What has Karl Marx done for the good of mankind or what good ideas did he state?

Question

What has Karl Marx done for the good of mankind or what good ideas did he state?

Answer 1

What a good question.  I suppose, all told, Marx drew the attention of the world governments to the harsh conditions under which the lower classes laboured and their conditions (living, working, diet) began to improve as a result.

Answer 2

I think that his ideology underscored the dangers of unfettered capitalism.  His prescriptions are flawed, in that humans so far seem not capable of administering a communist system without corruption that grows to the level where it cannot be stopped by the people subject to its dictates.

But some of the dangers of capitalism he cites are real.  The western capitalist societies have developed controls on capitalism that help avoid some of the worst pitfalls.  Anti-trust laws are a good example, as well as controls on financial markets.  Recent events might suggest we need more of both again, its something of a pendulum effect, where we de-regulate until we have problems, then regulate again until we choke off growth, and then head back the other way again.

So Marx warned us of many of the pitfalls of capitalism, and we have tried to address some of them through adaptation and moderation.