200 years on, Karl Marx still influencing Austrian left-wing politics: expert

VIENNA, May 6 (Xinhua) -- While May 5 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of German philosopher Karl Marx, his influence on Austrian left-wing politics is as present as ever, says an Austrian expert.

The center-left Social Democrats in particular still carry many of the hallmarks of Marx's thoughts and ideas, Werner T. Bauer, curator of the "Karl Marx in Vienna" exhibition in Austria's national capital, said in an interview with Xinhua on Saturday.

This has been the case for the party even prior to the Second World War, where early on it used Marxism as its foundation, he said.

The principles that sought fair conditions for the working class, including housing, education, the establishment of kindergartens, schools, libraries, and various other infrastructure and supportive projects, became the primary factors behind the so-called "Red Vienna."

The city has long been called as such in light of the official color of the Social Democrats, who have long been voted into government by the Viennese populace, either in a coalition or as outright majority holder.

Bauer said Marxism's core principles still hold true in the Austrian society some 150 years after their inception.

Some of these have only come to light in more recent decades, indicating that Marx had the foresight to see what was likely to transpire in future, he said.

"More or less any leftist thought today can trace much of its origins back to Marx," the expert added.

The exhibition, located at the Karl Marx-Hof in the northern Viennese district of Heiligenstadt until Dec. 20, is jointly curated with his wife, and is being held as part of the Red Vienna permanent exhibition.

It encompasses Marx's life journey, including a visit to Vienna for ten days in August 1848, where the philosopher met with other progressive thinkers. Marx, at that point not yet a household name, was however known in several circles due to his co-authored Communist Manifesto, which had been released in February 1848.

Bauer said about 2,000 people have attended the exhibition since its opening on April 12, which he considered a positive result for a small exhibition, that is open only two days a week. Enditem