The “Communist Manifesto” is a seminal work of scientific socialism. The principles presented by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in this work retain their value to this day. They serve as the ideological foundation and guiding principle for the entire communist and workers’ movement internationally, immune to any distortion or denial.
176 years ago, in February 1848, the Communist Manifesto was published by Marx and Engels, authored at the behest of the Communist League. It publicly articulated the communists’ views and intentions to the world, outlining the categories and basic principles of scientific communism that are universally applicable both in theory and in practice. It countered the “fantastical story” propagated by opposing forces about a “communist spectre” in Europe. Lenin once remarked, “That small booklet is worth thousands of books. Its spirit still inspires and propels the organised and fighting proletariat of the civilised world.” The theoretical and practical value and influence of the Communist Manifesto are profound and immense, epoch-making, and universally human, with a vigorous vitality “through the centuries,” continuing to operate in the currents of the era.
However, over the past 176 years, hostile forces and political opportunists of all stripes have ceaselessly, frensiedly attacked, assaulted, distorted, and denied the values and the basic theoretical principles of the Communist Manifesto. Nowadays, they seem to “acknowledge” the values of the Communist Manifesto, but suggest that its relevance was only during Marx’s time, at most in the 20th century, no longer suitable for the present 21st century, considering it “the past,” “overtaken by time.” This is a blatant, deeply malicious and cunning distortion. It can easily lead us into misconceptions and the “illusion” that this is a kind of addition, a creative development of the basic thoughts in the Manifesto! And the issue becomes especially dangerous as we are intensifying the study, application, and creative development of Marxist-Leninist theory.
So, is it true that the Communist Manifesto “belongs to the past,” “overtaken by time”? From a revolutionary standpoint and through the historical validation of the Manifesto’s theoretical principles in the history of the international communist and workers’ movement, the national liberation movement, and the development of socialist society over the past 176 years, our answer is decidedly no. On the contrary, we see even more clearly the enormous values in both theory and practice, as well as its undying vitality for the communist movement, the international working class, and the working people of the world.
In fact, the more frensiedly hostile forces and political opportunists attack, the deeper and more luminous the significance and influence of the Manifesto become. Those who claim that the Communist Manifesto “belongs to the past,” “overtaken by time,” must recall and understand the very vivid reality that, over the past 176 years, humanity’s understanding and the developmental process of human social history have made great, deeply progressive, and civilised transformations. This is due to the powerful impact and broad influence of the Communist Manifesto, of Marxism-Leninism. The growth and development, the significant changes, including ups and downs, and major events of the international communist and workers’ movement over nearly 200 years have presented many new, epoch-making issues in both theory and practice that need to be addressed. Yet, the basic principles in the Communist Manifesto still retain their value, remaining as the methodology and the fundamental solution to the new challenges of the era.
For instance, the discovery and clarification of the historical mission of the working class - the central category of scientific socialism - Marx’s great contribution still retains its value today. In the current situation, the working class continues to fulfil its historical mission with new content and forms under new historical conditions before the powerful development of globalisation and the Industrial Revolution 4.0. This central category was argued, clarified, and specified in the Manifesto; it is the objective condition that determines the historical mission of the working class, not merely as a class of the impoverished but affirming that only the working class is truly revolutionary. “The fall of the bourgeoisie and the victory of the proletariat are equally inevitable.” Marx and Engels also outlined the path, methods, and necessary conditions for the working class to fulfil its historical mission.
Today, with the powerful development of globalisation and the Industrial Revolution 4.0, the economic and social status of the working class and its historical mission not only stand firm but even become more vivid and practical than ever. Regardless of how the Industrial Revolution 4.0 develops, it cannot change the economic and social status of the working class. In the current conditions, capital is no longer as important as before, while knowledge, talent, intellectual capacity, and ideas related to technology and innovation become the main, dominant factors of modern production, while the working class experiences new development both in quantity and quality, especially in terms of knowledge, technology, and labour skills. The economic and social status of the working class is not lost, so the historical mission of this advanced class cannot be lost either. The working class remains the representative force of advanced production methods - a production method with increasingly high levels of socialisation and internationalisation, holding and applying modern science and technology. The revolutionary nature, advanced nature, thorough revolutionary nature, and discipline of the working class remain unchanged, but continue to be reinforced, enhanced, and become more profound.
