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Commonly known as The Communist Manifesto, the Manifesto of the Communist Party (in German "Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei") has been one of the most influential political documents in the world, having a far-reaching effect on twentieth-century political organization. In this 1848 publication, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels expound the program and purpose of the Communist League who commissioned the work. A critique of the Capitalist order of the time, the Manifesto gives a vision of a stateless, classless society, achieved through the overthrow of bourgeois social systems and the abolition of private property - the revolution of the proletariat.
BeeQuiet: This is a book which explores the concept of modernity through the lens of works by such authors as Goethe, Baudelaire, Marx, through to the writers of St. Petersburg at a time when modernity seemed to be passing them by. It's a book written with undeniable passion, which swallows the reader whole (at least it did with me). I have never thought about texts like The Communist Manifesto in the same way since reading it.… (more)
BeeQuiet: Before I explain why, I'd just like to add that this was co-authored by Adorno, though that doesn't seem to be logged here.
I have only read the chapter 'The Culture Industry', but it provides excellent insight into the ways in which marxist theory has progressed. Following the failed student revolts in France, and the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Frankfurt School was set up by way of exploring what had happened to allow such a grand false start. The Culture Industry in particular explores the way in which capitalism assimilates cultural forms, thereby robbing them of their revolutionary potential. I just love their writing style and hope others do to.… (more)
I feel this book is outdated for today's culture and way of living. Ofcourse this is a manifesto written before a century ago but still I wanted to like this book.
I learned many concepts and more about communism in this book but yet I still feel this is written for someone else. ( )
While I don't think this is a 5 star material, I feel the desire to transgress and balance out in a way all those other ratings and reviews that clearly have not read the book or for some other reason are in reality rating and reviewing the Soviet Union, stalinism, the bolshevik revolution or simply totalitarianism in general instead of commenting about the text itself. ( )
As a book that has influenced a lot of political/social/economic thought, I knew that I should read this and be aware of what is being taught in it by Marx. After reading it, doing some research, etc., I can safely say that the theory of Communism would never and has never worked. The idea that the proletariat can and should rise up against the upper class by violent revolution and that somehow they will abolish class by abdicating the power they have taken is silly. It just won't happen. People don't work that way.
That being said, this was a fairly easy read with some true economic principles that we see today (yes, even in the US of A!). Marx's style of prose is a little too wordy and convoluted for my taste, but I understand what he was saying.
Jones does a great job contextualizing the Manifesto beforehand (with a whopping 184-page introduction, not to mention footnotes for the actual text of the Manifesto), and connects the reader to many other philosophers and social theorists in Marx's influential circle. In fact, this edition seems more like a history book than simply another published copy of the Manifesto. As for Marx, his opinions on the harm of capitalism are very well elucidated, but when it comes to his solutions, they are very vague and seem to be merely based on what happened in the French Revolution. His thoughts on capitalism make it all worth it, however, and thus I will move on to his other works, especially [b:Economic & Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844|85954|Economic & Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844|Karl Marx|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1521042866l/85954._SY75_.jpg|82945]. ( )
Commonly known as The Communist Manifesto, the Manifesto of the Communist Party (in German "Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei") has been one of the most influential political documents in the world, having a far-reaching effect on twentieth-century political organization. In this 1848 publication, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels expound the program and purpose of the Communist League who commissioned the work. A critique of the Capitalist order of the time, the Manifesto gives a vision of a stateless, classless society, achieved through the overthrow of bourgeois social systems and the abolition of private property - the revolution of the proletariat.
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I learned many concepts and more about communism in this book but yet I still feel this is written for someone else. (