The Communist Manifesto: A Timeless Critique of Capitalism and a Vision for a More Just Society

The Communist Manifesto (Oxford World's Classics)

by Karl Marx

4.3 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	815 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	94 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

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The Communist Manifesto is one of the most influential political documents in history. Written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in 1848, it provides a scathing critique of capitalism and a vision for a more just and equitable society. This Oxford World Classics edition features a new by historian Eric Hobsbawm, which provides an accessible and engaging overview of the work and its continuing relevance today.

A Critique of Capitalism

The Communist Manifesto begins with a powerful indictment of capitalism. Marx and Engels argue that capitalism is a system based on the exploitation of the working class by the capitalist class. They show how the capitalist class owns the means of production and uses this ownership to extract surplus value from the workers. This surplus value is the difference between the value of the goods produced by the workers and the wages they are paid. It is this surplus value that allows the capitalist class to accumulate wealth and power.

Marx and Engels also argue that capitalism is a system that is inherently unstable. They show how the competition between capitalists leads to overproduction and crises. These crises, in turn, lead to unemployment, poverty, and social unrest. They argue that capitalism is a system that is doomed to fail.

A Vision for a More Just Society

The Communist Manifesto does not just provide a critique of capitalism. It also offers a vision for a more just and equitable society. Marx and Engels argue that the only way to overcome the problems of capitalism is to overthrow the capitalist system and replace it with a socialist system. In a socialist society, the means of production would be owned in common and the profits from production would be shared equally among all members of society.

Marx and Engels believed that a socialist society would be a more just and equitable society than a capitalist society. They argued that socialism would eliminate the exploitation of the working class and would create a society in which everyone would have an equal opportunity to succeed.

The Continuing Relevance of the Communist Manifesto

The Communist Manifesto was written over 170 years ago, but it remains relevant today. The problems of capitalism that Marx and Engels identified in the 19th century are still with us today. We still live in a world where the wealthy few own the means of production and the majority of people are forced to sell their labor for wages. We still live in a world where competition and greed lead to overproduction, crises, unemployment, and poverty.

The Communist Manifesto offers a powerful critique of capitalism and a vision for a more just and equitable society. It is a document that is still relevant today and that continues to inspire people around the world to fight for a better future.

The Communist Manifesto (Oxford World's Classics)

by Karl Marx

4.3 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	815 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	94 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

FREE