Philosophy

The Communist Manifesto

The Communist Manifesto

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  • Author：Karl Marx
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Summary

A rousing call to arms whose influence is still felt today， Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels' The Communist Manifesto is edited with an introduction by Gareth Stedman-Jones in Penguin Classics。

Marx and Engels's revolutionary summons to the working classes， The Communist Manifesto is one of the most important political theories ever formulated。 After four years of collaboration， they produced an incisive account of their idea of Communism， in which they envisage a society without classes， private property or a state， arguing that the exploitation of industrial workers will eventually lead to a revolution in which Capitalism is overthrown。 This vision provided the theoretical basis of political systems in Russia， China， Cuba and Eastern Europe， affecting the lives of millions。 The Communist Manifesto still remains a landmark text: a work that continues to influence and provoke debate on capitalism and class。

Gareth Stedman Jones's extensive and scholarly introduction provides an unique assessment of the place of The Communist Manifesto in history， and its continuing relevance as a depiction of global capitalism。 This edition reproduces Samuel Moore's translation of 1888 and contains a guide to further reading， notes and an index。

Karl Marx （1818-1883） was born in Trier， Germany and studied law at Bonn and Berlin。 He settled in London， where he studied economics and wrote the first volume of his major work， Das Kapital （1867， with two further volumes in 1884 and 1894）。 He is buried in Highgate Cemetery， London。

Friedrich Engels （1820-1895）， as well as his collaboration with Marx， was the author of The Condition of the Working Class in England （1845）， based on personal observations and research。

If you enjoyed The Communist Manifesto， you might like Marx's Capital， also available in Penguin Classics。

'The words of the Communist Manifesto flare like the fiery writing on the wall above the crumbling bastions of capitalist society: socialism or barbarism！'
Rosa Luxemburg

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Reviews

Marcus Clonts ，

Not realistic。 This book assumes the Proletariat are always good and the Bourgeoise is always bad。 History has shown otherwise。 It always the only way for Socialist Utopia （Often Socialism and communism are used interchangeably in the book） you need to abolish freedom of speech and religion， implement an income tax， and abolish private property。 That’s never going to happen willingly where everyone’s on the same page， and history has shown that。 The ideology of this book is responsible for more Not realistic。 This book assumes the Proletariat are always good and the Bourgeoise is always bad。 History has shown otherwise。 It always the only way for Socialist Utopia （Often Socialism and communism are used interchangeably in the book） you need to abolish freedom of speech and religion， implement an income tax， and abolish private property。 That’s never going to happen willingly where everyone’s on the same page， and history has shown that。 The ideology of this book is responsible for more people dead in the shortest amount of time than any other ideology in existence。 Yet people still praise Marx as some sort of hero。 。。。more

Ashutosh Bhadke ，

While reading the book， one can't stop thinking that all the situations of the classes mentioned in the manifesto are more or less still the same。 While criticising other forms of societies， I felt the book also failed to give assurances of future under communism after the initial revolution。 Classifying socialism as reactionary and utopian， similar case can also be made against communalism for being utopian trying to control society structures and human behaviour without needing of any authorit While reading the book， one can't stop thinking that all the situations of the classes mentioned in the manifesto are more or less still the same。 While criticising other forms of societies， I felt the book also failed to give assurances of future under communism after the initial revolution。 Classifying socialism as reactionary and utopian， similar case can also be made against communalism for being utopian trying to control society structures and human behaviour without needing of any authority and leadership。 No wonder countries who tried communism ended with being autocratic to just enforce the rules on the masses。 With current social structures in the world， bourgeoisie socialism looks like a promising approach for long term to reduce the impact of capitalism and trying to gradually reduce the need for it as well by minimising the gap between the bourgeoisie and proletariat。 But anyways at the end， human behaviour and tendencies seem to win above all the isms and solutions。 。。。more

