The Communist Manifesto

Karl Marx (1818-1883)

Born in Trier to a German Jewish family that had converted to Christianity, Karl Marx was initially influenced by Hegel’s dialectical philosophy during his student years. He later reacted against idealism and turned towards the burgeoning socialist movement. With contributions from his friend Friedrich Engels, Marx wrote The Communist Manifesto in Brussels for the Communist League. After participating in the failed revolutions of 1848, he fled to London, where his family lived in poverty, supported by Engels. Marx worked as a London correspondent for a New York newspaper for some years. He dedicated most of his time to researching at the British Museum, documenting his theories on class struggle and the “internal contradictions” of capitalism. His notable works include The Poverty of Philosophy, The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte, The German Ideology, and A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy.

Friedrich Engels (1820-1895)

Born in Germany, Friedrich Engels was the son of a textile manufacturer. After military training in Berlin, he worked for his father’s business in Manchester, becoming deeply involved in Chartism and the social problems arising from the industrial revolution. In 1844, the year he met Karl Marx, he published The Condition of the Working Class in England. While Marx penned The Communist Manifesto, Engels’ ideas were incorporated into it. Beyond financial support, Engels assisted Marx with his research after 1870. Following Marx’s death, Engels continued and completed Das Kapital in 1894. His other works include The Peasant War in Germany, The Origin of the Family, and Socialism, Utopian and Scientific.

Martin Malia

Martin Malia completed his undergraduate studies at Yale and earned his Ph.D. from Harvard. He has largely spent his teaching career at the University of California at Berkeley. His major works include Alexander Herzen and the Birth of Russian Socialism, 1812-1855, The Soviet Tragedy: A History of Socialism in Russia, 1917-1991, and Russia under Western Eyes: From the Bronze Horseman to the Lenin Mausoleum.

Stephen Kotkin

Stephen Kotkin is a professor of history and international affairs at Princeton University. His published works include Armageddon Averted: The Soviet Collapse 1970-2000 and Uncivil Society: 1989 and the Implosion of the Communist Establishment. He previously directed Princeton’s Russian and Eurasian studies program from 1996 to 2009 and served as the regular business book reviewer for The New York Times Sunday Business section from 2006 to 2008. He also founded and currently directs Princeton’s Global History initiative.

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