The Communist Manifesto

By: Karl Marx

Narrated by: Greg Wagland

Length: 1 hr and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

‘It was a sweet finish after the bitter pills of floggings and bullets with which these same governments, just at that time, dosed the German working-class risings’.

The Communist Manifesto is, perhaps surprisingly, a most engaging and accessible work, containing even the odd shaft of humour in this translation by Samuel Moore for the 1888 English edition. It is, of course, an essential introduction to the thoughts and theories of Karl Marx and his collaborator and editor Friedrich Engels and therefore to the development of communism.

This brief but iconoclastic work, essentially a pamphlet, covers the history of the bourgeoisie, aspects of ‘class struggle’ with descriptions and analyses of numerous workers’ parties and movements up to the 1840s. It predicts and elaborates upon the defeat of capitalism and communism’s ultimate global victory. Written over 150 years ago it pulsates with energy, insight and contemporary relevance, ending with the rallying cry, ‘Workers of the World Unite.’ Greg Wagland, a history graduate and enthusiast, brings a certain freshness and energy to his reading of this far from dusty tome. A word about the narrator: born in Oxford, England, Greg Wagland is a classically trained actor, who attended St. Andrews University and drama school. He has worked in television, radio and theatre appearing in productions with the likes of Richard E. Grant, Penelope Keith, Bill Pertwee, Matt Smith, Roger Allam, Liza Goddard, Michael Denison, Dulcie Gray and Lindsay Duncan. He has recorded over 50 audiobooks, a number of those for the well-respected Talking Book Service of the RNIB. Now for Magpie Audio he is putting together an eclectic collection of classic fiction and non-fiction works and is always happy to receive suggestions for new titles.

Public Domain (P)2011 Magpie Audio

Critic reviews

"Our narrator has little to add, except his own words and in this capacity Greg Wagland has his work cut out. The trick with a reading of this kind is to make a clear distinction between which character has what voice, otherwise things could get complicated." ( The Guardian)

"Greg Wagland’s crescendo-free rendition allows this brilliantly structured novel to speak for itself." ( The Spectator)

Forcibly over throw anyone who owns land?

I'm not really sure how to review this. The message is terrible, claiming that no one should own land except the government and the only way to achieve this goal is to forcibly over throw everyone in the middle class or upper class who owns land and money. But the company did a good job narrating the book so I don't want to give them a bad review for their part.

Worth trying to understand

I’m trying to gain a better understanding of the Marxist ideology and how it lead so many astray. This gave me a bit better understanding of some of the extreme views I’m confronted with daily. I don’t, or am afraid to believe that people actually understand and believe in the things he was calling for. It’s very disturbing to see him quoted almost word for word in current social issues. Marx must have been a very negative individual.

lost chains, united, 5 out of 7, would lose again

lost chains, united, 5 out of 7, would lose again, fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord

Necessary to understand Communism

In order to learn about someone or something, you should go to the source. There’s no better source for understanding Communism than from the pen of Karl Marx himself.

While communism may sound good, it has produced nothing but evil in the world.

When you take away private property and the fruit of one’s labor via state confiscation, you destroy the human soul and his incentive to make the world a better place.

People deserve to be rewarded for bringing value to others, not shamed about it. Marx should be looked down upon as an unashamed loser who’s ideology was responsible for so much suffering, death, and destruction in the 20th century.

Marx didn’t create socialism, but he did build upon it. Socialism was coined in France but Communism was created in Germany where Marx was from.

Communism leads to enslavement by the government. Freedom loving people of the world unite against this evil!

informative book

cool book, a lot of good info in a short read, a lot of things spoken about apply today!

much Ado about nothing

I was hoping to have my reactionary worldview challenged or put into jeopardy. That's a negative ghost rider .

Interesting to see what changed over time

Interesting read from the perspective of time passed. Lot of valid points, as well as lot of radical ones that are hard to accept. The narration is a little strangely paced but very clear.

occasionally robotic, but worth listening

I listened to this book rather than reading it for school. Its short, got through it before noon. Worth a listen or two, because it can be rather dense and it's easier to understand everything the second time. The narrator is pretty good, he occasionally sounds robotic but that is okay given the content.

yes

I willingly dove into what this audible book was offering...if I hear someone say "the bourgeoisies" again, I will have a mental breakdown.

Lol, Marx throws shade

I never would have guessed that a book printed 100 years before I was born would throw so much shade in my direction... or at Upton Sinclair for his view of Communism before he ever even wrote about it.