“The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.”
The opening lines of the Communist Manifesto, once you understand them, can change your life.
This founding text of the communist movement posits that the primary guiding force of history has never been individuals or great ideas. The struggle of masses of ordinary people for their social and political liberation – this is what drives history forwards.
The ruling ideas
Almost two centuries after Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote the Manifesto, their ideas have never been more relevant. Class struggle is erupting all over the world. Meanwhile, all of the powers that be are once again assembling an unholy alliance to exorcise the spectre of communism.
The media, politicians, and billionaires all tell us in a million different ways that changing the world is impossible. This is a lie.
They say that our best option is to vote for the ‘lesser evil’. Another lie! They tell us that those who talk about the ‘big questions’ – war and climate change included – are ‘fantasists’ and ‘utopians’.
All of these lies constitute the propaganda of the ruling class. All of this nonsense exists to justify the existing system. But no system lasts forever.
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A world on fire
Part of the excitement of young people when leaving school comes from the sense of possibility: university, apprenticeships, new friends, relationships, and more. But for today’s generation, this sense of hope has been shattered into anxiety.
Despite the wailing of the right-wing press, this apparent hopelessness isn’t due to an innate, youthful narcissism. It’s a direct response to the crumbling of the world around us. In all spheres of life, this generation is set to face a worse life than the one before us did.
Never in history has the gap between the rich and the poor been as large as it is today. The billionaires are gorging themselves while the rest of us suffer.
The ruling class, at first glance, therefore appears more powerful than ever before. But their power is built on the shakiest of foundations. We must look beyond this illusion of might.
Behind every one of Trump’s statements, every attempt at police repression, and every media attack hides the deep-seated anxiety of their class. They are scared of us – and they should be.
Never in history has the working class been as large, educated, and powerful as it is today, nor has the capitalist system been in such deep crisis.
That means: never in history has there been a better opportunity for the communists to surge forward. Communism has never been so ‘in demand’.
We are not outnumbered
For a long time, communists were swimming against the stream. But the tide is now beginning to turn.
The generation entering universities, colleges, and the workforce today has been forged in the flames of capitalist crisis. This generation has nothing to lose in the struggle against capitalism.
Therefore, to our young readers I say: you can change the world. But to do so, you must do more than want – you must act. As the Black Panthers used to say: “We are not outnumbered, we are out-organised.”
The job of communists today is not simply to expose the ills of capitalism. They have already been laid bare for the world to see: the Epstein files; the genocide in Gaza; horrific floods in Nepal; hellish wildfires across the world. Capitalism, as Lenin said, is “horror without end”.
The job of communists today is to overcome the cynicism and despair that holds us back. That is why the Revolutionary Communist Party boldly declares that now is the time to demand the impossible and demand the future!
