The Communist Manifesto Section 4: Position of the Communists in Relation to the Various Existing Opposition Parties Summary

  • Final section!
  • Marx starts by listing the parties the Communist League supports in various countries as a matter of tactics, but he emphasizes that they always reserve the right to criticize any party and will always bring the question of abolishing (bourgeois) property to the forefront.
  • The communists even support the bourgeoisie in some cases, such as when the bourgeoisie opposes the aristocracy, since it's the aristocracy that has to be taken down first.
  • Marx says Germany deserves particular focus because the bourgeois revolution against the aristocracy about to happen there will soon lead to proletarian revolution.
  • The Manifesto concludes by saying that the communists do not wish to hide their views and goals. They openly state that their goals can only be accomplished by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions.
  • The ruling class should tremble at the coming communist revolution.
  • The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains, and they have a world to win.
  • And here's the famous last line, which is entirely capitalized (pun totally intended): WORKING MEN OF ALL COUNTRIES, UNITE!