The Communist Manifesto
Also known as Manifesto of the Communist Party, Manifest der kommunistischen Partei
Marx and Engels's 1848 pamphlet: history as class struggle, and a call for the workers of the world to unite.
At a glance
Key ideas
Class struggle, A revolutionary bourgeoisie, Its own grave-diggers …
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Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
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- The Manifesto argues that "the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles".
- Under capitalism, it says, the bourgeoisie exploits the proletariat while constantly revolutionising production.
- It predicts that capitalism will bring about its own destruction and that revolution will lead to a classless communist society.
- It ends with short-term demands and a call for international working-class action.
Why it matters
- Published amid the Revolutions of 1848, it has become one of the world's most influential political documents.
Key facts
- Authors
- Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels1
- Commissioned by
- The Communist League1
- Published
- Late February 1848, in London, anonymously, in German: a 23-page pamphlet1
- Writing
- Written over six to seven weeks; Engels is credited as co-author, but the final text was penned by Marx alone1
- First in English
- November 1850: Helen Macfarlane's translation, serialised in The Red Republican1
- Early translations
- Polish and Danish soon after the German original; Swedish by the end of 1848; French before the June Days uprising1
Key ideas
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Class struggle1
Every earlier society was an oppressed majority exploited by an oppressive minority.
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A revolutionary bourgeoisie1
Capital constantly revolutionises production and spreads across the world, creating "a world after its own image".
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Its own grave-diggers1
By uniting the proletariat, the bourgeoisie prepares the revolution that will overthrow it.
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Private property1
For nine-tenths of the population, the authors argue, private property is already done away with.
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Ten measures1
Including a progressive income tax, abolition of inheritance, free public education and a national bank; in 1872 the authors said they no longer applied.
Connections
Written by
Links
Sources
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