What is the message of The Communist Manifesto?

The Communist Manifesto is an 1848 political pamphlet commissioned by the Communist League and written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. It codifies historical materialism, arguing that all human history is driven by class struggle between the exploiting bourgeoisie and the exploited proletariat. The text predicts that capitalism will inevitably collapse due to its own internal contradictions, paving the way for a classless communist society.

What we know

• The Communist Manifesto was published in London in 1848 during the Revolutions of 1848 in Europe. [1, 2]
• The text asserts that the history of all existing society is the history of class struggles defined by people's relationship to the means of production. [2]
• Marx and Engels combine philosophical materialism with the Hegelian dialectical method to analyze societal development through modes of production like feudalism and capitalism. [2]
• The manifesto proposes specific transitional measures, including the abolition of private property in land, introduction of a progressive income tax, and nationalisation of credit and transport. [2]

Where to go next

• whoWho were Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels?
• whenHow did the Revolutions of 1848 influence European politics?
• how it workedWhat is historical materialism?
• what caused itWhat role did the Communist League play in 19th-century Europe?
• compared withWhat is an anarchist manifesto?
• an unexpected connectionHow is an Italian daily newspaper connected to communist political writing?An Italian daily newspaper published in Rome adopts the exact title Il manifesto while maintaining a left-wing, communist perspective independent of any political party.

Sources

• [1]The Communist Manifesto (Wikidata Q40591) · CC0 1.0
• [2]The Communist Manifesto · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Manifesto · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Il manifesto · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Anarchist Manifesto · CC BY-SA 4.0