Susan Turski ，

I read the Communist Manifesto in quest for some answers to questions I had in regard to some media commentator´s statements。 It was a difficult book for me。 I did learn some history; but to better understand communism， I will look further。 It also reviewed the history of the working class and their struggles quite clearly。 It was scary to see the comparison of the Communist Manifesto and what is going on now in our society today。 I choose not to rate because of my lack of ability to fully under I read the Communist Manifesto in quest for some answers to questions I had in regard to some media commentator´s statements。 It was a difficult book for me。 I did learn some history; but to better understand communism， I will look further。 It also reviewed the history of the working class and their struggles quite clearly。 It was scary to see the comparison of the Communist Manifesto and what is going on now in our society today。 I choose not to rate because of my lack of ability to fully understand the discussion。 I did read the book for information and further understanding of Communism。 。。。more

Sam ，

Obviously a staple for all who consider themselves a marxist。 This book got me into general economic theory so I consider this one of the most impactful books for me。 The book is clear and concise which make it very easy for the new readers to get into and explore marxism further。

Tasha ，

smash， nya

Pedestrian Friendly ，

it was pretty cool！ read my blog where i talk about politics here logicalleft。wordpress。com

Sophia ，

So true bestie

Adam Andreoli ，

Meh， some parts are interesting and thought provoking， but it didn't convince me to become a Communist。 I will stick with my private property and Capitalism for now。 Meh， some parts are interesting and thought provoking， but it didn't convince me to become a Communist。 I will stick with my private property and Capitalism for now。 。。。more

Monique ，

Reading Marco Rubio's recent article in the American Conservative， where he denounces the cultural Marxism of American corporations， made me grab this classic book "The Communist Manifesto"， which was on my bucket list anyway。I cannot think of anything more antithetical than American corporations and Marxism， so I started to doubt my general understanding of Marxism。 I had to double check with the source。Oh well， the source did not disappoint。 Marx proposes the forceful abolition of private prop Reading Marco Rubio's recent article in the American Conservative， where he denounces the cultural Marxism of American corporations， made me grab this classic book "The Communist Manifesto"， which was on my bucket list anyway。I cannot think of anything more antithetical than American corporations and Marxism， so I started to doubt my general understanding of Marxism。 I had to double check with the source。Oh well， the source did not disappoint。 Marx proposes the forceful abolition of private property， since he says that private capital is how the bourgeoisie oppresses the proletariat。 As I thought I knew。Phew。No， American corporations are not Marxists， in any shape or form。 They definitively believe in private property， private capital。 They are actually capitalists。 Thank goodness we still have access to books。Otherwise who knows？ I might have fallen for the words of fear mongering， rewriting of history fabulists such as Marco Rubio and his ilk。P。S。 I subsequently learned that "Cultural Marxism" is an anti-semitic conspiracy theory， popular among the far right。 It has its origin in the Nazi conspiracy theory of "Cultural Bolshevism"。Beautiful，Mark Rubio， peddling anti-semitic conspiracy theories。 。。。more

Chris Zhang ，

It's a polemic piece intended for mass distribution and interpretation on what is arguably an incredibly complex and nuanced subject matter。 In this sense， the book was doomed to either be lukewarm or evangelical from its inception。There are certainly valid points to be discerned on its historical and political analyses， especially in recognizing the transfer of "power" from feudalist societies to the book's conception of the bourgeois。 It can also be a great primer to Marxian economic concepts It's a polemic piece intended for mass distribution and interpretation on what is arguably an incredibly complex and nuanced subject matter。 In this sense， the book was doomed to either be lukewarm or evangelical from its inception。There are certainly valid points to be discerned on its historical and political analyses， especially in recognizing the transfer of "power" from feudalist societies to the book's conception of the bourgeois。 It can also be a great primer to Marxian economic concepts （which， in a gentle reminder， are capitalist principles）。Yet the reductionist/essentialist nature of this work limits it from being a useful analysis on class relationships， especially given that the language of the book approaches it from such an evangelizing tone。Useful as introduction to Marxist thought， but by no means should this be a sole reference point。 As a final statement for the review， it's important to remember that any ideological position is inherently exclusive by the nature of systemization and simplification of complex dynamics。 This includes the Communist Manifesto as well as any other call-to-action that prescribes behavior or how a society ought to act。 。。。more

