Karl Marx · William Butler Yeats Were Karl Marx and William Butler Yeats alive at the same time? Yes. Karl Marx and William Butler Yeats were alive at the same time for 17 years, from 1865 to 1883. Karl Marx was 47 when William Butler Yeats was born.William Butler Yeats was 17 when Karl Marx died, aged 64. Karl MarxGerman-born philosopherBorn 5 May 1818 · died 14 March 1883, aged 64William Butler YeatsIrish poet and playwrightBorn 13 June 1865 · died 28 January 1939, aged 73 NapoleonAbraham LincolnKarl MarxWilliam Butler YeatsMahatma GandhiVladimir LeninAlbert EinsteinAdolf HitlerRonald Reagan Karl Marx and William Butler Yeats 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.