Scrungle Gungle’s Reviews > The Communist Manifesto > Status Update

They should use this introduction for undergrad history students as a lesson in how suggestive phrasing and jumping to conclusions can spoil an otherwise sensible base of research

This is an embarrassingly poor introduction thus far. I do not demand of Gareth Jones that he be a Marxist or even favour it, but thus far he has varied from conspiracy and maligning the text with accusations of crypto-religious idealism to seemingly writing off the later portion of Marx’s work? Of course the Manifesto was outdated after its publication, Marx lived another ~40yrs and evolved his theory and thought!

One would presume Jones’ professorship in Political Science would incline him to reasonable examination and overview in his introduction but the rhetoric employed here is at times legitimately ahistorical or diminishing of the subject. I don’t necessarily disagree with the introduction as a whole but certainly parts of it warrant thorough critique and examination.

Rereading this with the introduction and notes written by Gareth Stedman Jones.

No more #FraudWatch I’m a real leftist now.