Casey ，

Prolly should not have read this at work where I can't focus （the irony！！！） Will revisit when I come back around to being hyper-political like I usually do every 6 to 9 months。 Prolly should not have read this at work where I can't focus （the irony！！！） Will revisit when I come back around to being hyper-political like I usually do every 6 to 9 months。 。。。more

Sophie ，

hmmmmmm boring。 Very dramatic and quite black and white in realms requiring some nuance - I suppose that's the point though。 Quite fascinating how this tiny little thing has impacted so much of history。 A mandatory read especially considering the politics part of my degree - though that is probably why I couldn't get on board or focus well - it reminded me of the marxists at uni xox hmmmmmm boring。 Very dramatic and quite black and white in realms requiring some nuance - I suppose that's the point though。 Quite fascinating how this tiny little thing has impacted so much of history。 A mandatory read especially considering the politics part of my degree - though that is probably why I couldn't get on board or focus well - it reminded me of the marxists at uni xox 。。。more

Luísa ，

Reli pois estava precisando e melhor do que nunca

julia ，

marx was a product of his time， there is other communist literature that I would rather read， but this is a classic。 its fine。

Jacob Cartner ，

Marx’s Communist Manifesto was specifically meant to be， according to its introduction， a literal exorcism， and he believed that those that entered into his pact formed a “holy alliance” against existing governments。 Indeed， Marx authored this ludicrous dandy as a diatribe against any type of rule。 He spends most of the meat of the ‘book’ arguing about the state of things rather than providing solutions。 When solutions are presented， they make no economic sense as many nations around the globe h Marx’s Communist Manifesto was specifically meant to be， according to its introduction， a literal exorcism， and he believed that those that entered into his pact formed a “holy alliance” against existing governments。 Indeed， Marx authored this ludicrous dandy as a diatribe against any type of rule。 He spends most of the meat of the ‘book’ arguing about the state of things rather than providing solutions。 When solutions are presented， they make no economic sense as many nations around the globe have now proved。 I read this book to see first-hand what all the hubbub is about， and if America is really trending in this direction Lord help us all。Marx’s biggest claim is the evil of capitalism， which has given certain people “exclusive political sway” and has “pushed into the background” the working class， and has set up an “unconscionable freedom – Free Trade。” Capitalism has led to “too much civilisation， too much means of subsistence， too much industry， too much commerce，” as if those have no place or worth in our world。 He calls for the overthrow of the government and the complete and utter “abolition of private property。” Moreover， the abolishment of individuality， independence， and freedom “is undoubtedly aimed at。” As if further clarification is needed， he states “by freedom is meant…free trade， free selling and buying。” One of the biggest surprises to me was the call for the “abolition of the family！” Bolstering this argument， it is stated that “the charges against Communism made from a religious， philosophical， and， generally， from an ideological standpoint， are not deserving of serious examination…。Communism abolishes eternal truths， it abolishes all religion， and all morality…it therefore acts in contradiction to all past historical experience。” Without any plans on how to move forward， the tenants of communism can be summed up by the following， paraphrased for you so you can skip reading this asinine book:-tAbolition of private property-tHeavy taxation-tAbolition of any inheritance-tConfiscation of all property of “emigrants and rebels”-tAll banking state owned-tAll communication/media state owned-tAll transportation initiatives state owned-tAll factories state owned-tSame wage for all labor-tNo distinction between cities and towns （ie， distribute population evenly to lessen the “idiocy of rural life”）-tFree education for allThat many in modern America are pushing these principles is no laughing matter， but many of the ideologies I hear in today’s media are in direct opposition to communism。 For example， Marx indicates that the fact that in his day men and women ‘no longer have any distinctive social validity” was something to be railed against， while in today’s society the gender lines are intentionally being blended to lessen the very distinction Marx was fighting for。 In today’s society， people naively call for the redistribution of wealth， including the elite， so that everyone becomes wealthy， but Marx describes a world in which wealth does not exist at all – instead it is all just evened out across the masses with everyone being simple laborers， including the elite。 There simply is no way to get ahead; wealth is non-existent – Marx simply describes living day to day with no financial accumulation no matter the intellectual capacity or tenure of experience of the worker。In summary， there is a reason this form of government does not work and is eventually oppressive， as is evidenced through the history books。 It’s all a bunch of rubbish， as the Communist Manifesto really makes clear to anyone with a brain。 There are no tangible coherent plans made throughout， just simply a call for a revolution – a revolution composed of revolutionaries who have no idea where they are going or how to get there。 God bless the constitutional republic of the United States of America！ 。。。more

