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Manifesto: Three Classic Essays on How to Change the World

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Manifesto: Three Classic Essays On How To Change The World collects "The Communist Manifesto" by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, "Reform or Revolution" by Rosa Luxemburg, and "Socialism and Man in Cuba" by Ernesto Che Guevara. All three writings share in common a revolutionary spark; here are ideas that transformed the world, with repercussions resonating to the modern day and beyond. A preface, introduction, and brief notes on the contributors round out this vital collection concerning political power, social consciousness, and the need for societal transformation, especially recommended for library and educational reference shelves.

Three very insightful essays. You can certainly learn and gain valuable insight to the ideals that literally have changed the world in many ways. Marx and Engels, Communist Manifesto; Rosa Luxemburg's Reform or Revolution and Che Guevara's Socialism and Man in Cuba.

I really think this book is very enlightening and is a highly valuable read. And with that, I would like to comment on the second essay, the essay by the Polish Jew and political activist who attended Zurich University, Rosa Luxemburg. This essay was published in 1898, nineteen years before the 1917 Bolshevik revolution.

Rosa Luxemburg's essay consists of an attack on Eduard Bernstein's book entitled "Problems of Socialism," Seen from today's lenses reveals her erroneous absolute and dogmatic views, lacking in comparison to the logic of Bernstein. It's so obvious from the scientific Marxist views. Marx's and Engels views were based on rational science, Hegelian dialectics and like science, an exact blueprint of rational analysis. Today they call this "vulgar Marxism" and few follow it.(You can find a good analysis in Allan Bloom's, Closing the American Mind). Marxism today is not based on an exact science. That is the old view, the original view. And the obvious result of her attack on Bernstein is that everything she has attacked has come true, her defense for Absolutism, for exact science in economic history through Hegelian dialectics has proven false and inaccurate. Bernstein, on the other hand, has proven the greater prophet. And the answer lies in Luxemburg's very words of attack. In this she attacks him for his integral approach of aperspectivism in integrating multiple paradigms which allow the relative nature and uncertainty of the various shades and levels of both Liberal Democracy and Socialism. Bernstein's sees the differing aspects and refutes absolutism in Marxist science and dogmatism in its Hegelian nature. History, nor economic history, is not an exact science. And If I may take this a step further there are levels of subjectivity, objectivity, cultural and social aspects or the I, We and It (&Its) (the big three or the 4 Quadrants of Ken Wilber's Integral Psychology).

Bernstein sees the problems of socialism and the need for liberal democracy to reform slowly, even rejecting both (vulgar or original scientific, Hegelian) Marxism and Socialism and choosing to remain a liberal democracy but with socialist-liberal facets of nature (Roosevelt's domestic policies for instance), while Luxemburg seeing Marxism as an exact science sees revolution the only real way to bring forth Socialism. And although both thinkers are basically reduction in inter-objective social systems or political system theories, there still exists a major difference between both and that 150 years of time has vindicated (relativlty speaking: the low wages, poor and homeless in the U.S. are in large numbers) Bernstein's flexible and integral insight with greater value than Luxemburg's "flatland," which in Integral Psychology means interpreting realty or in this case, economic political history, as only in objective terms, failing to understand its relativity in dealing with the individual and collective human subjective nature.

AND now I will contradict myself: Luxemburg was right, Bernstein was not. After reading Howard Zinn's Peoples History of the United States, it is evident; the only reforms come from revolution. Socialism is always adamantly fought by the wealthy, compromises are extremely rare.

Now the essay by Che Geverra is the only without such a materialistic, Hegelian science and Marxist exactitude of empirical societal observation on economic meaning. It is much less dogmatic and in that sense less scientific, being much more utilitarian in practical means to achieve a socialist revolution and common sharing good of the Cuban society.

Manifesto: Three Classic Essays On How To Change The World collects "The Communist Manifesto" by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, "Reform or Revolution" by Rosa Luxemburg, and "Socialism and Man in Cuba" by Ernesto Che Guevara. All three writings share in common a revolutionary spark; here are ideas that transformed the world, with repercussions resonating to the modern day and beyond. A preface, introduction, and brief notes on the contributors round out this vital collection concerning political power, social consciousness, and the need for societal transformation, especially recommended for library and educational reference shelves.

Manifesto: Three Classic Essays On How To Change The World collects "The Communist Manifesto" by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, "Reform or Revolution" by Rosa Luxemburg, and "Socialism and Man in Cuba" by Ernesto Che Guevara. All three writings share in common a revolutionary spark; here are ideas that transformed the world, with repercussions resonating to the modern day and beyond. A preface, introduction, and brief notes on the contributors round out this vital collection concerning political power, social consciousness, and the need for societal transformation, especially recommended for library and educational reference shelves.

This book is based on failed ideology, not practicality at all.
1989, Tinamen square, a million chines college students marched to protest against their communist government of oppression: it was broadcasted all over the world, they were asking communist government to give them ;freedom for speech, media, business, religion, true-democracy( not like few communist party people controlling) by election. Sooner the communist government sent them tanks and guns and indiscriminately shoot them and ran over with tank. Whole world watched through television broadcast.
Now some ignorant Americans already forgot about this just 20 years ago's brutality that we watched with our own eyes, want to change this great nation into communist?
Please study the real history. I mean the "real history" not just that stupid "ideology of communist". In a word, if you study the true history, communist repeatedly failed last 200 years.
and it's the most evil regime in the history. Why: Stalin communist government killed 90 millions including the vicinity nations that were turn into communism, Macho-tong communist killed 100 millions, 2 millions by North Korea, by Cambodia each, 2 millions in Africa, 200,000 latin America..so on . But most of all they all became terribly poor after communist regime,oppressing the free capitalism, except China, because they started to adapt the partial capitalism from 10 years ago after they realized the harsh economic state. Now history tells also other evil regime; Hitler killed 6 million jew with other 4 million of Europeans; Japan' imperialism killed 20 million Asians during WWII, ..so on.

