Super Short Summary

The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, published in 1848, responds to the exploitation of the working class (the proletariat) by the capitalist class (the bourgeoisie) during the Industrial Revolution. It argues that all historical societies exhibit class struggle and predicts an inevitable proletarian revolution that will abolish class distinctions, offering both a critique of contemporary socialist movements and a defense of communism. The text discusses topics such as labor exploitation, class oppression, and calls for revolution, which may be distressing to some readers.