"Zero Euro" Celebrates 200th Birth Anniversary of Karl Marx

21 Mar 2018 Wed

A woman had recently posted a picture of her holding a €0 Karl Marx banknote on twitter. It’s a souvenir "Zero Euro" note released by a tourism company in Trier, Germany to celebrate the 200th birth anniversary of German philosopher and Communist Manifesto co-author Karl Marx.

The origin of Zero Euro

Richard Faille took the help of official banknote printer Oberthur Fiduciaire to produce these souvenir notes authorized by the European Central Bank in 2015 for the first time. Zero Euro notes are available in several European countries today. These commemorate anniversaries, historical locations, city events, and famous individuals. These notes have slowly become popular among banknote collectors as well.

Faille started with French currency souvenirs initially and then went on to produce Euros that promote tourism. These notes are similar to real notes in many ways except that they are marked as "0". They also undergo a test so that they do not enter regular circulation. The obverse features a white zero with a Euro sign. Other images on the obverse include Brandenburg Gate, Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, Sagrada Familia, Manneken Pis and the Mona Lisa.

Karl Marx Zero Euro

This particular note was produced by a tourism company in Trier where Marx was born. The bill can be purchased for €3. Officials stated that the Zero Euro note clearly denotes Marx’s assessment and views on capitalism.

Who was Karl Marx?

Karl Marx was born on 5th May 1818 in Trier to a middle-class family. After studying law and Hegelian philosophy, he had to live in exile in London due to his controversial political publications. 1848 pamphlet, The Communist Manifesto, and Das Kapital featured some of his most popular writings. His political and philosophical thoughts had a big impact on intellectual, economic and political history. This gave rise to a new political theory called Marxism.

He believed that in capitalism, the ruling classes had complete control over the production and working classes. According to him, this ideology could lead to self-destruction and the emergence of socialism. He propagated a classless, communist society by emphasising on the relation between labour and capital. By urging the working class to revolt against the idea of capitalism, he went on to become a prominent and respected leader of his times.

Karl Marx is regarded as one of the most important architects of modern social science. Many intellectuals, labour unions, artists and political parties worldwide have modified or adapted his ideas.

Image Courtesy: twitter source