By 1841, Marx’s studies were lacking and, at the suggestion of a friend, he submitted a doctoral dissertation to the university at Jena, known for having lax acceptance requirements. Unsurprisingly, he got in, and finally received his degree in 1841. His thesis “analyzed in a Hegelian fashion the difference between the natural philosophies of Democritus and Epicurus” using his knowledge of mythology and the myth of Prometheus in his chains.

In October of 1842, Marx became the editor of the paper Rheinische Zeitung, and, as the editor, wrote editorials on socio-economic issues such as poverty, etc. During this time, he found that his “Hegelian
philosophy was of little use” and he separated himself from his young Hegelian friends who only shocked the bourgeois to make up their “social activity.” Marx helped the paper to succeed and it almost became the leading journal in Prussia. However, the Prussian government suspended it because of “pressures from the government of Russia.” So, Marx went to Paris to study “French Communism.” In June of 1843, he was married to Jenny Von Westphalen, an attractive girl, four years older than Marx, who came from a prestigious family of both military and administrative distinction. Although many of the members of the Von Westphalen family were opposed to the marriage, Jenny’s father favored Marx. In Paris, Marx became acquainted with the Communistic views of French workmen. Although he thought that the ideas of the workmen were “utterly crude and unintelligent,” he admired their camaraderie. He later wrote an article entitled “Toward the Critique of the Hegelian Philosophy of Right” from which comes the famous quote that religion is the “opium of the people.” Once again, the Prussian government interfered with Marx and he was expelled from France. He left for Brussels, Belgium, and , in 1845, renounced his Prussian nationality.

During the next two years in Brussels, the lifelong collaboration with Engels deepened further. He and Marx, sharing the same views, pooled their “intellectual resources” and published The Holy Family, a criticism of the Hegelian idealism of Bruno Bauer.