The opium of the people (or opium of the masses) (german: Opium des Volkes) is a

dictum In general usage, a dictum ( in Latin; plural dicta) is an authoritative or dogmatic statement. In some contexts, such as legal writing and church cantata librettos, ''dictum'' can have a specific meaning. Legal writing In United States legal ter ...

used in reference to

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

, derived from a frequently paraphrased statement of German sociologist and

economic theorist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this field there are ...

Karl Marx Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...

: "Religion is the opium of the people." In context, the statement is part of Marx's structural-functionalist argument that religion was constructed by people to calm uncertainty over their role in the universe and in society.Rogers, M., and M. E. Konieczny. 2018.
Does religion always help the poor? Variations in religion and social class in the west and societies in the global south
" ''Palgrave Communications'' 4(73). . This statement was translated from the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

original Originality is the aspect of created or invented works that distinguish them from reproductions, clones, forgeries, or substantially derivative works. The modern idea of originality is according to some scholars tied to Romanticism, by a notion t ...

, "" and is often rendered as "religion…is the opiate of the '' masses''." The full sentence from Marx translates (including italics) as: "Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the ''opium'' of the people."Marx, Karl.

843 __NOTOC__ Year 843 ( DCCCXLIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * August – Treaty of Verdun: The Frankish Empire is divided into three k ...

1970.
Introduction
" ''A Contribution to the Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right'', translated by A. Jolin and J. O’Malley, edited by J. O’Malley. Cambridge University Press. – via '' Marxists.org''. The quotation originates from the introduction of Marx's work '' A Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right'', which he started in 1843 but which was not published until after his death. The introduction to this work was published separately in 1844, in Marx's own journal ''

Deutsch–Französische Jahrbücher The ''Deutsch–Französische Jahrbücher'' (''German–French Annals'') was a journal published in Paris by Karl Marx and Arnold Ruge. It was created as a reaction to the censorship of the ''Rheinische Zeitung''. History and profile ''Deutsch� ...

'', a collaboration with

Arnold Ruge Arnold Ruge (13 September 1802 – 31 December 1880) was a German philosopher and political writer. He was the older brother of Ludwig Ruge. Studies in university and prison Born in Bergen auf Rügen, he studied in Halle, Jena and Heidelberg. ...

. Often quoted only in part, the interpretation of the metaphor in its context has received much less attention.

Full quotation and history

Marx wrote this passage in 1843 as part of the introduction to ''

Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right ''Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right'' (german: Zur Kritik der Hegelschen Rechtsphilosophie, link=no) is a manuscript written by the German political philosopher Karl Marx in 1843. Unpublished during his lifetime (except for the introduction, ...

'', a book that criticized philosopher

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (; ; 27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a German philosopher. He is one of the most important figures in German idealism and one of the founding figures of modern Western philosophy. His influence extends ...

's 1820 book, ''

Elements of the Philosophy of Right ''Elements of the Philosophy of Right'' (german: Grundlinien der Philosophie des Rechts) is a work by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel published in 1820, though the book's original title page dates it to 1821. Hegel's most mature statement of his ...

''. This introduction was published in 1844 in a small journal called ''

''; however, the book itself was published posthumously. As the journal had a print run of just 1,000 copies, it had no popular effect during the 19th century. The phrase became better known during the 1930s, when Marxism became more popular. The quotation, in context, reads as follows (italics in original translation):

The foundation of irreligious criticism is: ''Man makes religion'', religion does not make man. Religion is, indeed, the self-consciousness and self-esteem of man who has either not yet won through to himself, or has already lost himself again. But ''man'' is no abstract being squatting outside the world. Man is ''the world of man'' – state, society. This state and this society produce religion, which is an ''inverted consciousness of the world'', because they are an ''inverted world''. Religion is the general theory of this world, its encyclopaedic compendium, its logic in popular form, its spiritual ''point d’honneur'', its enthusiasm, its moral sanction, its solemn complement, and its universal basis of consolation and justification. It is the ''fantastic realization'' of the human essence since the ''human essence'' has not acquired any true reality. The struggle against religion is, therefore, indirectly the struggle ''against that world'' whose spiritual ''aroma'' is religion. ''Religious'' suffering is, at one and the same time, the ''expression'' of real suffering and a ''protest'' against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the ''opium'' of the people old added The abolition of religion as the ''illusory'' happiness of the people is the demand for their ''real'' happiness. To call on them to give up their illusions about their condition is to call on them to ''give up a condition that requires illusions''. The criticism of religion is, therefore, ''in embryo, the criticism of that vale of tears'' of which religion is the ''halo''.

