Rating: Summary: Important historical document Review: This is the book that started it all. Regardless of what Marx and Engels wrote in their dense thousand page books of theory, this little book was the dream of communism that changed Europe. I think they were completely wrong, but their ideas were based on sound reasoning, and only later events have exposed the problems that now show communism to be an unfortunate and costly mistake in the history of mankind. If you are interested in politics, you have a responsibility to read this book.
Rating: Summary: Excellent Review: An excellent book. It is short and to the point. It may still happen in the future. Capitalism is surely not the last economic and social order of history. Stalin was definitely not a Marxist. Please don't confuse Marxism with Stalin and his gross abuses. Highly recommended. Humans are generally too selfish to implement everything he advocates..... at least in the present time!
Rating: Summary: Useful, if only to serve as an example of what NOT to do Review: First of all, never believe anyone who tells you that "real communism has never been tried", or something to that effect. True, the world that Marx envisioned has never come to pass, but only because it cannot exist. No economy can survive without individual incentives. When these incentives are removed, the resulting economic depression will invariably lead to a dictatorship, as it has done time after time. Second, communism denies individualism. I resent the idea of "class struggle" or any such thing; being lumped in with "the masses" is an insult. The best political/economic system is one in which each individual is allowed to prosper - or fail - by his own volition. I recommend reading this work, but only as an example of what is to be avoided. As they say, know thy enemy.
Rating: Summary: it was a ok idea, but it will NEVER work Review: the idea of making the poor richer and the rich poorer is a fair idea, and this book does give off some decent ideas that should be put to practice. but everybody knows that when the state is given supreme power, it becomes greedy and starts hurting its people and treating them really unfair. And communism is associated with total evil nowadays, and thats not how it should of been, but that is how it plays out. besides, to many people interpret it wrong and from there all sorts of wicked and horrible ideas spring to live. this was a good idea, but it is a big lie, just do your selfs a favor and stay away from this, and stick with reality.
Rating: Summary: Important but Incomplete Review: In reading some of the reviews below, it becomes quite evident that many of the readers who gave this book a low rating have never actually read the book. People generally think they understand communism based on their knowledge of the Soviet Union, or North Korea, or China, or Vietnam, etc. Based on this "knowledge," they judge Marx's ideas to be either unrealistic or just plain bloody without reading the book itself. The reality, however, is that one cannot know communism through the experiences of 20th century history since communism as Marx and Engels envisioned it has not existed on this planet. Furthermore, one cannot understand Marx's ideas only through the reading of this book.The Communist Manifesto was written as a political pamphlet, and thus is written like a piece of propaganda. Marx does not discuss in great deal some significant points in his theory. He doesn't discuss the dialectic in great detail, nor does he discuss his view on human nature a great deal. Most people are unaware of Marx's view on human nature, and this has led to him being labeled an "idealist," and communism labeled "utopian." This book gets 4 stars from me for two reasons. Based on historical importance alone, this book should receive 5 stars. Given its amazing significance, it seems ridiculous to me that someone could give this book one or no stars. I may not be a Christian, but I'd give the Bible 5 stars just because of its tremendous historical importance. That being said, I only give the Manifesto 4 stars because, as a representation of Marx's ideas, it is incomplete, and I think in many ways, it contributes to the general lack of understanding of Marx that is so common today. People think they understand the philosophy of communism after reading just the Manifesto, and that false sense of knowledge only makes them seem that much more ignorant.
Rating: Summary: Devil's Manifesto! Review: Communist Manifesto should be read by all freedom lovers to see how our enemies operate. Amongst the Ten Planks of Bolshevik Manifesto are Income Tax and a Central Bank. Hmm.... Almost every country has implemented that. Communist Manifesto is nothing but a garbled jargon spewing by Illuminati hired (...) Karl (...) Marx. Communism was not a movement of the people, but of the Elite to consolidate all wealth and power in the hands of committees' run by these same elites. Read the book "Wall Street and the Bolshevik Revolution" to realize that Globalist Banksters financed the invention of socialism. 100 Diamonds worth of Truth: Socialism = Communism = Parasitism = Slavery. Communism ended up killing 100 million people in last century alone, yet it is still loved by mainstream media and education establishment both of which are run by the socialists. But anyways, read the book because as Sun Tzu said "Know Thy Enemy". When we know how the Communist operate, we will be better able to defeat them leeches.
