200th Anniversary of Marx's Birth: Russian Communist Party commemorates German philosopher

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02:19

Members of Russia's Communist Party are holding a series of events to honor the German philosopher Karl Marx. It's part of commemorations to mark the 200th anniversary of his birth. CGTN's Jessica King sent this report from Moscow.

A gathering to discuss the legacy of philosopher, economist and historian, Karl Marx. A controversial figure who had radical ideas which divided many but here, members of Russia's Communist Party say his legacy is as important as ever.

LUDMILA VASILIEVNA COMMUNIST PARTY MEMBER "Capitalism is a war, is got elements of fascism, there's a constant crisis - all these things we can see with our own eyes, and this is what Marx predicted."

JESSICA KING MOSCOW "Here in Teatralnaya Square, directly across the street from the Bolshoi Theatre stands Moscow's last remaining monument to Karl Marx. It was erected in 1961 - and the inscription reads, "Workers of the world, unite!"

But how relevant is Marx to Muscovites today? A cafe in the city center calls itself the 'Tipsy Marx' - they say the name is a homage to the fact Marx enjoyed his food and drink - rather than any political affiliation. The customers have mixed opinions.

VOXPOP NO SUPER "I only know he was a philosopher, but I don't know what he invented or what he talked about - I don't know."

VOXPOP NO SUPER "I think he's a pretty important philosopher and he's influenced the development of many trends in humanitarian science, and the understanding of how people can live in modern times. There's even a bio of Marx as a comic book, it was recently published in Russia, and I think he's a sort of a popular super-hero, may be not among schoolchildren, but many students do read him."

VOXPOP NO SUPER "I only know that in his book, "The Capital," there is a recipe of a soup, possibly with prices of the ingredients, that's all I know about - his love for food. In any case, it's part of history, we should know about him to the same extent that we need to know about other philosophers and other historic figures."

As part of the commemorations, Communist Party members will lay flowers at the monument to Marx. They say his theories and ideas live on, and perhaps, he will still be remembered here in another 200 years. Jessica King, CGTN, Moscow.