Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich "The Communist Manifesto" (German: Das Kommunistische Manifest) - 1848
It's unbelievable that this book is almost two centuries old. It's as contemporary and accurate as it was in 1848. I have always said, and I still believe it is correct, Marx and Engels would turn in their grave if they saw what has been made from their ideas. Unfortunately, they forgot to include one aspect into their theories, the human factor. As we have seen during the last two years of this pandemic, there are always greedy, selfish people around and they will not change their mind for the common good, often they are not smart enough to understand that and cannot think further than their own nose. So we should forgive them. But, honestly, I don't want to. I hate selfishness more than anything.
I live in a country with a good health system which is regarded by many outsiders as communist. We have free education and a good insurance for when we lose our jobs. We look after each other in our system and I am happy about that. But there are still too many rich people who could do more for the rest of the population. Again, the human factor. But I am glad we have the system we have and wouldn't want to live in some other countries, even if they claim to have more money. My son lived in Sweden for a while and their system is even further than Germany, a great system with high taxes but the people are generally a lot happier than those in other countries. I think that speaks for itself.
Karl Marx is a great philosopher; he has been named one of the most well-known thinkers in the world. We should give his thoughts more consideration.
Quotes:
"Political power, properly so called, is merely the organised power of one class for oppressing another."
Unfortunately, Karl Marx was right here, as always.
"The ruling ideas of each age have ever been the ideas of its ruling class."
So true, those who rule the country tell us what we should think.
"Then the world will be for the common people, and the sounds of happiness will reach the deepest springs. Ah! Come! People of every land, how can you not be roused."
Good question. If people don't want to understand, they won't.
"You are horrified at our intending to do away with private property. But in your existing society, private property is already done away with for nine-tenths of the population."
Also this is still truer than ever.
"Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win.
Workingmen of all countries unite!"
The trouble is, many of the suppressed people believe their oppressors that this is wrong and will end in a disaster for them. No, it will end in a disaster for the rich.
"Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps."
Still the same!
And last but not least:
"Communism deprives no man of the power to appropriate the products of society; all that is does is to deprive him of the power to subjugate the labour of others by means of such appropriation."
From the back cover:
"A rousing call to arms whose influence is still felt today
Originally published on the eve of the 1848 European revolutions, The Communist Manifesto is a condensed and incisive account of the worldview Marx and Engels developed during their hectic intellectual and political collaboration. Formulating the principles of dialectical materialism, they believed that labor creates wealth, hence capitalism is exploitive and antithetical to freedom.
One of the most profoundly defining documents ever published in history. The Communist Manifesto has forever realigned political faultlines worldwide, and its aftershock resonates to this day. In the 150 years since its publication, no other treatise has inspired such a dividing and violent debate, and after the recent collapse of several regimes which had initially embraced it, a retrospective interpretation of the essential ideas it advocates is presented in this comprehensive volume."
It's unbelievable that this book is almost two centuries old. It's as contemporary and accurate as it was in 1848. I have always said, and I still believe it is correct, Marx and Engels would turn in their grave if they saw what has been made from their ideas. Unfortunately, they forgot to include one aspect into their theories, the human factor. As we have seen during the last two years of this pandemic, there are always greedy, selfish people around and they will not change their mind for the common good, often they are not smart enough to understand that and cannot think further than their own nose. So we should forgive them. But, honestly, I don't want to. I hate selfishness more than anything.
I live in a country with a good health system which is regarded by many outsiders as communist. We have free education and a good insurance for when we lose our jobs. We look after each other in our system and I am happy about that. But there are still too many rich people who could do more for the rest of the population. Again, the human factor. But I am glad we have the system we have and wouldn't want to live in some other countries, even if they claim to have more money. My son lived in Sweden for a while and their system is even further than Germany, a great system with high taxes but the people are generally a lot happier than those in other countries. I think that speaks for itself.
Karl Marx is a great philosopher; he has been named one of the most well-known thinkers in the world. We should give his thoughts more consideration.
Quotes:
"Political power, properly so called, is merely the organised power of one class for oppressing another."
Unfortunately, Karl Marx was right here, as always.
"The ruling ideas of each age have ever been the ideas of its ruling class."
So true, those who rule the country tell us what we should think.
"Then the world will be for the common people, and the sounds of happiness will reach the deepest springs. Ah! Come! People of every land, how can you not be roused."
Good question. If people don't want to understand, they won't.
"You are horrified at our intending to do away with private property. But in your existing society, private property is already done away with for nine-tenths of the population."
Also this is still truer than ever.
"Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win.
Workingmen of all countries unite!"
The trouble is, many of the suppressed people believe their oppressors that this is wrong and will end in a disaster for them. No, it will end in a disaster for the rich.
"Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps."
Still the same!
And last but not least:
"Communism deprives no man of the power to appropriate the products of society; all that is does is to deprive him of the power to subjugate the labour of others by means of such appropriation."
From the back cover:
"A rousing call to arms whose influence is still felt today
Originally published on the eve of the 1848 European revolutions, The Communist Manifesto is a condensed and incisive account of the worldview Marx and Engels developed during their hectic intellectual and political collaboration. Formulating the principles of dialectical materialism, they believed that labor creates wealth, hence capitalism is exploitive and antithetical to freedom.
One of the most profoundly defining documents ever published in history. The Communist Manifesto has forever realigned political faultlines worldwide, and its aftershock resonates to this day. In the 150 years since its publication, no other treatise has inspired such a dividing and violent debate, and after the recent collapse of several regimes which had initially embraced it, a retrospective interpretation of the essential ideas it advocates is presented in this comprehensive volume."
See also: "Capital. Critique of Political Economy" - 1867
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