The Communist Manifesto
Discussion Questions

Prologue (4)
Consider Marx’s opening image of “the spectre of communism”. What mood does this convey? Why does he express communism as a spectre (4)?

What is the purpose of this manifesto (4)?

Rhetoric is the art of effective or persuasive speaking and writing. In brief, it’s the set of skills needed to establish a sound argument. One can appeal to the audience by way of several tools and techniques, but chiefly through the following three appeals:

ethos
the ethical appeal; the writer aims to comment on the ethical/moral implications of a given issue. For example, Americans may have the right to bear arms but is it morally correct to allow an individual the power to own a dangerous weapon?

pathos
the emotional appeal; the writer aims to share ideas that will evoke pity or sadness in order to convince the audience

logos
the logical appeal; the writer aims to speak to the logic of a given situation, convincing the audience by way of that which simply makes sense

Knowing this, Marx (who wrote the “Prologue”) uses a specific rhetorical device here: rhetorical
questions. Rhetorical questions occur when a writer asks a question but does not provide an
answer, typically because the answer is obvious. Highlight and mark the rhetorical questions in the “Prologue” Why do you think Marx uses this technique here, at the beginning?
I - Bourgeois and Proletarians (5-12)
Who are the bourgeoisie? Who are the proletarians (5)?
Let’s revisit the rhetoric of this opening argument. One way to be successful in your writing is to find many different ways to express a similar image. The Manifesto does this well in the second paragraph (5); Engels uses what appears to be a list of decreasing importance but is, in fact, crescendo - a list of increasing importance. He also employs parallelism - structuring multiple sentences in the same way.
What image is being repeated over and over?
What effect does this have on you, the audience?
What do all historic periods (or “epochs”) have in common (5)?
What took the place of the old feudal system (6)?
Who are the modern bourgeois (6)?
Back to rhetoric. One rhetorical device is anaphora (repeated words at the beginning of successive clauses or paragraphs). What word/s are repeated to create this effect (7-9)?
What is preventing the rise of the proletariat to a position of power (12-13)?
What does Engels argue is absolutely necessary for the success of communism (15)?
Engels uses his final two paragraphs of this first chapter to summarize his points. Paraphrase this summary (15)?

II - Proletarians and Communists (12-16)
What is the relationship between the Communists and the proletarians (15)?
What are the three goals of the Communists (13)?
Simplified, what is the theory of the Communists (13)?
Explain the large paragraph here (14). What does Engels mean when he writes about “common property”?
Sum up the ten steps Communists all over the world wish to complete (15-16).
Which of these appear extreme? Why?
Which of these appeal to you? Why?
Ultimately, if you had to use one word to summarize the goals of communism, what would it be?