The Communist Manifesto

A political pamphlet asserts that the history of societies consists of class struggle and that capitalism has concentrated social life into two antagonistic classes, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. It traces the bourgeoisie’s rise through commerce, industrialization, and the expansion of world markets, and explains how capitalist production reshapes social relations into market transactions while constantly revolutionizing production. It presents communist aims and tactics: defending proletarian interests, advocating collective ownership of the means of production, and promoting international working-class organization. It critiques other socialist tendencies and outlines how communists relate to existing opposition parties, urging an open declaration of goals.