Rachie Weisberg ，

finally a true comrade folks！

David ，

Thought provoking and inflammatory in its critiques， and totally wrong-headed in its offered solutions。 This is a necessary antithesis to capitalism （to use Marx's love for the Hegellian）， but no further。 Whatever comes out of the collision between unfettered capitalism and Marx's theories （which appears to be a lot like legal protections， trade unions， and the modern welfare state） must serve as our synthesis--but it is not and will not be Marxism as Marx envisioned it here。 Thought provoking and inflammatory in its critiques， and totally wrong-headed in its offered solutions。 This is a necessary antithesis to capitalism （to use Marx's love for the Hegellian）， but no further。 Whatever comes out of the collision between unfettered capitalism and Marx's theories （which appears to be a lot like legal protections， trade unions， and the modern welfare state） must serve as our synthesis--but it is not and will not be Marxism as Marx envisioned it here。 。。。more

Langdon Ogburn ，

Reread this hugely consequential work recently and I am glad that I did。 The first time I read it， I think I was too struck with the work's binary between the bourgeoisie and proletariat that does not seem to be wholly applicable to the capitalist structure of the early 21st Century （at least， I would argue， in the US）。 In re-reading it with more of an open mind I got a lot more out of it。 Although I was not a communist before reading this work still remained unconvinced， I gained a much deeper Reread this hugely consequential work recently and I am glad that I did。 The first time I read it， I think I was too struck with the work's binary between the bourgeoisie and proletariat that does not seem to be wholly applicable to the capitalist structure of the early 21st Century （at least， I would argue， in the US）。 In re-reading it with more of an open mind I got a lot more out of it。 Although I was not a communist before reading this work still remained unconvinced， I gained a much deeper appreciation for why individuals would subscribe to a communist ideology。 I appreciate how it challenges common premises of capitalism-- in one quote I thought was particularly poignant， Marx and Engels challenge the idea that capitalism is a system of private property by stating that， "in your existing society， private property is already done away with for nine-tenths of the population; its existence for the few is solely due to its non-existence in the hands of the nine-tenths。" I think my biggest take-away from this work， and what I think it most successfully argues for is that capitalism/the owning class can itself cause oppression / a lack of freedom （"the proletarian have nothing to lose but their chains"）。 In building a just society， minimizing oppression from markets/capitalism must be considered just as minimizing oppression from the state must be considered。 。。。more

