"Story of a cheese-maker turned capitalist and how greed, exploitation and its social consequences destroys lives and remakes workers into commodities."--Cover p. [4].
The unabridged versions of these definitive works are now available together as a highly designed paperback with flaps with a new introduction by Robert Weick. Part of the Knickerbocker Classics series, a modern design makes this timeless book a perfect travel companion. Considered to be one of the most influential political writings, The Communist Manifesto is as relevant today as when it was originally published. This pamphlet by the German philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, published in 1884 as revolutions were erupting across Europe, discusses class struggles and the problems of a capitalist society. After being exiled to London, Marx published the first part of Das Kapital, a theoretical text that argues that capitalism will create greater and greater division in wealth and welfare and ultimately be replaced by a system of common ownership of the means of production. After Marx's death, Engels completed and published the second and third parts from his colleague's notes. The Knickerbocker Classics bring together the essential works of classic authors from around the world in stunning editions to be collected and enjoyed.
No other Marxist text has come close to achieving the fame and influence of The Communist Manifesto. Translated into over 100 languages, this clarion call to the workers of the world radically shaped the events of the twentieth century. But what relevance does it have for us today? In this slim book Slavoj Zizek argues that, while exploitation no longer occurs the way Marx described it, it has by no means disappeared; on the contrary, the profit once generated through the exploitation of workers has been transformed into rent appropriated through the privatization of the ‘general intellect’. Entrepreneurs like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg have become extremely wealthy not because they are exploiting their workers but because they are appropriating the rent for allowing millions of people to participate in the new form of the ‘general intellect’ that they own and control. But, even if Marx’s analysis can no longer be applied to our contemporary world of global capitalism without significant revision, the fundamental problem with which he was concerned, the problem of the commons in all its dimensions – the commons of nature, the cultural commons, and the commons as the universal space of humanity from which no one should be excluded – remains as relevant as ever. This timely reflection on the enduring relevance of The Communist Manifesto will be of great value to everyone interested in the key questions of radical politics today.
Che Guevara still inspires resistance against capitalism throughout the globe. His image has become an iconic international symbol of the struggle against economic exploitation. Guevara was a physician, a key revolutionary figure within Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement, and an international guerilla leader and theorist. His memoires became international bestsellers. Guevara was eventually captured and executed by CIA-backed Bolivian forces. This illustrated biography begins with his capture in October 1967, tracing the power of his legacy through his engagements with central figures of that tumultuous period. "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." - Ernesto "Che" Guevara
Featuring an appendix of discussion questions, the Diversion Classics edition is ideal for use in book groups and classrooms. Originally titled Manifesto of the Communist Party, this 1848 publication was commissioned by the Communist League to outline their purposes. Penned by political theorists and social scientists Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, it is considered one of the most influential political texts in existence. Addressing issues of class struggle, it centers on the suffering of the working class at the hands of the bourgeoisie and calls for an end to inheritance, as well as all private property. This revolutionary short work has since provided the basis for the political systems of many different countries, with concepts like a progressive income tax and free education for citizens, and still remains a landmark text that provokes debate on class systems around the world. For more classic titles like this, visit www.diversionbooks.com/ebooks/diversion-classics
Revolutionary, philosopher, best-selling author, political prisoner and one-time exile, Antonio Negri is today considered one of the world's most influential radicals. His long-standing participation in political struggle and his contemporary analysis of social movements have reshaped the way we view resistance and the potential for revolution in an age of globalization. Claudio Calia takes us on an intimate visit to Negri's Venice home as we sit amidst busts of Lenin, communist propaganda, and the ghosts of 1968. A truly insightful book that traces the connections between Negri's revolutionary experiences and his most recent thinking on "multitudes." Beautifully illustrated and elegantly narrated, the book is both indispensible to the beginner yet a must-have for readers already familiar with Negri's works. "I'm rather old now... Claudio has given me back my youth. He interpreted the years when I fought, with joy, together with a multitude of comrades, for a generous idea of democracy. Claudio knows how to show the energy, the wisdom and the hope of that epoch..." - Antonio Negri
In 1956, a U.S. lawyer-economist, Louis O. Kelso, created the employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) to enable the employees of a closely held newspaper chain to buy out its retiring owners. Two years later, Kelso and his co-author, the philosopher Mortimer J. Adler, explained the macro-economic theory on which the ESOP is based in this best-selling book, The Capitalist Manifesto. “When you read this book, you must be prepared for a shock—particularly if you are among the millions of Americans who feel complacent about the material well-being that now prevails in this country. THE CAPITALIST MANIFESTO will compel you to examine, reconsider and question many dangerous economic factors and political tendencies you have accepted as inevitable—and will show you how you can do something about them. “THE CAPITALIST MANIFESTO sets the alarm for all American citizens—not simply one group or class. It is for stockholders, workers, labor leaders, corporation executives, investment bankers, taxpayers, small businessmen and industrialists, statesmen, legislators, judges and educators. Its purpose is to arouse us to the real and present dangers we now face, from inflation and from the progressive socialization of our economy. What is the difference between a well-heeled existence in a welfare state and the good life in a free society? THE CAPITALIST MANIFESTO will tell you what that difference is, and why you must be a man of property in order to be a free man. It will explain the meaning of your ever-expanding opportunities for leisure. It will tell you that the goal of an industrial society should not be full employment in the production of wealth, but full enjoyment of the wealth produced. It will tell you how you, as an individual, can best use wealth to further the happiness and well-being of yourself and your fellow men.” “A revolutionary force in human affairs offering still unplumbed promise for the future....”—Time Magazine
"The Condition of the Working-Class in England in 1844" by Frederick Engels is a powerful indictment of the Industrial Revolution's detrimental impact on workers. Engels meticulously demonstrates how industrial cities like Manchester and Liverpool experienced alarmingly high mortality rates due to diseases, with workers being four times more likely to succumb to illnesses like smallpox, measles, scarlet fever, and whooping cough compared to their rural counterparts. The overall death rate in these cities far surpassed the national average, painting a grim picture of the workers' plight. Engels goes beyond mortality statistics to shed light on the dire living conditions endured by industrial workers. He argues that their wages were lower than those of pre-industrial workers, and they were forced to inhabit unhealthy and unpleasant environments. Addressing a German audience, Engels' work is considered a classic account of the universal struggles faced by the industrial working class. It reveals his transformation into a radical thinker after witnessing the harsh realities in England. "The Condition of the Working-Class in England in 1844" remains an essential resource for understanding the hardships endured by workers during the Industrial Revolution. Engels' meticulous research and impassioned arguments continue to shape discussions on labor rights, social inequality, and the historical agency of the working class.
“If you are curious and open to the life around you, if you are troubled as to why, how and by whom political power is held and used, if you sense there must be good intellectual reasons for your unease, if your curiosity and openness drive you toward wishing to act with others, to ‘do something,’ you already have much in common with the writers of the three essays in this book.” — Adrienne Rich With a preface by Adrienne Rich, Manifesto presents the radical vision of four famous young rebels: Marx and Engels’ Communist Manifesto, Rosa Luxemburg’s Reform or Revolution and Che Guevara’s Socialism and Humanity.