The Communist Manifesto

Authors: Karl Marx (b. 1818- d. 1883) and Friedrich Engels (b. 1820- d. 1895). Marx was born in Germany and was educated at the University Berlin and University of Bohn. He is reputed for his work as a philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, and journalist. He is considered one of the most influential economists of all time. Although Marx contributed prolifically to all of these disciplines, his most noted theory was on relationships between society, economics, and politics, called Marxism. In this ideology, Marx denounces Capitalism and predicts that it will eventually give way to a new structure in Socialism. In Marx’s socialist system the workers would rule in a “dictatorship of the proletariat” and would control everything. The final evolution of socialism was communism, a system devoid of social class wherein everything being equal. Friedrich Engels was also born in Germany. He was an openly active atheist and anarchist as a young man, and had to flee the country for sometime. He eventually returned, and was greatly influenced by the work of the great philosopher Georg Hegel. Deeply concerned with their son’s activities, Engels’ parents sent him to England. It was in England where Engels first met Karl Marx. Thus, began a lifelong friendship and co-authorship between the two men.

Context: Their most famous co-authored work the Communist Manifesto, was commissioned by the underground German communist league in 1848. The communist manifesto was originally a series of pamphlets written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Both used their knowledge and careful observation of factories in order to highlight the oppression of the worker. They wanted to change the way that economic systems, and by extension politics operated.

Summary: Marx and Engels open the passage with a brief overview of history and class struggle. They state that in every historical scenario the problem always arose between those that had power, and those that did not. They then note that the current power holder is the bourgeoisie. They assert that he workers, or the proletariat are only items in this grand capitalist scheme, and their only use is to work and die. In the factories the workers are organized into a hierarchy of labors and bosses, all answerable to the bourgeoisie. Marx and Engels advocate for workers unions to alleviate some of the miseries, sufferings, and injustices in the factories. Then Engels and Marx define that communist are for the proletariat as a whole, and fight for all of the workers movement. They argue that all other proletariat parties, including the communists wish to overthrow the middle class and abolish most private property. However, Communism targets the bourgeoisie and advocates abolishing all of their private property. Communists call for an overthrow of the government by the bourgeoisie and advocate for a state ruled by the working classes with ten steps. The ten steps are changes from capitalism starting with the abolition of private property, to state regaled “equality.” Communism will be achieved once everything as Marx and Engle stated was equal. With a chilling finale, both men call for the workers to rise up and forcibly implement this new system in government.

Quote: “The Communists disdain to conceal their views and aims. They openly declare that their ends can be attainted by only the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions. Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communist revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. Workers of the world, unite!”