The Communist Manifesto Paperback – 22 Sept. 2017

Gifted to a friend; however he was shocked to find a phone screen protector instead of a much anticipated communist manifesto, so I can only imagine that someone is walking round with a communist manifesto on the front of their phone- 10/10 would distribute communist propaganda again

An interesting and important book that i dont agree with (hence the 1 star rating) but if you want to understand the enemy then read what they've written.

Firstly, I agree with others that this unusually brief book is not that easy to read. I have thehardback copy and at £7 for a mere twenty pages, it is a little over priced I have to say!The book is essentially about the class war between the capitalists and the labour force - the Bourgeois and Proletarians.The opening third delves into history and sets out its case for a fairer deal for the labour force. The middle sets out very briefly what Communism does and how it will work. The last third looks at various forms of socialism that has been tried in the past and why they failed.Of the eye-openers are the ownership of all properties and land by the Communist state. I presume that they would take ownership of your home and then charge you rent to live there!Abolition of inheritance – everything goes to the state!Confiscation of property owned by emigrants – that would go down well in our multi- cultural society wouldn’t it?Frankly, Communism just hates anyone who makes money off of a labour force – no matter how well they’re paid and how that income improves their lives. Not to mention of course capitalism and entrepreneurs provide the jobs we all need to make life worthwhile.Nowhere in this book does it say how the party are going raise the money needed to do all the things a normal Government needs to do. Other than expand factories, take to the countryside, and bring women into the workforce. Unfortunately, they didn’t take into consideration the technological age and the fact that factories might close or some products may fall out of fashion for lots of reasons, or that a single machine might collect potatoes in the fields and replace a hundred labourers?It’s said that this book is one of he most important written. I don’t know who said that but I won’t be taking any notice of him / her in the future and that's for sure!

Not once does this book mention how everything would be paid for and what actually happens if you don’t agree.My first review wasn’t allowed. Because I compared communism to fascism.I was wrong, I shouldn’t have done that.I should have let the death toll speak for itself.100 million and counting.

There are millions of people who regularly misquote or pour vitriol on this little book and the ideology it helped create. Given the very compact nature and the final impact the volume had, I feel it is at the very least required to read it prior to pontificating on its qualities or lack thereof - can better understand that not everyone finds the time or inclination to go for  Das Kapital .The book is very compact and concise. It presents the basic elements of the authors' economic and political views first and foremost, then goes on - as somewhat understandable for a political manifesto - into how the communist party differentiates itself from various other left wing political groupings and why it is the right choice to back.It does not have the space to expound the economic theory of Marx and Engels in much detail and frankly, the general readership of the day was probably just as little interested as is the case for currently novel economic theories and today's public.One reason why I would also recommend everyone to take the half an hour's time to read the book is that many of the 'negatives' always implied or associated with communism simply have no basis in the Manifesto - i.e. they are not advocated or often not mentioned at all. As such the book can form a first step towards a better and more balanced understanding of the economic theories behind communism, as dated as they may be from today's perspective.If you then want a really first rate analysis in the next step, Heilbronner's  Heilbroner Marxism - for and against  is a must read (as is his  The Worldly Philosophers: The Lives, Times, and Ideas of the Great Economic Thinkers (Penguin Business Library)  for an overview of the development of economic thinking). It is a work of an expert rather than an ideologue, so it can point out the failures as well as the qualities in a balanced fashion.In any case, irrespective of your politics, I personally find the book should be read, if nothing else, to properly understand the real arguments, as opposed to the endlessly regurgitated half-truths and misrepresentations that are only natural for a - from a Cold War perspective - hostile ideology.

OK, the workers are being shafted by those in charge, the form of exploitation is constantly changing, and this prevents us from uniting and rising up. I get that, but I started to lose my way a bit with all this mention of borgoiuse and petty borgoiuse, excuse spelling. Much if it seemed very relevant to today, would love to read a 21st century translation or adaptation.Other books you might like to read Cold Steel on the Rocks We Are Cold Steel Kalter Stahl auf den Felsen

Had to briefly get an idea on the topic for an essay while I am a social scientist who doesn't like anything that's Marx. This book saved me. It's very good and contains the minimum to get you through the topic but also contains enough to give you a good insight.

I’ve been meaning to read this for a while, and just got round to it as background reading for an essay. I’d read snippets before, but reading the whole thing really gave m epaulets for thought. Agree or disagree with his politics, Marx saw our world coming, and read into to trouble of his own age with intelligent insight.Again, agree or disagree, I’d recommended anyone read this. Even if you oppose socialism/communism, it’s always a good idea to know what you’re opposing.