Paya ，

Dobra， znów drżą mi ręce， bo chcę napisać coś o Marksie， a moje przekonania gospodarcze opierają się na ogromnej niechęci do kapitalizmu i dużej dozie sympatii do socjalizmu， obie niepoparte żadnymi studiami， tylko tym， czego sama się nauczę i co sama zaobserwuję i przeczytam （brzmi to， jakbym się usprawiedliwiała i trochę tak jest， ale już słyszałam， że nie mogę się wypowiadać na temat podatków， bo nie skończyłam ekonomii， więc…）。 No więc w ramach nauki i samokształcenia się chciałam bardzo prz Dobra， znów drżą mi ręce， bo chcę napisać coś o Marksie， a moje przekonania gospodarcze opierają się na ogromnej niechęci do kapitalizmu i dużej dozie sympatii do socjalizmu， obie niepoparte żadnymi studiami， tylko tym， czego sama się nauczę i co sama zaobserwuję i przeczytam （brzmi to， jakbym się usprawiedliwiała i trochę tak jest， ale już słyszałam， że nie mogę się wypowiadać na temat podatków， bo nie skończyłam ekonomii， więc…）。 No więc w ramach nauki i samokształcenia się chciałam bardzo przeczytać tę książkę， a potem zajrzałam sobie na recenzje， których rozrzut jest maksymalnie skrajny， i z których większość jest bardzo emocjonalna i w sumie rzadko dotyczy samej książki， która – jeżeli patrzeć na to， czym jest – czyli manifestem， jest bardzo dobrym manifestem。 Grającym na emocjach， napisanym dla ludzi fabryki i o tych ludziach mówiących。 Nie wiem więc， czemu większość uważa tę akurat pozycję Marksa za jakąś wyczerpującą czy przedstawiającą wyważoną argumentację bez dziur。 To emocjonalna odezwa， jako taka bardzo inspirująca， w ostatniej części dla mnie osobiście nudna， w części przedawniona， a czasem zaskakująco aktualna， ale też wiele mówiąca właśnie o sytuacji gospodarczej w latach， kiedy powstała i kiedy na szybko drukowane były kolejne dodruki， czyli po prostu ciekawa w kontekście historycznym。 Wydaje mi się też， że warto wziąć pod uwagę przedstawione przez Marksa i Engelsa wady struktury gospodarki wolnorynkowej i problemy， z jakimi zmaga się kapitalistyczne społeczeństwo， nawet jeżeli przedstawione są na gorąco i z oratorskim zacięciem。 。。。more

Nathan Densley ，

I'll give it one star cause I learned something。 I learned Communism is not built on the hope of the liberty of the working man。 It is built on the envy of the man who can't either find his place in this world or can't except the world is not there to please him and justify his existence。 Envy is at the heart of this tortured idea。 And envy is seductive and it is destructive。1 star。 I'll give it one star cause I learned something。 I learned Communism is not built on the hope of the liberty of the working man。 It is built on the envy of the man who can't either find his place in this world or can't except the world is not there to please him and justify his existence。 Envy is at the heart of this tortured idea。 And envy is seductive and it is destructive。1 star。 。。。more

David Salazar ，

Good intermediate information on communism and a bit of socialism。 However， I wouldn't recommend it for an introduction to communism/socialism Good intermediate information on communism and a bit of socialism。 However， I wouldn't recommend it for an introduction to communism/socialism 。。。more

33yy ，

I read this because of Grimes please don’t judge me💖✨

José Lucena Barbosa Filho ，

Continua bem bom。。。

Tommy Koch ，

unfortunately made a lot of sense to me

Anna ，

I give this book a 3/5 for a few reasons。 1。 I really only understood parts I and II。 Part III was more difficult for me to grasp， so I don't feel like I can comment too proficiently on it。2。 While I can understand the drive behind Marx's and Engel's arguments， I don't agree with the outcome they propose or the ways in which to reach it。 I find it too utopian， which is ironic given that they criticize other forms of politics to be too utopian。 3。 Overall， while some of the ideas that they presen I give this book a 3/5 for a few reasons。 1。 I really only understood parts I and II。 Part III was more difficult for me to grasp， so I don't feel like I can comment too proficiently on it。2。 While I can understand the drive behind Marx's and Engel's arguments， I don't agree with the outcome they propose or the ways in which to reach it。 I find it too utopian， which is ironic given that they criticize other forms of politics to be too utopian。 3。 Overall， while some of the ideas that they present are ones that I can agree with in their basic form， I think the system they propose is flawed and will do more harm than good。 I'm not sure what the best form of political system is， but I disagree with them in their view that Communism will solve the problems of the world。There's still a lot that I don't understand about this political structure， and all the others， so perhaps in the future I could come back to this book and give a more detailed， understanding review of it。 But as I can grasp the simpler content presented， I find myself， once again， understanding why they call for a revolution， but disagreeing with a lot of the means and the total outcome。 。。。more

