The Communist Manifesto

The Communist Manifesto was published in London, 1848, a declaration of principles and objectives of the Communist League. Largely written by Karl Marx, with the assistance of Friederich Engels, the Manifesto has four parts to it. Its introduction begins with these strong words: " A specter is haunting Europe - the specter of Communism."

The first section is an outlook of his theory of history, and his prophecy to the end of exploitation. He says the world is the stage for a dramatic confrontation between two struggling classes: the Bourgeoisie, or the ruling class Capitalists, and the Proletariat, the working class. Driven by the logic of Capitalism to seek greater profit, the Bourgeoisie "constantly revolutionizes the means of economic production, the fulcrum of history." In so doing, it "unwittingly sets in motion sociohistorical forces that it can no longer control, thus ironically calling into existence the class destined to end its rule - the Proletariat." The working class grows both in population and political awareness, generating what Marx called an "inevitable defeat of the Bourgeoisie."

The second part mainly predicts the method of eliminating class disticntions, by abolishing private property. This will reveal the Bourgeoisie culture, the ideology of capitalism. After the revolution, all economic production will be led by the state, organized as the ruling class.

The third section criticizes the various socialists ideals of the time, and is of historical interest to many.

The last part compares the philosophy of Communism to other organized parties in Europe. The famous document closes with these famous words, a slogan of a sort: " Workers of all countries, unite!"

Even though the Communist Manifesto did not have a very large immediate effect at the time, it is the most widely read and known of his works and one of the most influential documents of the socialist class.

Site for further Information

    "Communist Manifesto"
    http://www.anu.edu.au/polsci/marx/classics/manifesto.html

    "Communist Manifesto"   (This link is different from the top one, it just has the same title)
    http://www.clinch.edu/philos/phil345/Mosca3.htm

    "The Communist Manifesto"
    http://www.cs.oberlin.edu/students/pjaques/etext/markcommumani/Introduction.html

    "Karl Marx and the Communist Manifesto I"
    http://www.advweb.com/kw/misc/misc/kw_k-marx-e-erikson2.html

    "Portion of the Communist Manifesto"
    http://www.claynet.com/csonline/commu.htm

    "The Ten Planks of the Communist Manifesto"
    http://www.insearchof.com/Pages/comm-manifesto.htm

Back to the Timeline page!