If we can change its name, maybe it will smell better!
One hundred and fifty years ago a document was penned that influenced more people in our world than the Christian Bible. Its message would be exploited, misinterpreted, and slandered because, while this book was not evil and neither were its messages, some of the most ruthless despots in history used it to control and dominate more than half of the world's population.

    The document was the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx. Compared to other documents of the 19 th century, it was not only a masterpiece in accurately describing, without prejudice, the current conditions of our world entering the industrial revolution, but it also foretold of events that are with us today.

    Fearing their own personal losses if his message was embraced by the masses, capitalists and churches combined to demonize his philosophy and any group that promoted his message. And, since the population of the times were basically uneducated and could not understand the document, it was left to the elite capitalists and the church to explain its contents. They were not too kind. One of the important things they forgot was that Marx advocated a truly democratic system of government. The problem was that with his version, the capitalist wouldn't be in control.

     Socialism became a dirty word, and much of the world still treats it so. And yet, when the capitalists get in trouble, they invariably turn to socialism for a solution – only the powers that be do not call it socialism. In these cases, socialism is socialism is socialism even if you call it a bailout, economic recovery, or a stimulus package.

    Identical claims of socialism providing solutions for problems can be made for public education, health care, and taxation. All countries in the western world practice various forms of socialism but some, like US America, treat socialism like a dirty word, a social activity to be avoided at all costs . . . unless, of course, you call it something else and its helps the wealthy stay wealthy . . . and in control.

    You can call their solutions anything you want but they are invariably grounded in socialism. The difference between Karl Marx's socialism and that often practiced in the capitalist world is who benefits. The socialism advocated by Marx was directed at improving the lot of the common people. The socialism championed in this age earns a different classification because it is being applied in order to save the capitalists from capitalist folly. Marx would not approve!

    Long before the capitalist world was forced into making changes in its exploitation of women and children, Karl Marx, as part of his Communist Manifesto, advocated the emancipation of women and abolition of child labour. Neither of these were acceptable to the capitalists who, if they had their way, would have continued to this day to exploit women and children of our world for profit.

     In the struggle for women’s rights and for an end to child exploitation, Christian churchs were conspicuous by their absence and only emeged as a force when they fought for civil rights for the black people of US America. Of course, most of the church participation came from black churches.

   Please put aside any prejudices you may have acquired as history recorded horrible acts done in his name as “Marxist-Leninist” or “Marxist-Stalinist”. Lenin and Stalin were not even alive when Marx wrote his manifesto. What Lenin and Stalin did was promise “Marxism” to their people, but deliver their own applications of socialist theorys that were more oppressive than the original targets of Marx's writings. While Marx targeted the capitalists, Lenin and Stalin exploited the masses more than capitalists even thought possible.

    I invite you to read the Communist Manifesto – all of it! Remember, it was written 150 years ago so you might not be familiar with all of its terms. Use a dictionary. I am not advocating that you become a card-carrying member of the Communist Party. Karl Marx wouldn't want to join the party either. You can read all of it in less than a couple of hours. I guarantee you that if you approach it with an open mind your view of our world and the forces that exert their powers over its people, will be changed forever.

     Here are links to the manifesto and a concise overview of how US America may be using concepts from it. It is certainly more in touch with the world in which you live than the Bible, and illustrates how we all can live better . . . without gods!                  -- Anton Kozlik