marxmywords 's review for:

The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels

5.0

hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

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The Communist Manifesto is a must-read for every (beginning) communist out there! The edition I had included a 300-word introduction that provided essential context; how communism emerged, the historical backdrop of Marx and Engels' lives, and key philosophical foundations. While this section was more academic than the Manifesto itself, it helped me to grasp the socio-political climate of the time before diving in.

However, I enjoyed the Manifesto far more (duh), Marx’s (and Engels’) writing truly shines here. The prose is sharp, passionate, and unapologetically revolutionary. One of the most striking lines that stayed with me is:

"The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles."

This single sentence captures the essence of Marx’s historical analysis. Another powerful quote that resonated with me was:

"The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. WORKING MEN OF ALL COUNTRIES, UNITE!"

It’s a rallying cry that still feels urgent today (and is printed on every communist merch ever). 

I also appreciated Marx’s critique of other socialist and communist tendencies that failed to serve the proletariat. His dismantling of reactionary, bourgeois, and utopian socialisms really captured my attention while reading, and his rejection of reformist approaches, like those of the democratic socialists, was compelling. As he and Engels wrote:

"The theoretical conclusions of the Communists are in no way based on ideas or principles that have been invented, or discovered, by this or that would-be universal reformer. They merely express, in general terms, actual relations springing from an existing class struggle..."

This insistence on material conditions over idealism is what makes the Manifesto so enduring.

Overall, this is a foundational text that every leftist should engage with, not just as theory (little guilty myself), but as a call to action. Whether you agree with every point or not, Marx’s analysis of capitalism’s exploitative nature remains devastatingly relevant. 5/5 – A revolutionary classic.

Would love to hear others’ thoughts on their favorite passages! ✊