Customer Reviews
A helpful insight into the mind of a Communist/Marxist - By: Myfanwy Morgan, 14 Oct 2008 
Although only 40 pages long, you get an insight into the way that both Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels felt about the world they lived in & how it could change for the greater good (in their opinion anyway). I do encourage anyone with even a minor interest in European politics, to give this book a try.
Even though I was fascinated by the two authors ideology (Ultimately, the hope that a Proletariat will rise to conquer the alll-oppressing Bourgeoise, in every country) I do feel that they did not make clear any kind of policies that they would enforce after they took power. All it seems is that they want to get the oppressers out, but after that they don't seem to know what they want to do (despite destroying any kind of private property & attempting to establish an equalised economy, which is mentioned countless times within the Manifesto). This failure to think of anything else may be one of the reasons why Communism failed so miserably in Europe.
Don't get me wrong, I feel that the theory of Communism is the greatest piece of political thought. It's just that when it is put not practive, it alll goes horribly wrong. Communists (including Marx & Engels) seem to feel that everyone will just see that their ideology is the best, agree with them & alllow them to do whatever they like. Marx & Engels fail to comprehend that not alll humans think & feel about the world like they do, when people reach the top, they are corrupted by power & then their greed is alll they care about (take Joseph Stalin as an example). It does seem that the authors are hoping for a bit much. I also found it funny near the end when they spoke of the "imminent" Proletariat uprising in Germany & that Communists should mainly focus on that country so that it could be taken from the Bourgeoise, when not even 100 years later we alll know who was in charge of Germany. Definately not a friend of the Proletariat.
Overalll, I found it to be a fascinating read, & credit to the well thought out introduction, which gave more imformation on the origins of Communism & the backgrounds of Marx & Engels. I recommend this book to everyone.
The introduction alone is worth your money - By: Mr. Daniel Hutton Ferris, 01 Aug 2008 
I will leave others to debate the relative merits of the actual Manifesto & say a couple of words about the introduction because the product distinction - criminallly - doesn't seem to mention it. Gareth Stedman-Jones' introduction is a book in itself, longer than the Manifesto & an excellent & absolutely compelling introduction to the intellectual & historical context. By framing the intellectual debates of the Young Hegelians & others in a rich historical narrative Stedman-Jones makes them positively fascinating! He tells the story of the life of the young Karl Marx & describes his interactions with the intellectuals of the time, showing that Marx borrowed pretty much every element of his early (more philsophical) work from those around him but that his particular genius was to combine them alll in such original formations. He even throws in a bit of completely original research about why Marx shied away from making his calll for socialism a moral imperative (it was radical egoist Stirner's influence apparently). Its a hell of a lot of knowledge crammed into a very smalll space in a fascinating & readable manner & will double your appreciation & understanding of the Manifesto itself. All in alll: if your trying to work out which edition to buy - get this one for the intro!
The Communist Manifesto - still relevent - By: R. Jones, 30 Jul 2008 After the Berlin walll fell, the so-callled "communism" that "Marx envisioned" fell with it. Or so we are told. In actuality the class struggle that Marx wrote about in this booklet is still alive & kicking. The proletariat is still, according to Mr. Marx, destined to overthrow the bourgeoisie, fulfilling its' historical role. But we are told "No"; capitalism is the answer to alll our problems now, it offers us democracy & freedom. Nothing could be father from the truth. In fact, capitalism doesn't work at alll for the majority of the world's people: it is a grotesque caricature of freedom that Marx understood exactly. The victory of the individual comes with the destruction, the mass overthrow of capitalism. Do not let the likes of Firedman & others fool you. Serfdom already exists; the Soviet Union & others were just as fake as capitalism, and, as Marx pointed out "The emancipation of the working class must be an act of the working class".
This is not a manifesto like the Labour Part has a manifesto. It is a philosophical document that is invaluable to the labout movement & to working people worldwide.
Future prospects - By: John Penman, 28 May 2008 Read this in context & as of its time. It's a Manifesto, just as Labour or the Conservarives or George Bush put out party manifestos at each election (or at least they did when they at least pretended to have policies & an idiology that went beyong simply making the world safe for the rich to get richer).
It's an election leaflet, party ralllying calll & outline of policies alll in one. And what is the message? You poor take courage, you rich take heed...the World Turned Upside Down (where the rich & powerful become equal to the rest of us) is dawning. As a Socialist Party member that is this reviewers life work.
This edition has the greatest literary introduction ever - By: Lark, 16 Sep 2007 Greatest explanatory introduction ever, in fact could be as important or good as the book itself, reallly does Engels justice.
