“The Communist Party Manifesto” is the famous work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. In it, the authors outlined the main goals and objectives of the communist organizations, which in 1848, when this work was written, were only emerging. For Marxists, this is an important and fundamental work.
The meaning of the treatise
The “Manifesto of the Communist Party” is important in that it says in this work that the whole history of mankind has so far been aimed at the struggle between different classes. According to Marx and Engels, in the foreseeable future, the death of capitalism at the hands of the proletariat is inevitable. As a result, a communist society with a lack of classes will be built, and all property will be public.
Karl Marx in his "Manifesto of the Communist Party" sets forth his own vision of the inevitability of a change in the methods of production and the laws of social development. A special place in this treatise is occupied by a detailed review of all kinds of non-Marxist theories of socialism, as well as teachings that the authors call pseudo-socialist. For example, they harshly criticize common private property when the principle of private property unreasonably extends to everyone.
Moreover, in this work, Marx calls the Communists the most decisive part of the proletariat, which everywhere supports the revolutionary movement aimed at overthrowing the current political and social system. He also notes that they are seeking unity and agreement between the democratic parties of different countries.
The first words of the "Communist Manifesto" became winged.
A ghost wanders through Europe - the ghost of communism. All the forces of old Europe united for the holy persecution of this ghost: pope and king, Metternich and Guizot, French radicals and German police.
It was first published in London in 1848, after which it was repeatedly reprinted, while no changes were made to it. In 1872, Friedrich Engels, in the preface to the next edition of the “Manifesto of the Communist Party”, notes that the treatise has become a historical document, which no one has the right to change.
History of creation
This work was written by Marx and Engels on behalf of the propaganda society "Union of the Just", which was organized in England by German immigrants. When the authors of the manifesto entered it, the organization was renamed the "Union of Communists".
In 1847, the first Congress of the Union took place, at which Engels was instructed to draw up the text of a program document for the organization. Interestingly, this work was originally called the “Project of the Communist Creed”.
At the second congress, the text of the communist manifesto is compiled. It becomes the program of the international organization of the revolutionary proletariat. Marx completes work on the “Manifesto of the Communist Party” at the beginning of 1848, when he is in Belgium.
Manifest Edition
It was first published anonymously in London. The work was published in German. It was a green cover brochure with 23 pages.
In March, a German immigrant newspaper reprinted her text, and the next day, Marx was expelled by police from Belgium.
Interestingly, the preface noted that the manifest must be published in different languages. So translations in Danish, Polish, Swedish and English will soon appear. It was in the preface of the English edition, issued by the journalist and socialist Helen McFarlane, which was published under the pseudonym Howard Morton, that the names of the authors of the manifesto were first mentioned. Previously, they remained unknown.
Popularity
When revolutions began throughout the continent in 1848, this work became extremely popular. However, in reality, few had the opportunity to get to know him; therefore, he did not have a significant impact on the course of events. Among the exceptions can only be called the German city of Cologne, in which a large circulation of the local newspaper was published, in every possible way glorifying the communist manifesto of Karl Marx.
Massive interest in the treatise arose only in the 1870s, when the First International and the Paris Commune began their activities. Also, the "Manifesto of the Communist Party" by Karl Marx appeared in the process against the Social Democratic Party of Germany. The prosecution side read excerpts from it.
After that, according to German laws, its official publication became possible. In 1872, Marx and Engels quickly prepared a new edition in German. In the coming years, nine editions were published in six languages. In 1872, suffragist Victoria Woodhull first issued a manifesto in America.
Tract distribution
Social democratic parties appearing in different countries began to actively disseminate the manifesto. It is interesting that Engels, in the preface to the English edition in 1888, wrote that their work reflected the history of the modern workers' movement, becoming one of the most widespread works of socialist literature in the modern world. This program was recognized by workers from California to Siberia.
The treatise was first translated into Russian by the anarchist Mikhail Bakunin, who was an associate of the authors of the First International. In 1869, the Russian version of the treatise was printed in the printing house of the magazine Bell.
In 1882, the second edition appeared in the same translation by George Plekhanov. It already had a special introduction in which Marx and Engels tried to answer the question of whether Russian society is able to transfer to a communist form of universal ownership, bypassing the capitalist stage that all countries of Western Europe go through.
The first edition of the manifesto in Ukrainian was prepared by the writer Lesya Ukrainka.
Circulations
Of course, over time, the circulation of the manifesto became simply huge, especially in the USSR. But nothing is known about the total number of copies released. It can be argued that only in the Soviet Union by 1973 there were 447 editions of this work with a combined circulation of almost 24 million copies.
It is noteworthy that in the 21st century interest in the work of Marx and Engels reappeared. For example, in 2012, the British publication was accompanied by a foreword by the historian, Marxist, convinced by Eric Hobsbaum. And in 2010, an illustrated edition of this treatise was published in Canada by a publishing house specializing in the publication of radical historical texts in the form of manga or comics.
Manifest content
The communist manifesto consists of four chapters. The first is called "The Bourgeois and the Proletarians," and the second is called "The Proletarians and Communists."
The third chapter - “Socialist and Communist Literature” - is divided into several parts. These are “Reactionary Socialism”, “Conservative or Bourgeois Socialism”, and “Critically Utopian Socialism and Communism”.
The final chapter of this work is called "Attitude of the Communists to the various opposition parties."
Abandonment of capitalism
The rejection of capitalist society is one of the main goals of this treatise. The program for the transition to a communist social formation is given in the second chapter. The authors suggest that everything will happen by force, the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat will be key.
The transition program itself contains ten points or steps. This is the expropriation of land ownership, the introduction of a high progressive tax, the confiscation of property of rebels and emigrants, the abolition of inheritance rights, free parenting, merging of industry and agriculture, the growth in the number of state enterprises, the introduction of compulsory labor for all, the centralization of credit in state banks.
Marx and Engels in their treatise suggested that, having eliminated capitalism, the dictatorship of the proletariat would exhaust itself, giving way to a kind of "association of individuals." However, the authors do not write anything about it.