Nightmaresky ，

I was curious about this work since it's been referenced in other books。 I am not a fan of this translation or the explanation given in the beginning of it。 I appreciated the history lesson about this piece of literature。 Their were explanations given， but I prefer to draw my own conclusions then having them presented to me。 Not a bad read and now I know where some of the terminology comes from。 Overall， if you like politics or literature then this book might be something you might want to read I was curious about this work since it's been referenced in other books。 I am not a fan of this translation or the explanation given in the beginning of it。 I appreciated the history lesson about this piece of literature。 Their were explanations given， but I prefer to draw my own conclusions then having them presented to me。 Not a bad read and now I know where some of the terminology comes from。 Overall， if you like politics or literature then this book might be something you might want to read when you have the time。 。。。more

Claire Bourdon ，

I'm not sure how i should rate this book but let's say 4/5。 On the whole， it was a short， pretty straightforward and interesting piece of work， one that creates an excellent introduction to Marx's ideas。 It gives a grand insight into the middle 1800's political and social life。 Whether you agree with Marx or not， this is an important book and it is so short you should give it a try :）just to summarize in 3 sentences very broadly: capitalism is doomed to fail （this takes up a good part of the boo I'm not sure how i should rate this book but let's say 4/5。 On the whole， it was a short， pretty straightforward and interesting piece of work， one that creates an excellent introduction to Marx's ideas。 It gives a grand insight into the middle 1800's political and social life。 Whether you agree with Marx or not， this is an important book and it is so short you should give it a try :）just to summarize in 3 sentences very broadly: capitalism is doomed to fail （this takes up a good part of the book）， the world has progressed towards greater distribution of ownership of the means of production throughout history and the dictatorship of the proletariat is the next step。 The dictatorship of the proletariat is not the goal， but the next step on the way to the creation of communism。 There are a lot of pages spent addressing counterarguments too。 。。。more

Simon Parent ，

Though very short， light on analysis and details， it outline a good start for the transition to a more free system， one where class dynamics have been thoroughly uprooted。 I listened to the audiobook version that had a preface by Yanis Varoufakis， and I love the comment made by Marx in one of his preface for the 2nd version （I think）， where he mentions that the experience of the Paris commune changed his views on a few points， namely that it's impossible to achieve the goals of Communism if we s Though very short， light on analysis and details， it outline a good start for the transition to a more free system， one where class dynamics have been thoroughly uprooted。 I listened to the audiobook version that had a preface by Yanis Varoufakis， and I love the comment made by Marx in one of his preface for the 2nd version （I think）， where he mentions that the experience of the Paris commune changed his views on a few points， namely that it's impossible to achieve the goals of Communism if we simply yield the arms of the State and expect a change because the people changed。 It shows an evolution and maturity in Marx's analysis， and underscore the point made by Rosa Luxemburg in Reform or Revolution。 In any case， I'll revisit this book often。 。。。more

Tristan ，

Not a proponent of communism by any means， but marx’s text makes you think about what it means to be an appendage to an oppressive system。 There is a verse in the Tao Te Ching that reads “In chopping wood on behalf of the master carpenter， there are few who escape hurting their own hands instead。”

Zoe ，

marx's writing is asssigned，a communist marx's writing is asssigned，a communist 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Communist Manifesto

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Communist Manifesto&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Communist Manifesto&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0