one. It is itself an economic power.
— Karl Marx
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Force is the midwife of every old society pregnant with a new one. It is itself an economic power." in the context of "Vol. I, Ch. 31, pg. 824.
• N.B. frequently paraphrased as "Force is the midwife of progress" (e.g. https://archive.org/details/apeessence00huxl/page/94/mode/2up?view=theater, https://archive.org/details/historicalbasiso00hynd/page/422/mode/2up (footnote), https://archive.org/details/essaysinsofabian00fabirich/page/x/mode/2up)." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Karl Marx" (Quotes: Sorted chronologically, Das Kapital (Buch I) (1867): Capital, Volume I (Capital: A Critique of Political Economy) (1867))
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
About Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx (5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German political philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, journalist and revolutionary socialist. Marx's work in economics laid the basis for labor theory of value, and has influenced much of subsequent economic thought. He published many works during his lifetime, including The Communist Manifesto (1848) and the first volume of Das Kapital (1867), the two later volumes being completed by his collaborator Friedrich Engels.
About Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx (5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German political philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, journalist and revolutionary socialist. Marx's work in economics laid the basis for labor theory of value, and has influenced much of subsequent economic thought. He published many works during his lifetime, including The Communist Manifesto (1848) and the first volume of Das Kapital (1867), the two later volumes being completed by his collaborator Friedrich Engels.
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