The famous argument in the Communist Manifesto: “The bourgeoisie has not only forged the weapons that bring death to itself, but also the men who wield those weapons - the modern workers, the proletarians,” provides us with a very basic methodology in considering the historical mission of the working class under new historical conditions. The Industrial Revolution 4.0, based on digital technology and integrating all smart technologies to optimise processes and production methods,... has deeply transformed all aspects of human life. Essentially, this is the development of industry, science, and technology objectively that has and continues to create conditions for capitalism to do “better” the job of sharpening “the weapons that will kill itself.” Simultaneously, it creates and develops both in quantity and quality of the contingent of “those who wield those weapons” - the working class more clearly understands its historical mission to eliminate capitalism, build civilised communism, more clearly defines the path, means to accomplish that great historical mission.
In developed capitalist countries today, workers are no longer exploited as before, have become “middle-classified,” even a portion becoming well-off by owning shares in factories, enterprises, or companies. However, it is necessary to see clearly that this “middle-classification” reflects the living standard of the working class under new historical conditions, due to the overall progress of social development and is the result of the continuous, persistent struggle of this class in its fight against the bourgeoisie over many centuries, but this absolutely does not change the revolutionary nature of the working class. Workers have not become “capitalists” as people say, but “capitalists to themselves”. They, even if they own more valuable shares than before, do not thereby change their status as employees and being exploited in capitalist society. Workers in the past primarily sold their physical labour, but now they also sell their intellectual labour and their brains to the capitalists. The main means of production are still in the hands of the bourgeoisie, and the biggest beneficiaries of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 are still the capitalists. Thus, the working class remains a class exploited by the bourgeoisie for surplus value in many sophisticated forms, so they are still a class of employees. Therefore, if the working class wants to liberate itself, it must simultaneously liberate the nation and society from all oppression, exploitation, and injustice.
In today’s era, the key theoretical arguments of the Communist Manifesto still retain their values and have new vitality. Previously, the working class had risen to call for and unite all classes and other social layers to fight for democracy and people’s livelihood, demand wage increases, improve working conditions, and fight against the bourgeoisie. They had been at the forefront of national liberation movements, liberating people from oppression and injustice and winning independence, freedom for the nation. Today, with the level of education, scientific organisation, and thorough revolutionary spirit, the working class remains the leading subject in the fight for basic human rights, the rights of nations, against all oppression, exploitation, injustice, promoting fairness, democracy, equality, and social progress. It is the vanguard force and united with the working people worldwide on the path to socialism. Since the Manifesto was born to this day, despite ups and downs and major fluctuations, the growth and maturation of the working class, the development of the international communist and workers’ movement, the formation, and development of the world socialist system and the new development of real socialism, the humanistic, humanitarian, progressive values of humanity, the interest in research and understanding of many political circles and scholars, including capitalist scholars towards the Communist Manifesto, Marxism-Leninism,... is vivid practice showing the enduring value and undying vitality of the Communist Manifesto and Marxism-Leninism.
At present, regardless of how the situation develops and changes, the Communist Manifesto is not “the past,” or “no longer fitting in with the current era” as the hostile forces’ slander and distortion. On the contrary, the basic principles of the Manifesto still retain their values, remain future-oriented, and are the scientific basis and methodology for interpreting the basic issues of the era, the guiding principle, and the flag leading the working class and the working people worldwide on the path to fulfilling the historical mission: to eliminate capitalism and build civilised socialism and communism.
However, additions and new developments are still needed as the era has changed. This requires us, when applying and developing, to stand firmly on the revolutionary position of the working class and carry out with a spirit and a serious, correct scientific method. Meanwhile, grasping the revolutionary and scientific essence and basing solidly on objective reality to faithfully apply and creatively develop the theory is the most important requirement to ensure the vitality and promote the great values and roles of the Communist Manifesto and Marxism-Leninism in practice.
Associate Professor, PhD. NGUYEN MANH HUONG and PhD. PHAN THANH CHUNG