Manifesto do Partido Comunista

In 1848, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote this brief manifesto for the Communist League. It opens with the famous claim that the history of all existing society is the history of class struggles, and describes how the bourgeoisie, in the course of building capitalism, produced the proletariat that would overthrow it. It argues that workers have no country, that private property must be abolished and that communists should support revolutionary movements everywhere. The final section outlines immediate measures and ends with the call to unite. The prose is polemical, concise and full of striking images.

Students of politics, economics and history, and curious general readers, will find it a quick way to read the source of many later debates. Whether you agree with it or not, understanding its argument helps in reading about the twentieth century.

Deep and outward-looking; a moderate read.

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