Why was the working class seen as a transformative force in the ideas of Marx and Engels?

Correct answer: Because workers produced and faced capitalist exploitation

Direct answer: Option A, because workers produced and faced capitalist exploitation. Marx and Engels considered workers a transformative force because industrial workers performed the labour that created goods and wealth, while owners controlled factories and kept profits. Workers therefore occupied a central place in production and shared a common experience of low wages, insecurity and exploitation. This common position could help them develop class consciousness, organise and demand a different system. Option A is correct because it contains both essential links: workers produced wealth and experienced capitalist exploitation. Option B is false: workers were not generally heirs of kings; they belonged to the working class. Option C is false: factories were usually owned by capitalists, not already by workers. Option D is false: workers did have an important political role because collective organisation could challenge the existing system. Memory cue: producers plus exploitation plus organisation equals possible social transformation.