Rating: Summary: Adam Review: Let's back up for a moment and recognize the universal truth that "knowledge is power". I don't for one second recognize Communism as a valid form of government. The ideology and naivete of the system, is far too flawed and way too poised for manipulation of the people it governs. That being said... this is my opinion. Anyone one with a respect for history and a thirst to understand the rights and wrongs of our society as well as our governing neighbors should read a copy of The Communist Manifesto. As wrong and misguided as I think Karl Marx and his colleagues theories for government and societal standards are, I cannot, with clear conscience say that he was not an intelligent man who did present his theory in a coherent manner. The only proper way to dispute these theories is to educate yourself to the theories directly. You cannot make clear judgements to defend the Constitutional Republic (that we are suppose to be living in) or the Democratic Society (that we currently live in) without understanding the systems and theory's that other governments have either succeeded or failed with. READ THIS MANIFESTO WITH YOUR MIND OPEN AS WELL AS YOUR EYES!!!!!!!!
Rating: Summary: 3.8 Stars Review: Religious idiots, like _blue_minister, with statements like "false atheism", "devil's bible", and oaths by "the Scriptures" should have their reviews banned. True, communism is a foolish concept. True, it is an unreachable utopia. But is that the only scale on which a book should be critiqued? Communism has sparked a lot of reform. Though it has actaully ruined the laborers in the communist countries, in other more stable nations the workers were actually able to achieve reform applying concepts of communism more limitedly and less radically. It exposed that if such a document must be written, there must be something fixed in the mechanics of society, work, government, and individual. It's extreme distinction between haves and have nots, and the urge of the have nots to take over and rule in peace and equality may be drivel, but the impact it had on the labor movements and their rights is significant. This is a very passionately written document, so of course there will be some loopholes in logic, misdiagnosis of what actually moves history, and an outlandish solution to the human "problem". But think, you are holding one of the most influential documents, no matter how flawed, in the face of this tiny book that has made the world the way it is right now. Rather than berate for the shortcomings, praise for what it has gotten right. And who knows, maybe if Engels and Marx had not written this you might not exist today at all and the many european and the us governments as you know them might be still abusive toward the common wage slave. Do learn from the example of this book that in ideas embraced by masses there is always a great element of madness. The truth, if there is such a thing at all, lies within the hands of one or few human beings. Communism is somewhat like...religion- a mass delusion. Learn!
Rating: Summary: The Devil's Bible Review: "The Communist Manifesto" is the ultimate book of deceit. Communism is built on lies and only the hopelessly naive would believe in such nonsense. For all its fanciful promises of a "worker's paradise," no nation has ever voted in a communist regime. Communism can claim no legitimacy as every government came to power via the bayonet--just ask the people of eastern Europe who suffered grievously for decades under the iron fist of Soviet socialism. Marx was wrong when he championed the notion of a communist uprising in the industrialized nations. It wasn't in the industrialized world where communism first took hold, rather, it was in a backward agrarian nation--Russia. Despite its false athesitic principles, "The Communist Manifesto" should be read by any serious student of history. And after having read this nonsense, one can then study the socio-economic conditions of those nations who were enslaved by this false dogma. In doing so, one would see that life was anything but a paradise--chronic shortages, poverty, tyranny, oppression, etc. Although communism has since become a discredited ideology, there are still many who foolishly believe in its tenents. Unfortunately, many of those who do teach in our colleges and universities and they are indoctrinating our impressionable youth with these lies. Communism isn't dead. It's merely dormant. All the more reason we need to be on guard so we can separate the truth, as it is found in Scripture, from the lies of heathen Bolshevism as espoused by Marx and Engels.
Rating: Summary: good intentions, but bad ideas Review: Ok, im not a communist and I dont think communism will work in the real world, it hasnt yet, anyway. Now, I am all for equality, but Marx and Engels seemed to overlook a few things when they wrote this. To be honest, I was disappointed. Like many others, my little knowledge of communism came mainly from history class and I hoped this book would give me a deeper understanding of it. However, this book gives a very vague description of communism and it only told me a few things I didnt already know. If you have studied soviet russia, or the history of any communist country, you'll know most of this already. I have a few issues with Marxism anyway, it seems Marx considers society a single entity, there is no mention of the individual. If you are a communist, then this book is essential for you, unless you want to be like all the other teenage communists who have never picked up this book in their life.
|