Now some ignorant Americans already forgot about this just 20 years ago's brutality that we watched with our own eyes, want to change this great nation into communist?
Please study the real history. I mean the "real history" not just that stupid "ideology of communist". In a word, if you study the true history, communist repeatedly failed last 150 years.
and it's the most evil regime in the history. Why?: Stalin communist government killed 90 millions including the vicinity nations that were turn into communism, Macho-tong communist killed 100 millions, 2 millions by North Korea, by Cambodia each, 2 millions in Africa, 200,000 latin America..so on . But most of all they all became terribly poor after communist regime,oppressing the free capitalism, except China, because they started to adapt the partial capitalism from 10 years ago after they realized the harsh economic state. Now history tells also other totalitarianistic evil regime; Hitler killed 6 million jew with other 4 million of Europeans; Japan' imperialism killed 20 million Asians during WWII, ..so on.

When communism and socialism oppress people's creativity and force them to work for "common Good", the productivity drops automatically. Why? men were not made to work for Common good. Maybe some aliens from different planet or maybe Jesus will do for common good. But not men's nature. That's why communism make every one poorer and poorer from their establishments throughout the history. When men get prosperous by working w their hards, with their creativity, they eventually help others if they are normal. because normal people appreciate God's wisdom of love and peace.That's why America has been the #1 country sending aids & missionaries to 3rd world countries last 80 years. But if the much power goes to God-hating communist, socialists or totalitarianistic government, First, you will see the corruption everywhere in their regime, instead of trying to help others or common good. Because they basically don't know, or appreciate God's wisdom of love and peace for all, they will fully manifest their selfishness and brutality filling only their throats. Why? that's the human nature w/o knowing Jesus's love. Human nature could be most brutal and selfish if they don't learn the true love from the creator as history repeatedly teach us.

Men can't govern themselves.They are naturally selfish, greedy and evil w/o god. If any political party, government have too much power, they will certainly hurt others unless they truly know jesus who always teach love and peace. That's why our America's constitution is truly great, because it was written by the God's fairness and wisdom protecting basic human rights that is originally from God , over any political unbalance. I realized only those who hate God fall into these"denying the constitution, or "let's change it "theory saying they are too old or whatever nonsense. Too old constitution? Then why the whole world always look upon America when it comes, most well practiced freedom and human right? Please have reasons.

If USA turned into communism, the power will shift to only those who hate the existing American system. They secretly controlling medias ( I already see it happened ) and brainwashing the youth by distorted facts in textbooks last 20 years. They keep change their names, their activity, and theory. Why? if they openly speak up their schemes, they know they will fail because any normal mind people will see the deception and its perversion. Look at these behind scenes of the head members. They are not normal mind, full of hatred, and causing always divisions, manipulations w lies. Sadly this government & Geroge Soro' socialic, communistic union party people hired many "paid bloggers from 4 years ago intensively promoting hatreds & division. Real sad thing is most American publics are so ignorant, not knowing the behind scenes, get brain washed step by step through facebook, twitters, googles' net traffic, youtube...so on.
Many good people's web site had been already blocked from public access from 2010. Do u know who r the major donors to all the ivy league schools in America? Middle Eastern Islamic terrorists sponsoring extremists. We pour our oil money into these middle eastern countries, these islamic extremists trains terrorists w our oil money, sending back to USA to brain wash college kids, funding mosques, also from 1960' pouring into American textbook committees to distort our history, fanning the Anti-america propaganda w socialists, communism together to destroy this great nation. But Americans are sleeping. While these trillion's forein oil money are eating up our nation, last prolong Democratic congress, present government prohibit our own oil production saying "environmental protection". No wonder our debt is no more controllable. To this nation to be strong, we have to have our own provision of power sources. Get it? Can't go on with debts like this, Though we fully develop all forms of green energy, it is still less than 40% of our total energy sources. Before polar bears or dolphins' eyes, we are getting total broke, can't even protect them from international slaughters. Please think people & wake up from those hired bloggers & medias who were own by few extreme liberal bosses.

Collect the real historic facts, separate from the author's propaganda. Lineup the real facts, then you will see the history more accurately. Always develop the "reasoning power" of your own this way, not swayed by many false propagandas in most books, medias out there. If you don't have your own reasoning power, you will be always vulnerable and get deceived.
Interestingly always angry, poor people seem becoming the front line deceived victims of these evil ideology. So instead, ask God to enlighten your heart to live with love and peace& goodness with others and ask your personal blessing instead of trying to destroy others who seems have.

If you believe somebody or some classes hurt your people, look at this. Bible says: forgive your enemy, don't live with your past: Don't covet your neighbors: work diligently on your own hands so you don't steal, become a burden to others. And lastly, love your neighbors as yourself. Then you will live in the true blessing of God, the creator. Those citizens of chines and all the other communist countries, including north korean, who are brutally oppressed in the middle Eastern Islam tyrannies still wants their human freedom with the destruction of the oppressing totalitarianistic regime still today. So why move to backward of mistakes people?