Metaphor

Marx used the phrase to make a structural-functionalist argument about

, and particularly about organized religion. In his view, religion may be false, but it is a function of something real. Specifically, Marx believed that religion had certain practical functions in society that were similar to the function of opium in a sick or injured person: it reduced people's immediate suffering and provided them with pleasant illusions which gave them the strength to carry on. In this sense, while Marx may have no sympathy for religion itself, he has deep sympathy for those proletariat who put their trust in it. However, Marx also saw religion as harmful to revolutionary goals: by focusing on the eternal rather than the temporal, religion turns the attention of the

oppressed Oppression is malicious or unjust treatment or exercise of power, often under the guise of governmental authority or cultural opprobrium. Oppression may be overt or covert, depending on how it is practiced. Oppression refers to discrimination w ...

away from the

exploitation Exploitation may refer to: *Exploitation of natural resources *Exploitation of labour ** Forced labour *Exploitation colonialism *Slavery ** Sexual slavery and other forms *Oppression *Psychological manipulation In arts and entertainment *Exploi ...

and

class structure A social class is a grouping of people into a set of hierarchical social categories, the most common being the upper, middle and lower classes. Membership in a social class can for example be dependent on education, wealth, occupation, inco ...

that encompasses their everyday lives. In the process, religion helps to foster a kind of

false consciousness In Marxist theory, false consciousness is a term describing the ways in which material, ideological, and institutional processes are said to mislead members of the proletariat and other class actors within capitalist societies, concealing the ...

that emboldens cultural values and beliefs that support and validate the continued dominance of the

ruling class In sociology, the ruling class of a society is the social class who set and decide the political and economic agenda of society. In Marxist philosophy, the ruling class are the capitalist social class who own the means of production and by exte ...

. It thereby prevents the

socialist revolution Revolutionary socialism is a political philosophy, doctrine, and tradition within socialism that stresses the idea that a social revolution is necessary to bring about structural changes in society. More specifically, it is the view that revoluti ...

, the overthrowing of capitalism, and the establishment of a

classless The term classless society refers to a society in which no one is born into a social class. Distinctions of wealth, income, education, culture, or social network might arise and would only be determined by individual experience and achievemen ...

, socialist society. In Marx’s view, once workers finally overthrow capitalism, unequal

social relations A social relation or also described as a social interaction or social experience is the fundamental unit of analysis within the social sciences, and describes any voluntary or involuntary interpersonal relationship between two or more individuals ...

will no longer need legitimating and people’s alienation will dissolve, along with any need for religion.

Interpretations by subsequent socialist leaders and theorists

Subsequent socialist leaders and theorists have reflected and expanding on Marx's metaphor and considered it in the context of their own national conditions.

Vladimir Lenin

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...

, speaking of religion in ''

Novaya Zhizn ''Novaya Zhizn'' (, ''New Life'') was the first legal Bolshevik daily newspaper. It was founded by Alexander Bogdanov and its first editor was Nikolai Minsky. It was first published in October 1905 in Petersburg, under the guidance of Lenin. It ...

'' in 1905, alluded to Marx's earlier comments:

Those who toil and live in want all their lives are taught by religion to be submissive and patient while here on earth, and to take comfort in the hope of a heavenly reward. But those who live by the labour of others are taught by religion to practise charity while on earth, thus offering them a very cheap way of justifying their entire existence as exploiters and selling them at a moderate price tickets to well-being in heaven. Religion is opium for the people []. Religion is a sort of spiritual booze, in which the slaves of capital drown their human image [], their demand for a life more or less worthy of man. (emphasis added).

