The Communist Manifesto and Other Writings

By: Karl Marx

Narrated by: Todd McLaren

Length: 4 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Widely debated since its publication in 1848, The Communist Manifesto is one of the world's most influential political manuscripts. Presenting an analytical approach to the problems of capitalism and the resulting class struggle between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, the text lays out the rationale and goals of communism as conceived by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.

This edition of The Communist Manifesto is based on the English edition of 1888. In addition, this collection includes the following essays and writings by Marx, translated by H. J. Stenning: "A Criticism of the Hegelian Philosophy of Right", "On the King of Prussia and Social Reform", "Moralizing Criticism and Critical Morality: A Polemic Against Karl Heinzen", "Proudhon", "French Materialism", and "The English Revolution".

Public Domain (P)2011 Tantor

Crazy lib stuff

It's wild that modern leftist or democrat types today can actually believe this stuff.

Historical point of view

Read it only for historical view. Can't understand why anyone would want communism in reality.

Even better reasons to not want this way of life

This book makes great platitudes to why people without limitations are capable of great levels of self-elevations, that they are not capable of controlling. How people are not able to control their own lives and futures. What a sad and arrogant way of thinking. That people are just a herd of children that need to be controlled and held down. It is a wonder that this way of thinking could have ever made it anywhere. - I think that everyone should read this book to be aware of how to recognize the limiting desires of others.

Communism Will Win

Fuedalism emerged out of a dying nomadic world. In kind, capitalism felled fuedalism, replacing the landed aristocracy with a bourgeois class. This emergent bourgeois class, however, owns not only capital and commodity production, but also human lives as labor, yet another commodity - the proletarian class. Capitalism is killing itself and has never existed in a vacuum, nor as “the best of all possible worlds.” It, too, will fall, and here Marx explains in great detail, using a dialectical materialist method, the mechanisms which will lead to its collapse. After all, any political economy premised on infinite, unregulated growth within a closed system will either lead to a revolutionary system where democracy permeates to everyone and in our workplaces, not just to a bourgeois political class... or, the worst possible outcome: total global extinction.

It's an Accurate Critique of Capitalism

It's an accurate critique of capitalism but it hands you an equally worthless solution. There is utility in understanding the critique, though.

Very Impressive

This book is intriguing and pleasing to the ears. I highly recommend. Karl did not hold back and the sacrasm expression was gold

Good reading if insomniac!

well read . Marx is Marx This is Marx at his earnest boring self! As usual he lacks the eloquence of Engels and lacks the raw bitter anger and cunning of Lenin!

Must listen

The narration could be better, especially when it comes to pronouncing foreign words, but that doesn't really hinder the understanding of the works and, for a free offering, it is a no-brainer. The book itself, of course, is great. There is a reason why the Communist Manifesto is one of the most famous books ever written.

Good recording, poor selection

As a recording of the Communist Manifesto, this is excellent, if overpriced. The narrator did a fine job. However, the "Other Writings" are a somewhat esoteric selection of Marx's lesser-known articles and essays. Of some interest to the more dedicated Marx students, but of little use as a general introduction to his thinking. It would have been better to bundle the Manifesto with the introductory "Wage Labour and Capital", selections from "The 18th Brumaire", "Capital", etc.

A nice introduction or refresher on Marx

I enjoyed this, but have to say I found Mr. McLaren's attempts to pronounce French so pathetic and annoying it was distracting. This was especially the case in chapter 10.