History is Created by Class Struggle

The manifesto begins "The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles"; this bold statement establishes the basic premise of the theory of Communist philosophy. Much of Part one of the document is devoted to a historical recounting of the putatively ceaseless class struggle between the oppressors and the oppressed. Part 2 is closely aligned with the concept that Communism provides the best solution to the class struggle. Part 3 returns to an analysis of historical class struggle and demonstrates the processes whereby revolutionary classes become stilted and complaisant. Part 4 concludes the document with a statement regarding the then-current state of the bases of power engaged in class struggle.

The very concept of Communism relies on the pre-existence of the proposed historical nature of the class struggle between the oppressors and the oppressed; if no such struggle indeed exists, then Communism...