The Communist Manifesto

‘The Communist Manifesto’ is an 1848 political pamphlet by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. As the platform of the Communist League, it was essential to the communist movement of the 19th and 20th centuries. Originally titled ‘The Manifesto of the Communist Party,’ this book has a historical importance that transcends its few pages.

With the evolution of societies framed through class struggle, ‘The Communist Manifesto’ shines a new light on materialism. From the age of feudalism to 19th-century capitalism, a workers’ society is promoted as the end goal of human history. This book is about people and economics, and how they’re entwined through the political struggle.

‘The Communist Manifesto’ features a preamble and four sections. At the culmination, the communists are represented as the vanguard of the working class — accomplishing their goals through the rising proletariat and the abolition of private property. In the last paragraph of this book, the authors call for a “forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions.” This proclamation has helped to ignite revolutions around the world, and it’s just as powerful today as it was when written.