While it's true that capitalism is a form of oppression, you can't read The Communist Manifesto nowadays without it being overshadowed by what 20th-century revolutionaries did in its name. In pursuit of ostensibly good/just things (overthrow of the oppressors), they ended up creating a system arguably as messed up as its predecessor. Unfortunately, it seems that when The Communist Manifesto is put into practice, the state becomes the oppressor in lieu of the bourgeoise.

Still, I don't think it's right to dismiss Marxist thought completely. It probably just needs more fleshing out, more safeguards, etc. I'm sure there's been loads of learned responses to it by philosophers and political scientists in the years after its publication that perhaps offer improvements upon it. I'm a bit curious actually about what more contemporary thinkers posit, though I'm not sure if I'm up to reading more political pamphlets any time soon. Trying to think about a better system for governance/society makes me a bit depressed about human nature to be honest, since even things that seem just and good in theory become unjust and evil in practice, once flawed, corruptible humans turn theories into reality.

I read The Communist Manifesto entirely as a joke, but also just to say I did. I'll say that I did enjoy it for what it was worth. Marx has quite the way with words and while today, not much of what he says feels that radical, I can imagine the impact it made on its 1800s readers. He made quite the few good points and I was quite surprised to read that he was a feminist. Go, Karl. Marx also had a handful of quips that I found rather funny, and of course, our little tagline: WORKING MEN OF ALL COUNTRIES, UNITE! So cute.

This is one of those texts that I feel guilty for reading, much like Mein Kampf, because while the subject matter is so intriguing, it's also so taboo. Communism is completely impractical, although I can't help but be fascinated by Marxist theory. The continuous class struggle fascinates me, and while a successful communist/socialist society will always remain a dream, it's so intriguing and fascinating to study.

While we've moved away from the traditional proletariat/bourgeosie dynamic in factory workers that came with the Industrial revolution, Marxist theory is still applicable when analysing modern society, and most of my love from Marxist literature and this text lies in that these theories are and will always retain a level of relevance, no matter how far society progresses.

Obviously, people who have no clue about Marxist theory will find this incredibly hard to read off the bat, as these theories can be very dry and hard to grasp. It's obviously also incredibly biased, out there, hypocritical, and crazy to a degree, but goddamnit Marx is so interesting. Don't take this stuff literally, but it is intriguing to read other literature from a Marxist standpoint.

Really need to read again, tbh.