The Communist Manifesto

Communism was originally the political thought that concentrated on the liberation of the proletariat, or the working class. The idea for Communism, although well known before them, officially started with both Karl Marx and Frederich Engels in The Communist Manifesto, where they outlined their idea of complete equality between the people. The two men modified several different ideals from the writings of several authors and philosophists including Plato’s The Republic (4th century B.C.), Sir Thomas Moore’s Utopia (16th century A.D.), and Morelly’s Code de la Nature (1755). Prior to writing the Communist Manifesto, the men were also involved in different worker’s parties in Germany. The men combined their ideas with the ideals of other different parties to unify the workers of Germany and called the collective thought “Communism.” Written in 1848, the manifesto illustrated the struggle of the proletariat party to escape exploitation from capitalism. Communism as a form of government was first implemented by Vladimir Lenin in Russia 1917 after the Russian Revolution against then leader Czar Nicolas II. Lenin took the ideas of the two German authors and added his own philosophy, called now “Marxism-Leninism.” Soon after Communism became a recognizable force in the world. Although Marx clearly defined his vision of Communism, over the years many leaders have deviated from the original idea of communism. The most prime example of this would be the Soviet Union under the rule of Josef Stalin. Stalin, instead of creating a classless society, succeeded in creating a society where those within the government such as himself were held above everyone else. Eventually Stalin’s reign ended with his death in March of 1953, and the Soviet Union continued until its disillusion in 1991.

Goal of the Communist Party

The goal of a communist party is threefold: for the working classes to take control of the rewards of their labor, for the even distribution of wealth amongst the populus, and to take down the practice of capitalism.

Developed By:

Hari Vignesh