Who among the following believed that “a communist society was the natural…

Concept

Socialist thinkers did not all propose the same route to a future society. Cooperative or utopian socialists emphasized model communities, while Marxian socialism explained social change through class conflict and collective control of production.

In historical materialism, conflict between workers and owners was expected to end capitalist exploitation and lead toward a classless communist society.

Application

The cited statement is attributed to Karl Marx. In the NCERT discussion of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the text explains Marx’s conviction that workers would triumph over capitalists and that a communist society was the natural society of the future.

Contrast

• Friedrich Engels collaborated closely with Marx and co-authored The Communist Manifesto, but the quoted conviction is specifically attributed to Marx in the cited passage.

• Robert Owen promoted cooperative communities and improved conditions at New Lanark; his approach represents cooperative or utopian socialism rather than the quoted Marxian prediction.

• “More than one of the above” would require the source to attribute the quoted belief independently to at least two named thinkers, which the passage does not do.

• “None of the above” conflicts with the source’s express attribution to Karl Marx.

Cross-check

The surrounding paragraph links this claim to Marx’s theory of class struggle and the expected victory of workers over capitalists, matching Karl Marx rather than the other choices.

Therefore, the answer is Karl Marx.