Kim Il Sung

North Korean leader Kim Il Sung's writings addressed the "opium" metaphor twice, both in the context of responding to comrades who object to working with religious groups (Chonbulygo and

Chondoism Cheondoism (spelled Chondoism in North Korean sources; ) is a 20th-century Korean pantheistic religion, based on the 19th-century Donghak religious movement founded by Choe Je-u, Ch'oe Che-u and codified under Son Byong-hi, Son Pyŏng-Hi. Cheon ...

). In the first instance, Kim replies that a person is "mistaken" if he or she believes Marx's proposition regarding "opium of the people" can be applied in all instances, explaining that if a religion "prays for dealing out divine punishment to Japan and blessing the Korean nation" then it is a "patriotic religion" and its believers are patriots. In the second, Kim states that Marx's metaphor "must not be construed radically and unilaterally" because Marx was warning against "the temptation of a religious mirage and not opposing believers in general." Because the communist movement in Korea was fighting a struggle for "national salvation" against Japan, Kim writes that anyone with a similar agenda can join the struggle and that "even a religionist ... must be enrolled in our ranks without hesitation."

Academic interpretations

Roland Boer asserts that Marx's depiction of religion as 'opium', while suspicious of religion's addictive potential, also emphasizes religion's medicinal properties akin to those of opium in Western medicine.

Similar statements and influence

The same metaphor was used by many authors around the 19th century. In 1798,

Novalis Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg (2 May 1772 – 25 March 1801), pen name Novalis (), was a German polymath who was a writer, philosopher, poet, aristocrat and mystic. He is regarded as an idiosyncratic and influential figure of ...

wrote in "''Blüthenstaub''" ("Pollen"): In 1840, Heinrich Heine also used the same analogy, in his essay on

Ludwig Börne Karl Ludwig Börne (born "Loeb Baruch"; 6 May 1786 – 12 February 1837) was a German-Jewish political writer and satirist, who is considered part of the Young Germany movement. Early life Karl Ludwig Börne was born Loeb Baruch on 6 May 178 ...

Welcome be a religion that pours into the bitter chalice of the suffering human species some sweet, soporific drops of spiritual opium, some drops of love, hope and faith.

The writings of Bruno Bauer are a key influence on the ''Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right''. Marx's metaphor is anticipated in two of Bauer's works: ''Die gute Sache der Freiheit'' and ''Der christliche Staat''. In the former work, Bauer talks of religion as a cause of "opium-like stupefaction;" in the latter, Bauer mentions theology's "opium-like" influence. Charles Kingsley, a

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

, wrote the following in 1847, four years after Marx:

Miguel de Unamuno

Miguel de Unamuno Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo (29 September 1864 – 31 December 1936) was a Spanish essayist, novelist, poet, playwright, philosopher, professor of Greek and Classics, and later rector at the University of Salamanca. His major philosophical essa ...

, the famed Spanish author of the

Generation of '98 The Generation of '98 ( es, Generación del 98), also called Generation of 1898 ( es, Generación de 1898, links=no), was a group of novelists, poets, essayists, and philosophers active in Spain at the time of the Spanish–American War (1898), comm ...

, focused his nivola '' San Manuel Bueno, mártir'' around the theme of religion's opiatic effect on the people of rural

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. In the book, the protagonist Don Manuel is a priest who does not believe in God, but continues preaching because he sees the positive impact he can make in the lives of his parishioners. Religion in this way also serves to cure his own deep depression, through the happiness he feels from helping the people of Valverde de Lucerna. Unamuno makes direct reference to Marx when Don Manuel explains:

Modern comparisons

Some writers make a modern comparison of the phrase "opium of the people" to that akin to

sports fandom Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...

celebrities Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...

, the distractions of television, the

internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

, and other entertainment, etc. This can be seen as a parallel to the concept of

bread and circuses "Bread and circuses" (or bread and games; from Latin: ''panem et circenses'') is a metonymic phrase referring to superficial appeasement. It is attributed to Juvenal, a Roman poet active in the late first and early second century CE, and is used ...