This edition has the greatest literary introduction ever
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Greatest explanatory introduction ever, in fact could be as important or good as the book itself, really does Engels justice.
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Marx -Naiive idealist?
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I can only imagine that many people who read this have lost the ability to read objectively, as most seem to swallow this work hook, line and sinker. Others, I can only conclude, have not read it at all. Some claim this work is around 100 pages, it isn't it is around 40, with explanatory notes, introductions and such.
Many people today have a very narrow view of communism, as something alien, to be feared by all those who love freedom, and so in many ways this is obligatory reading for those who wish to understand global politics. It would be interesting indeed if this was considered compulsory at G.C.SE, but our bourgeois government might object.
It is easy, in retrospect, to see the potential falings of communism. By advocating the confiscation of all land, power and property, and centralising it in the state (i.e the working class), he failed to take into account the failings of the human condition. He failed to appreciate that individuals will be corrupted by power, and indulgent, hence the failings of Communist parties from the Bolshevics to the Khmer Rouge.
One of his ideas is that, when the Poletariat rise against the Bourgeois, the history of class struggle and antagonsim will come to an end, along with nationalism and global war. But again, as we saw, the bourgois, when they see an uprising in one country, essentially brainwash their own proletariat and declare war on Communism for what it represents. That is the state of the western world today it seems.
Another thing he claims, which I found bizarre, is that those who care for animals are just Bourgeois conservatives trying to placate the proletariat to prevent revolution. I must admit, that wasn't my main motivation for putting up a bird feeder in my garden!
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Never have so many extrapolated so much out of so little.
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A concept born in a simpler time used as an excuse for many things from Socialism to controlled capitalism. As with any pivotal work one should read it for his/her self. There is always the chance of misinterpretation by an individual, but if you do not read this then you are just accepting someone's word anyway.
This is more than an economics book it is a way of life. It sounds good on paper but makes a lot of assumptions. Instead of worrying about workability, look at the logic that is built on assumptions of that time (written, in 1848). Add this to your library.
You can pick a side (pro or con) and make a stand if you like; but look at the size of this book and realize that many people will just use the title and build their own case. You will have read the real thing. And be sure to balance it with. "The Capitalist Manifesto" by Louis O. Kelso
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One of the greatest works of all time
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This is without a shadow of a doubt one of those works that all appreciative people should read. Few authors could convey such a message with such simplicity of language. It is a haunting and powerful work.
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Five stars for the intro alone
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This review relates to the Penguin Classics version which comes with an "Introduction" by Gareth Stedman Jones. I put "Introduction" in quotes because it is about 180 pages long, whereas the pamphlet it is introducing is about 30 pages.
If you are interested in reading the Communist Manifesto, it's well worth getting this one, rather than saving yourself a few quid on an edition which just contains the Manifesto itself. Without putting this book in its historical context, you're likely to find yourself thinking "so what?!". The intro is academic and dense at times, but well worth the effort.
The most enlightening aspect of the manifesto itself, for me, is what is NOT in it, rather than what is. There isn't a description of how a communist society should look, for starters. The story of this book is the story of a pamphlet written for a specific time and place, which became an iconic work when it was seized on by the Soviets for reasons of political expediency. I'm sure if Marx and Engels knew what they would turn this book into, they would have written it very differently. No wonder Marx is quoted as saying "I am not a Marxist".
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