Political Memes

Interestingly, Marx became much more Anarchist-y later in life, influenced by the Paris commune. He began to backtrack on his earlier proclamations about needing to wait 100 years or so for an agrarian country to industrialize under capitalism before communism could commence.

He previously believed only industrial workers could be relied upon to understand class and mobilize with each other due to their urban proximity and increasingly poor conditions, but later acknowledged that rural peasants could understand their exploitation as well (he was a little elitist), so the need to let capitalism run rampant was eliminated.

He also later advocated for a bottom up system of control, instead of top down 'transitionary' state that Lenin and Stalin and even Trotsky all doubled down on. Marx's later writings were never published in Russia purposefully, as it would've given credence to Anarchism, which advocates for decentralized control and abolishment for any hierarchy that cannot justify its existence.

Unfortunately, Marx never tried to repair the rift between Marxists and Anarchists, mostly due to ego, as far as I can see.

If you're interested in this topic, I'd recommend this video on the subject, and the second part here.