The term “Marxism” is derived from the name of the philosopher, economist and sociologist Karl Marx (1818-1883); and refers to political praxis and social theory based on his writings. Simply put, Marxism, also known as conflict theory, is based on the principle that within capitalist societies, the social structure is made up of the bourgeoisie (upper capitalist class) and the proletariat (lower working class ). The theory tracks the conflicting ideologies between the two classes, analyzes class struggle, and ultimately serves as a critique of capitalism. Marxists share the belief that the proletariat is under the oppressive rule of the bourgeoisie and recognize that this "power" is determined by economic stature. (Hungerford, 30) Karl Marx is said to have said: "Sell a man a fish, he will eat it for a day, teach a man to fish, you ruin a wonderful business opportunity", a statement which strongly supports the notion of oppression of the proletariat. Marx developed these terms to support his advocacy for socialism, and ultimately communism. The idea being that this social form would allow the proletariats, the working classes, to benefit from their “fruits of labor”. Marx believed that social and class division would be eradicated by establishing a "universal class." According to Marx, the proletariat constitutes this “universal class”, a class whose needs are common to those of society in general, the majority. Marx and Engel, another of the major theorists involved in Marxism (1820-1895), both assert that "the emancipation of such a universal class will in turn bring about universal liberation from exploitation, oppression and of domination.” (Lorente, Renzo, 536) Regardless of how socialism has been criticized, the op...... middle of paper ...... eminism is a broad one. Feminism views progress as being made in gender equality. Although they differ on this point, the end result and ideal is the same: achieving equality by "erasing hierarchical structures in which one group dominates another." (Watson, 1990) In Marxism it is about the proletariat and the bourgeoisie, while in feminism is exclusively concerned with eradicating the divide between men and women. Both theories are born out of an existing struggle in society and the basis of two opposites becomes equal. It is with these similarities that the idea or theory of Marxist-feminism was born. Combining aspects of Marxism related to the economic and political divide and adding women to the equation. By combining the two, it becomes easier to apply perspective to situations, and perhaps improve them in their equality..