"The Communist Manifesto" by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels: A Book Review

    The Communist Manifesto, known also as The Manifesto of the Communist Party, constitutes the central document of Communism, an intrinsically evil ideology which has killed millions of individuals and subjugated millions more to abject conditions. [1]  Written in 1848 by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto is a presentation of the political and sociological tenets of Communism, as well as a defense of these positions from various objections. [2]  It is comprised of four sections, the first of which commences with the false assumption that "[t]he history of all hitherto existing societies is the history of class struggles." [3] [4]  As the document continues, Marx and Engels attempt, with a resounding lack of success, to design a system of government and society which will provide the ultimate resolution to these struggles.   

     Prior to reading The Communist Manifesto, it is helpful to understand the meanings of the terms "bourgeoisie" and "proletariat" as they are employed by Marx and Engels.  The first of these words refers to the middle class, and especially to that group of individuals in society who own businesses and engage in commerce. [5]  In contrast, the proletariat consists of "the modern working class," or those who are employed by the bourgeoisie. [6]  Marx and Engels declare that the class struggle occurring in their present day is between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. [7]  The Communist Manifesto maintains that the resolution of this class struggle consists of the victory of the proletariat over the bourgeoisie and the simultaneous implementation of Communism, which supposedly will eliminate all social classes and thereby provide no grounds for any future dialectical struggle. [8]   

     Proceeding in their argument, Marx and Engels describe in greater detail the fundamental principles of Communism, beginning with the "[a]bolition of private property," a policy which they overtly profess to be a summary of Communist theory in one sentence. [9]  Secondly, all "instruments of production" are to be placed under the control of the State, as are all systems of credit, communication, and transportation. [10]  Marx and Engels attempt to excuse practically all injustices on the part of Communists by saying that these policies "...cannot be effected except by means of despotic inroads on the rights of property," and that violations of this sort "...are unavoidable as a means of entirely revolutionising the mode of production." [11]  And as if these policies are not objectionable enough, The Communist Manifesto affirms that, "Communism abolishes eternal truths, it abolishes all religion, and all morality." [12]  Marx and Engels continue the work with assorted information on "socialist and communist literature," and conclude with a frightening exhortation to advance Communism by means of "the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions." [13] [14] 

     Every well-instructed Catholic should be able to see that The Communist Manifesto is a proclamation replete with errors and policies of a highly immoral nature.  Clearly, Communism inseparably linked to a violation of the right to private property and to a serious breach of the principle of subsidiary, a Catholic social teaching which mandates that all economic and governmental functions be decentralized whenever possible. [15] [16]  As an atheist, Marx viewed religion as a threat to Communist philosophy and as an impediment to the class struggle which he wished to create in order to bring Communism to power. [17]  It is for these reasons that Communism embodies an attack upon all religion in general, and especially upon Catholicism. [18]  Although The Communist Manifesto was written partially in response to the many injustices which were being committed as a result of laissez-faire capitalism during the nineteenth century, it is important to recall that the solutions it stipulates for these problems are both ineffectual and immoral. [19]  Instead of creating the Utopian Workers' Paradise so triumphantly advertised by Marx and Engels, Communism has bestowed death, suffering, and oppression upon millions of persons, especially those who were most dedicated to serving God.  In his book The Devil in History: Communism, Fascism, and Some Lessons of the Twentieth Century, Vladimir Tismaneanu expresses this very reality, declaring, "In the passionately incandescent lines of the Communist Manifesto, one can decipher the whole tragedy that was to follow: Lenin’s forcing of the pace of history, the genesis of Bolshevism as a matrix for generalized terror, the Stalinist horrors ... Nations were murdered to carry out Lenin’s utopian desiderata." [20]

     Considering these facts, it is not surprising that one should read The Communist Manifesto only when he is well convinced of the evils of Communism and its inherent opposition to Catholicism.  When these are firmly recognized, perusing this document can be of assistance in refuting the ideas of Marx, Engels, and other Communists.  Moreover, becoming familiar with Communism as it is succinctly and "officially" described in The Communist Manifesto can be a valuable asset in revealing and denouncing Socialist or Communist policies when they are presented in a disguised, appealing fashion, as is rather common in the modern, relativistic society of today.  Therefore, it is clear that when one approaches The Communist Manifesto with prayer and competent knowledge of its destructive ideology, it becomes clearly obvious that Communism is a form of government which is unacceptable in all times and for all peoples. 

     One can find The Communist Manifesto for sale at www.amazon.com.  The work is available in a paperback version for $2.37, and as a hardcover for $8.99.      

[1] Anne W. Carroll, Following Christ in the World (Front Royal, VA: Seton Press, 2014), 41-42. 

[2] Anne W. Carroll, Christ the King, Lord of History (Rockford, IL: TAN Books and Publishers, 1994), 373. 

[3] Donald Attwater, ed., A Catholic Dictionary (Charlotte, NC: TAN Books, 2010), 110. 

[4] Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, Manifesto of the Communist Party, Section I, at Project Gutenberg (accessed 21 April 2017), at http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/61/pg61-images.html. 

[5] Marx and Engels, Manifesto of the Communist Party, Section I. 

[6] Marx and Engels, Manifesto of the Communist Party, Section I.

[7] Marx and Engels, Manifesto of the Communist Party, Section I.

[8] Marx and Engels, Manifesto of the Communist Party, Section I.

[9] Marx and Engels, Manifesto of the Communist Party, Section II. 

[10] Marx and Engels, Manifesto of the Communist Party, Section II. 

[11] Marx and Engels, Manifesto of the Communist Party, Section II. 

[12] Marx and Engels, Manifesto of the Communist Party, Section II. 

[13] Marx and Engels, Manifesto of the Communist Party, Section III.
[14] Marx and Engels, Manifesto of the Communist Party, Section IV.

[15] Carroll, Following Christ in the World, 40. 

[16] Carroll, Following Christ in the World, 55.  

[17] Carroll, Following Christ in the World, 41. 

[18] Carroll, Following Christ in the World, 41. 

[19] Carroll, Christ the King, Lord of History, 372.

[20] Vladimir Tismaneanu, The Devil in History: Communism, Fascism, and Some Lessons of the Twentieth Century (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2012), p. 100, from EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=477549&authtype=cookie,cpid&custid=s9245834&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Image I:

"Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels." From School Work Helper.  Accessed 27 April 2017.  At https://schoolworkhelper.net/karl-marx-and-friedrich-engels-the-bourgeois-proletariat/.

Image II:

"Long live the great, invincible flag of MARX-ENGELS-LENIN-STALIN."  From Artcocktail.  Accessed 27 April 2017.  At http://artcocktail.mallforarts.com/2014/11/top-8-recognizable-communist-propaganda-posters/.