"WORKING MEN OF ALL COUNTRIES, UNITE!"

This is the second time I've had to write this, damn internet ¬_¬

I have just finished the Communist Manifesto, It was certainly an interesting read and was very helpful for my research. It has helped me gain a reasonable grasp of the ideas behind Communism.

Here is a short overveiw, as I understand it:

The ideas behind Commuism is based on the idea of class struggle, it argues that society, praticularly modern 'Bourgeois' society, is founded upon the few oppressing and exploiting the many.

“The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles...oppressor and oppressed, stood in constant opposition to one another... a fight that each time ended, either in a revolutionary reconstruction of society at large, or in the common ruin of the contending classes.”

It states that once the Bourgeois overthrew the previous Feudal society and established a new one centered around the acquisition of capital and the Bourgeoisie's own self-interest. In this new society, the Bourgeoisie built a system where the Proletariat, the working class, had no choice but to live and labour in unpealsent conditions for the benefit of the Bourgeoisie.

“In proportion as the bourgeoisie, i.e. capital, is developed, in the same proportion is the Proletariat, the modern working class, developed – a class of labourers, who live only so long as they find work, and who work so long as their labour increases capital.”

It explains how the Bourgeoisie's society is a self-defeating one, as Industry continues to evolve, compete and expand, it increases the number of Proletariat, giveing them more and more power. It argues that the fall of the Bourgeoisie and the rise of the Proletariat are inevitable. 

“The development of Modern Industry, therefore, cuts from under its feet the very foundation on which the Bourgeoisie produces and appropriates products. What the Bourgeoisie therefore produces, above all, is its own grave diggers. Its fall and the victory of the Proletariat are equally inevitable.”

It goes on to explain the beliefs behind Communism, It primarily calls for an end to private property, which it  argues is a luxury that only exist for the Bourgeoisie and only exists because the Proletariat does not have that luxury.

“But modern Bourgeois private property is the final and most complete expression of the system of producing and appropriating products that is based on class antagonisms, on the exploitation of the many by the few. In this sense, the theory of the Communists may be summed up in the single sentence: Abolition of private property.”

“But in your existing society, private property is already done away with for nine-tenths of the population: its existence for the few is solely due to its non-existence in the hands of those nine-tenths.”

It calls for a society where there are no multiple classes, no oppressor and oppressed, where everything is in the hands of the state and everyone works for the mutual benefit of everyone.

“In place of the old bourgeois society, with its classes and antagonisms, we shall have an association in which the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all.”

It finishes by calling for all Proletariat of the world to rise up and take the world by force, from the clutches of the Bourgeoisie.

“The Communists disdain to conceal their views and aims. They openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions. Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communist revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. WORKING MEN OF ALL COUNTRIES, UNITE!”

As I said, It is certainly a very interesting read and was very helpful in gaining a grasp of the idea behind communism, I can see why it has become arguably one of the most important books in the past century.
It has some positive ideas, such as the abolishment of slave and child labour and free education for all, but, although I have yet to investigate how I works in practice, it is easy to see how a society where the state has complete power, could go very wrong. 

Having now a reasonable grasp of the ideas behind Communism I feel I can now begin to look into other ideaologies.