The second best-selling book ever published which heralded a seismic change in the world's political and social landscapes
Karl Marx was born in 1818 in Trier, Prussia. While attending
university in Berlin he was influenced by the ideas of the
philosopher Hegel and his critics, the Young Hegelians, but Marx
eventually rejected both schools of thought. He quickly earned the
reputation of a revolutionary and left Germany for Paris, where he
met his lifelong friend and collaborator, Friedrich Engels.
Together they wrote and published The Communist Manifesto, which
was published in 1848, just before the first wave of revolutions in
France. Marx returned to Germany but his radical activities led to
expulsion, whereupon he moved to London. There, Marx and Engels
collaborated on further works on economics and contemporary
politics. Marx also wrote his major treatise, Das Kapital, but only
the first volume was published in his lifetime. Marx died in
poverty on March 14, 1883, and was buried in Highgate Cemetery.
Friedrich Engels (1820-95) was the son of a Manchester factory
owner. He wrote several groundbreaking essays on contemporary
social and political conditions in Britain, including The Condition
of the Working Class in England (1845), in which he criticised the
working conditions and treatment of the urban poor. After Karl
Marx' death, Engels completed and published the last two volumes of
Das Kapital (1884, 1894) from his friend's surviving papers.
A brilliant piece of writing, easily accessible, and which really
did change the world
*Daily Mail*
Contemporary, ironic, cool, biting writing style
*Observer*
Irreverent, mocking, sarcastic, witty, savage, provocative and with
a driving, irresistible argument
*Independent*
As a force for change, its influence has been surpassed only by the
Bible. As a piece of writing, it is a masterpiece
*Guardian*
A short work, written in punchy, accessible style. It can be read
in an hour.
*Sunday Mirror*
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