What Does ‘The Communist Manifesto’ Have to Offer 150 Years After Its Publication?

Is the title of an article from The Nation magizine in 1998 and reprinted in their 150th anniversary edition that can be found free, in it's entirety, here:

www.thenation.com...

The Nation was started just after the Civil War by Abolitionist Republicans and has stood as the voice of intelligent dissent for 150 years, an amazing feat.

Here is link to their "Founding Prospectus" what we would call today a "Mission Statement", read it....

www.thenation.com...

Which includes:

THE NATION will not be the organ of any party, sect or body. It will, on the contrary, make an earnest effort to bring to discussion of political and social questions a really critical spirit, and to wage war upon the vices of violence, exaggeration and misrepresentation by which so much of the political writing of the day is marred.

A couple of quotes from "What Does 'The Comunist Manifesto' Have to Offer 150 Years After It's Publication?"

This spring, the Manifesto is 150 years old. Apart from the Bible, it has become the most widely read book in the world. Whenever there’s trouble, anywhere in the world, the book becomes an item; when things quiet down, the book drops out of sight; when there’s trouble again, the people who forgot remember. When fascist-type regimes seize power, it’s always on the list of books to burn. When people dream of resistance—even if they’re not Communists—it provides music for their dreams.

Yet literate people today, even people with left politics, are ignorant of what’s actually in the book. So what does [it] offer?

And the point of the very short piece:

Solidarity is not sacrifice of yourself but the self’s fulfillment. Learning to give yourself to other workers, who may look and sound very different from you but are like you in depth, gives a man or woman a place in the world and delivers the self from dread.

The Left has been cowed and silent lately...it now seems afraid to state the obvious goodness and benevolent aspirations of it's major economic positions... namely universal basic life support.

It is a fine idea to distance itself from ALL the communist states that have existed on the planet so far, though. A melding of greatest personal freedom with social responsibility isn't impossible... but people imagine a socialist state has to be intrusive and fascistic... it does not.

Govt should be there to serve it's people... do the big projects, keep folks alive and well... and provide the best infrastructure in which to exist. Existing as a human can be fun and interesting, and as tech progresses, a lower class for "necessary work" will not be necessary.

The current, cruel feudal system is archaic and brutal... and on it's way to being a scary story in the history books... but not fast enough.

The discussion isn't even on the table in most of the ironically named Red states in the U.S. ...despite how it would do nothing but improve 99% of the people's lives there.

Anyway, a new discussion has to be framed... because Communism, as it has been practiced, sucks... but so does unbridled Capitalism.

originally posted by: Baddogma
The Left has been cowed and silent lately...it now seems afraid to state the obvious goodness and benevolent aspirations of it's major economic positions... namely universal basic life support.

Don't confuse the 'real' left socialists and communists with liberals or progressive who are still capitalists and want a kinder and gentler capitalism which isn't possible as we are seeing now.

Karl Marx, did say that, communism isn't possible until after capitalism has failed. So the time has never really been right for a true workers rebellion.

The left is rather vocal but one doesn't hear it unless you go looking for it (in the US anyway). It is growing as well and some rather mainstream authors are talking about the 'end of capitalism'.

www.wsws.org...

www.cpusa.org...

www.ituc-csi.org...

www.nakedcapitalism.com...

Marx and P. T. Barnum had a lot in common.

Then came the Fabians.

a reply to: FyreByrd

World is still full of commies and in particular ex-commies. The latter are the big burden - they want the game back.

Then all the middle-men - social democrats, and US democrats, yada yada folks who like talking, instead of earning from honest work - for them as well - the Commies Digest is relevant as ever.

So I guess, we're today harder and deeper in business than ever. Its all disguised now.