Karl Marx · Wilhelm Ostwald Were Karl Marx and Wilhelm Ostwald alive at the same time? Yes. Karl Marx and Wilhelm Ostwald were alive at the same time for 29 years, from 1853 to 1883. Karl Marx was 35 when Wilhelm Ostwald was born.Wilhelm Ostwald was 29 when Karl Marx died, aged 64. Karl MarxGerman-born philosopherBorn 5 May 1818 · died 14 March 1883, aged 64Wilhelm OstwaldBaltic German chemistBorn 2 September 1853 · died 4 April 1932, aged 78 NapoleonAbraham LincolnKarl MarxWilhelm OstwaldMahatma GandhiVladimir LeninAlbert EinsteinAdolf HitlerRonald Reagan Karl Marx and Wilhelm Ostwald in bold, with some of their best-known contemporaries. Drag across to see the age each reached in any year. Faded ends mark uncertain dates.