In this first instalment in a series on the classics of the socialist tradition, Todd Chretien offers you a bet about the Communist Manifesto you shouldn’t refuse.
Socialist Worker, May 21, 2011
I’LL MAKE you a bet. If you’ve never read the Communist Manifesto, take two hours and read it–it’s just a 50-page pamphlet. You can buy it at most bookstores for a couple bucks, or read it online at www.marxists.org–or better yet, order Phil Gasper’s annotated version from HaymarketBooks.org.
My bet is that you will find at least 10 things that make you say, “That is exactly what I’ve always thought!”
More than that, when you finish reading it, you’ll think, “Sure, some things have changed, but my God–the Communist Manifesto is more relevant, truthful and inspiring than anything I’ve ever read by an American politician. No wonder they don’t assign this as reading in high school history class!”
Then you’ll understand why South African coal miners, the unemployed of Indonesia, South Korean teachers, French railroad workers, Indian trade unionists and Cuban radicals have all looked to Karl Marx for inspiration.
Peace and Justice Post 
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