Both Adam Smith and Karl Marx hoped to attain a stable economy and government through their separate systems. They both wished to reduce class tensions by ensuring a larger middle class. However, each went about it in very different ways.

In his ideas on capitalism, Smith believed that by leaving government completely out of the economy, people would be driven to work hard in order to make a living. He believed that "an invisible hand" would ensure the success of the economy, and that the system would be guaranteed because of human nature. If work got too difficult or the pay was too low, he reasoned that workers would not be tolerant. This system would enlarge the middle class and greatly decrease tension...