Communist Manifesto

The Communist Manifesto reflects an attempt to explain the goals of Communism, as well as the theory underlying this movement.

It argues that class struggles, or the exploitation of one class by another, are the motivating force behind all historical developments. For example, Marx says the bourgeoisie accuses the proletariat of wishing to get rid of all private property.

But the communists only want to get rid of bourgeois property, by putting the means of production in the hands of the community, while leaving property like personal belongings alone. The Communist Manifesto is a brief publication that declares the arguments and platform of the Communist party.

It was written in 1847, by political theorists Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels and was commissioned by the Communist League, a political party based in England.