The Communist Manifesto

The Communist Manifesto is a political work by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. It presents the communists' theory of history and examines the relationship between the proletarians and the bourgeoisie. According to the book, socialism would in due course replace the prevailing capitalist society. It sets out communist ideas and beliefs and discusses revolution, ending with a call for workers of all countries to unite. First published in German in 1848, the book has been banned numerous times and remains politically relevant from the nineteenth to the twenty-first century.

Why You Should Read?

• Learn how the book presents the communists' theory of history and its view of class relations.
• Examine the book's discussion of the relationship between the proletarians and the bourgeoisie.
• Understand why the book says socialism would in due course replace the prevailing capitalist society.
• Explore the communist ideas and beliefs set out in this work and its call for workers to unite.

About the Author

Karl Marx was a German thinker in philosophy, society and politics, journalism and revolutionary socialism. He developed historical materialism, studying how society is structured and changes, especially through class conflict in capitalist systems, and expected communism to replace capitalism. With Friedrich Engels he wrote The Communist Manifesto in 1848, and in Das Kapital he criticised classical political economy. His birthplace was Trier, then in the Kingdom of Prussia, and he received a philosophy doctorate from the University of Jena in 1841. His ideas, called Marxism, shaped intellectual, political and social history and inspired revolutionary movements in many lands.