Karl Marx · Bedřich Smetana Were Karl Marx and Bedřich Smetana alive at the same time? Yes. Karl Marx and Bedřich Smetana were alive at the same time for 59 years, from 1824 to 1883. Karl Marx was 5 when Bedřich Smetana was born.Bedřich Smetana was 59 when Karl Marx died, aged 64. Karl MarxGerman-born philosopherBorn 5 May 1818 · died 14 March 1883, aged 64Bedřich SmetanaCzech composerBorn 2 March 1824 · died 12 May 1884, aged 60 NapoleonAbraham LincolnKarl MarxBedřich SmetanaMahatma GandhiVladimir LeninAlbert Einstein Karl Marx and Bedřich Smetana 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.