Marx and Engels’ ‘Communist Manifesto’: A Reader’s Guide

Introducing the most famous work of the nineteenth-century radical thinkers Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, this comprehensive reader’s guide to the Communist Manifesto explores the key themes, ideas and issues of the revolutionary pamphlet.

Beginning with a discussion of the intellectual, political and social context of the Manifesto, the Reader’s Guide illustrates the themes by clearly relating points in the work to ideas and theories made in other texts written by Marx and Engels. This is followed by a closer examination and analysis of the text that covers the introductory statement and each of the chapters in detail and discusses its style, structure and intended audiences. This guide also explores the ways in which the Manifesto was received both during the lives of Marx and Engels and in the twentieth century, for example the Soviet Union’s version of Marxism, China’s re-interpretations of the ideas, and the innovative political philosophy found in Western analytical Marxism.

As well as presenting relevant biographical points about Marx and Engels and giving concise information on prominent people mentioned in the text, this valuable study resource features discussion questions and annotated guides to further reading. For students studying political philosophy and political theories, Marx and Engels’ Communist Manifesto: A Reader’s Guide provides a better understanding of the ideas, theories and contexts discussed in the most famous work of the writers who founded the ideology of Marxism.