Prime mover behind the doctrine of communism which propounds that capitalism (that is, ownership of capital and the pursuit of business for profit) is an exploitative system and that profits derived under such an economic system are done so at the expense of the workers. Observing the incipient industrial conglomerates of Germany and Britain, Marx saw the growth of capitalism as working against the proletariat. The owners of capital, motivated by profit, swallowed up smaller capitalists - their strength grew by accumulation while the working classes became more and more emaciated, economically-speaking (the rich get richer and the poor get poorer). Expanding George Friedrich Hegel's dialectical system, Marx developed the philosophy of dialectical materialism, where he saw each phase in the development of history arising out of the conflict of two opposing forces, with only one side triumphant. The bourgeoisie had replaced the feudal society and, as Marx saw it, the proletariat or working classes were poised to seize economic and political power from the bourgeoisie. The revolution would occur in three phases: seizure of political of power, a "dictatorship of the proletariat" to prevent counter-revolution, and thirdly, the decline of the state and the emergence of a classless society where all citizens share in the economic prosperity of the land and factories. Marx believed workers could manage the factories on a rotation basis (these skills being easily acquired). He said before his death "I am not a Marxist" although his theories have spawned millions of devout followers. Two main works outline the theories of communism, the "Communist Manifesto" written in strident, almost apocalyptic prose, and "Das Kapital", describing the economic basis for communism. He lived most of his life in abject poverty, supported mainly by his friend and mentor, Hegel.