World history is, according to Hegel, progress in the consciousness of freedom. However, the principle of freedom is directed towards its realization, as Hegel particularly illustrates with regard to the Christian principle of freedom. Thus, the consciousness of freedom becomes a critical instance against the socio-political reality. Hegel anticipates the young Hegelian program of the realization of philosophy, in which, however, the concept of the history of freedom has largely been replaced by a history of alienation. In contrast, Karl Marx addresses the problematic aspect of Hegel's concept that Hegel recognized but for which he had no solution: the loss of freedom and rights for large parts of the population due to the development of the capitalist economy. Marx, as the central thesis of the book suggests, continues Hegel's concept of the history of freedom, while, like Hegel, he emphasizes realization.