The Communist Manifesto

Reading the negative ratings of this book gave me a good laugh. Especially Kris' comment on how people (Americans!) have bought into communism. If communists are a bunch of THUGS, as you call them, I would love to see what your comment would be if you read about your government... What you will find, may or may not please you.

This book is a great read, and it offers historical insight and many mroe things. Some people are just too stupid/biased to realize.

This book was chartered by the central bank of London to be spread to the working class dupes to believe one day they would control the means of production. This manifesto was nothing but an outline of how central banking can take over the world through the stupidity of people willing to give up all of their property, their rights, and brainwash their children with plank 10 to believe the same as them. It is NOT a political movement. It is a banking cartel takeover designed to erase Magna Carta, the Constitution, The Bill of Rights and return us to absolute feudalism just the way it was before we had those documents. Stop listening to your Marxist professors and wake up.

As one of the most influential books in history, I had to read this. It's remarkably well-written. Kind of sad how most of the reviews have nothing to do with the book itself but just have a political axe to grind.

Not a great read, but still an important book, considering the history of the 20th century. Especially disturbing are his 10 items for changing countries to communism, most of which have indeed been put into practice in almost all Western-style social democracies. Items like progressive taxation and public education, for example.

He kind of rewrote history in writing this. One example, Guild Master and Journeyman were not in conflict. He benefited from the training he received as an apprentice, then when he produced a masterpiece, he would be a full member of the guild(a master). Also, Communism, true communism, has existed and continues to exist, but not based off of the teaching of Karl Marx. It is based off of the teachings of a man named Jesus. The Early Church lived communally, as did medieval towns, as did (and continue to live) Monasteries and convents by entering them by free will, ennobling labor, giving everyone the same labor with no one above it, and believing in someone above them(all of them) to strive for. Without that, people have no reason to give up conflict and share.

I find it disturbing that so many people are rating this a 1-star and claiming it has always failed, even though true Marxist Communism has never been attempted, has never been tried, and has never been practiced in any of the so-called "Communist" nations that have been nothing more than totalitarian dictatorships.
This book is an excellent look not only into a different time, but also stands true today and will be true tomorrow as long as unbridled free-market Capitalism is idealized and it will be true for every generation that sees the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.

Written in 1848, it tells of a very different world than the one we now (2012) live in.

I found that, although heavily flawed (the dissolution of the family, for instance - Pol Pott tried that one with horrendous results), there were still a few gems of insight to be found.

I was amazed, while reading this, at how much time he uses to "bad mouth" other opposition (usually socialist) movements.

I'm pleased to see, from previous posts, that Marx still, after all this time, has the power to illicit strong reactions.

On the subject of earlier reviews, I'm at a loss as to why reviewers such as "Elliot", "Leslie" and "Jovian" find this pamphlet to be boring. What were they expecting - car chases and buxom blonds?

And as to "Elliot's" statement about the deaths of tens of millions, true, but I can point the same finger at just about every other method of human philosophy/organisation (for example - over 100,000 dead in Iraq, a similar number in Afghanistan, and the there was Vietnam and well I could go on and on).

And as for "Mickey Mouse" (suitable user name), no, not everyone is greedy. I think what he's trying to get at is that some are born to be alpha (as in alpha-male and alpha-female), such people are greedy (for power/control as well as for things), but they are not, in my understanding, in the majority. And it is the question "what to do about such people (if anything)" that much of political thought is about.

Blurtex's "review" seems to have been taken verbatim from the Wikipedia description, so I hardly count it as valid here. As for my review, I can only say that others who have claimed the book to be boring beyond belief is true, that the philosophy itself if flawed beyond measure and the overall effect on the world has been horrific. I wish there were a rating system for fewer than one stars.

This monumentally boring book is the best cure for insomnia ever invented. As for the philosophy itself -- I cannot imagine how much better off the world would be today if someone had smothered Marx and Engels in their cradles. Horrible book, horrible "manifesto."

hate him or like him, but the fact is you must come across him-s y b kura. danfodio. this book is unavoidable as long as we are to make an important contribution to the development of our individual societies