By Isaac Westhead
In school, we often learn about historical figures and their impacts on the world. From Einstein to Martin Luther King, these figures are held up as examples to aspire to. Yet one key part of their stories is ignored, leading to a misunderstanding of their lives, and how they viewed the world around them; many professed socialist, or at least anti-capitalist, ideologies. These are some of the most influential figures in human history, yet this part of their lives is largely overlooked.
Martin Luther King (MLK), for example, is held up as one of the most influential figures in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, calling out institutional racism within American society. However, his views on capitalism are so often overlooked in the British curriculum; his anti-capitalist views (at least in my experience) were not mentioned whatsoever in either GCSE or A-Level History, nor those of any other civil rights activists. Despite this, MLK frequently criticised capitalism, arguing that “the capitalistic system was predicated on exploitation, prejudice, and poverty.” He also emphasised that racial equality couldn’t be achieved without structural change, upholding the ideals of education, health care, housing and economic security as basic social rights. Although he was certainly critical of aspects of Marxism and often refrained from identifying himself as a full-blown communist in part due to persecution of Black communists, King was clear in his criticisms of capitalism, moving towards identifying more with a Christian Socialism instead.
Another key figure whose social critiques are forgotten is Albert Einstein, who published an essay entitled “Why Socialism?” Despite being a groundbreaking physicist, Einstein felt he had a place to discuss the economic and social issues in the world. Within his essay, he made observations about the class divisions within capitalist societies, including monopolies of land ownership, arguing in favour of socialism instead. Although he is, of course, best remembered for his scientific breakthroughs, Einstein’s political views shouldn’t be so easily forgotten. His comments on socialism are very relevant, and as one of the most influential scientists of our time, to truly understand Einstein, we must understand how he viewed the world around him.
Another key figure with a socialist-aligning ideology , despite existing long before Marx’s theoretical work or the label of socialism itself, is Jesus Christ. Despite many modern-day Christians, especially within America, often rejecting socialism, Jesus undoubtedly upheld the core tenets of the ideology. His miracles often included feeding the starving, helping the disabled, or freeing the enslaved. He never forgot marginalised social groups, including the poor, sex workers and the sick, defying social stigmas to help people in need. Furthermore, Jesus was staunchly against the rich, famously saying that “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Clearly, Jesus was against the wealth inequalities in place at his time, fighting instead against greed and poverty, and being in favour of an equal society in which everyone is treated fairly, aligning with some of the key tenets of socialism.
These historical figures’ anti-capitalist views are so often overlooked and ignored in society, but especially in the education system. This whitewashes their legacies, overlooking some of their key views about the world, which raises the question – who does this interpretation of history serve? A society that doesn’t learn these figures’ views will assume they still uphold and believe in capitalism, and thus these beliefs will be reinforced within society; if Jesus didn’t question inequality, why should we? Without a full understanding of these influential historical figures’ views on the world, how can we properly understand their impact? And furthermore, how can we expect to make change in the present without this understanding of history?