The Communist Manifesto | Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels | Down with Bush/Palin Neo-conservatism

The Communist Manifesto | Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels | a must-read

books:

English Joseph Polchinski Bone Crossed (Merc... The Music Man (195... The Communist Mani...

	The Communist Manifesto Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels CreateSpace, 2008 - 58 pages average customer review:based on 278 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

Here is the complete text of The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, in the 1888 English version edited by Engels himself. One of the most influential political treatises of all time, The Communist Manifesto is essential reading for every student of politics and history.

Down with Bush/Palin Neo-conservatism

I just read this right after Animal Farm by George Orwell. Both books are about communism and both are highly interesting. I believe Stalin twisted the true message of Marxist and Leninist communism and the experiment failed, but it had the right ideals. Orwell himself was a communist, or at least a democratic socialist, but he saw how Stalin twisted the ideology for his own paranoid and power-mad gain and how the working class were betrayed.

Where the Animal Farm book is an attack on Stalinist communism, Marx's Communist Manifesto can be interpretted as an attack on the excesses of capitalism and Nazi fascism, and by extension all other modern forms of totalitarian dictatorial ideology or rule, be they political or moralistic, mental or physical. For me, this includes any democratic conservatism that judges our lifestyle and tells me to be a certain way or else be considered as a second-class citizen. True communism is anti-materialistic and has no dictators and tells us we can be the way we want to be and free, leading to true equality among the classes because no one has more or less than anyone else.

for more information click here

a must-read

The impact of this little pamphlet on history has been immense. Marx and Engels go back later and revise and elaborate on what they write here, but it is one of the most accessible things they ever wrote, and best of all, quite revolutionary. You can also read it by searching for the Marxists Internet Archive in the search engine of your choice.

Just the Manifesto

Those of you looking for a little more substance and historical context needn't purchase this version. This little $5.95 book is more like the original pamphlet. This can easily be read in the spare time of a day, and the message seems to relate to the current plutocratic struggle in the United States.

The passion to provide strength and defense for the larger, lower classes in a dual economy is truly revolutionary. But, Marx doesn't have every solution; although, it's purported to be a single guide to solving evil capitalistic stratification.

Overall, it's a book for the ages and it's a poignant read.

As for the historical value: ***** (5 stars -- Well worth the read, even if you simply want to argue against communist policy.)

The publisher's book: ***** (5 stars -- I'm pretty sure they print a new copy for each individual. The date of printing on the back was my order date. Nice touch!)

Context and historical information: * (1 star -- There's none of that, but most people will be buying this for its base reading value. There are plenty of other books if you'd like to get some context.)

Price: ***** (5 stars -- At $5.95 and a seemingly fresh printing for each one, this is a great deal. It's bare bones, but that's okay.)

for more information click here

A broadside from Marx and Engels

"A specter is haunting Europe--the specter of communism." Thus begins this work, authored by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. It is their literate effort to provide a rallying cry for the communist movement. The call? "The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles." Thus, they lay out their perspective, based on class conflict. Given this view, it is not surprising that they close this rather brief work with the call: "WORKING MEN OF ALL COUNTRIES--UNITE." Why? "The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win."

In between is a consideration of the following issues--class conflict (bourgeoisie versus proletarians), proletarians and communists, a critique of socialist and communist literature, and a comparison (and contract) with other opposition parties.

In the process, the reader gets a thumbnail sketch of Marx' and Engels' political views (expanded in much greater depth in other works).

For a quick and dirty introduction to Marx' thought, this isn't a bad starting point, although written fairly early in his career (1848). . .

for more information click here