The
Marxist
Volume: 14, No. 04
Oct-Dec. 1998
P.
Ramachandran
Sukomal
Sen:
Communist
Manifesto
and
Theory
of
Revolution,
National Book Agency, Calcutta, 1998, pp: 175, Price : Rs. 90.00
Sukomal
Sen's
book
entitled
"Communist
Manifesto
and
Theory
of
Revolution:
Its
Relevance
to
Contemporary
Communist
Movement"
has
been
published
to
mark
the
150th
anniversary
of
the
Communist
Manifesto.
As
the
preface
itself
states:
"The
Manifesto,
which
stands
out
as
the
greatest
of
world
political
literature,
literally
shook
the
entire
mankind."
In
today's
situation
it
is
widely
recognised,
even
by
the
enemies
of
the
revolutionary
movement,
that
this
single
book,
rather
short
pamphlet,
has
had
a
profound
impact
on
the
course
of
human
development
in
the
last
one
and
a
half
centuries.
Therefore,
a
deep
study
of
the
Manifesto
is
vital
for
all
revolutionaries
and
also
for
historians,
sociologists
and
political
scholars.
This
aspect
of
the
need
for
deeper
study
is
very
relevant
in
the
context
of
the
wrong
tendency
even
amongst
serious
revolutionaries
to
be
satisfied
with
a
few
quotations
from
this
immortal
document;
and,
to
simply
declare
their
"faith"
in
the
validity
of
the
ideas
of
the
Communist
Manifesto.
As
Marx
and
Engels
themselves
repeatedly
asserted
the
science
of
Marxism
can
only
be
properly
understood
by
patient
and
painstaking
efforts.
The
science
of
Marxism
cannot
be
compressed
into
a
collection
of
quotations
and
teachings
to
be
applied
to
all
situations
but
is
only
an
invaluable
guide
to
understand
changing
realities,
in
a
scientific
manner,
to
be
utilised
as
a
guide
for
action.
This
book
is
a
serious
attempt
to
deal
with
the
essentials
of
the
Communist
Manifesto,
in
the
light
of
the
above
mentioned
approach.
As
the
preface
states:
"The
present
volume
seeks
to
trace
the
origin
of
the
Communist
Manifesto,
the
social,
historical,
economic
and
philosophical
background
in
which
the
Manifesto
was
born.
At
the
same
time,
the
book
makes
a
humble
attempt
for
exposition
of
the
basic
theoretical
formulations
made
by
the
Manifesto
along
with
some
other
formulations
directly
connected
with
it.
But
it
should
not
at
all
be
construed
as
a
comprehensive
discourse
on
Marxism."
Such
an
attempt
evidently
is
a
very
difficult
task.
The
author
has,
in
the
course
of
175
pages,
made
a
serious
effort
to
meet
the
objective
mentioned
in
the
preface,
by
studiously
going
into
the
innumerable
writings
of
Marx,
Engels
and
some
others.
The
book,
rather
ambitiously
tries
to
encompass
in
its
relatively
brief
text,
a
vast
number
of
themes
and
problems
connected
with
the
past
as
well
as
with
the
present-day
aspects
of
history.
The
vast
compass
of
the
book
naturally
covers
the
developments
of
the
philosophical
and
historical
background
in
which
the
Manifesto
was
born.
As
a
matter
of
fact,
the
first
four
chapters
deal
with
the
scientific
and
connected
philosophical
approach
of
the
young
Marx
and
Engels.
The
steady
evolution
of
Marx's
ideological
thoughts,
as
manifested
in
a
number
of
books
before
the
Manifesto
was
published,
is
analysed
comprehensively.
These
chapters
also
deal
with
the
development
of
Marxist
ideas,
not
in
the
abstract
but
in
the
process
of
constant
and
sometimes
ruthless
criticism
of
various
trends
in
European
philosophical,
ideological
and
economic
thinking.
Through
these
chapters,
the
reader
can
understand
the
very
dialectical
manner
through
which
the
basic
ideas
of
Marxism
got
utilised.
In
particular,
the
pages
dealing
with
the
various
trends
of
utopian
socialism
which
proceeded
the
development
of
scientific
socialism,
has
been
effectively
dealt
with.
It
is
actually
chapters
five
and
six
of
the
book
which
comprehensively
deal
with
the
background
in
which
the
emerging
new
proletarian
party,
the
Communist
League,
was
confronted
with
the
need
for
a
Manifesto
outlining
the
fundamental
vision
of
scientific
socialism.
The
book,
while
giving
this
background
to
the
publication
of
the
Manifesto
in
chapter
five,
precedes
to
present
the
basic
ideas
of
the
Communist
Manifesto
in
chapter
six.
Instead
of
confining
himself
to
such
an
exposition,
the
author
proceeds
to
explain
the
various
aspects
of
the
Manifesto
which
directly
or
indirectly
outlined
the
theory
of
revolution.
Chapter
seven
validly
analyses
various
questions
connected
with
revolutionary
theory
and
practice.
In
particular,
the
relation
between
the
democratic
revolution
and
the
socialist
revolution
is
sought
to
be
explained.
The
attitude
of
the
Communist
Manifesto
towards
the
fight
against
feudal
despotism
even
under
conditions
when
the
proletariat
was
only
an
emerging
class
but
numerically
small
force,
and
the
problems
posed
by
such
a
situation
have
been
dealt
with.
The
analysis
of
the
role
of
various
classes
--
the
bourgeoisie,
the
petty-bourgeoisie,
the
peasantry,
and
the
lumpen-proletariat
--
is
thought-provoking.
The
author
has
in
a
few
pages,
even
dealt
with
the
problem
of
the
degeneration
of
political
power
following
revolutions
by
the
reference
to
"Bonapartism".
Through
these
chapters,
the
author
in
a
compact
manner
has
tried
to
analyse
the
political
and
economic
developments
following
the
publication
of
the
Manifesto.
In
particular,
the
prefaces
to
the
Communist
Manifesto
written
by
Marx
and
Engels
without
new
editions
were
published
in
various
languages
themselves
reveal
that
Marx
and
Engels
were
continuously
subjecting
the
formulations
of
the
original
text
to
rigorous
scrutiny.
Actually,
the
prefaces
provide
us
with
very
valuable
insight
into
the
scientific
manner
in
which
the
approached
changing
history.
The
author
has
given
the
necessary
attention
to
this
aspect.
Without
confining
himself
to
the
basic
content
of
the
Manifesto
and
the
problems
of
revolutionary
practice
flowing
from
these
the
author
has
dealt
with
the
political
and
social
developments
of
the
present
century
and
refers
to
some
of
the
problems
presented
by
today's
realities.
He
even
attempted
to
analyse
the
new
developments
in
science
and
tried
to
interpret
them
in
the
light
of
dialectical
materialism.
The
few
pages
giving
Marx's
famous
statement
that
he
has
never
claimed
that
all
that
he
or
Engels
have
written
were
eternal
truths
and
his
quip
that
"I
am
not
a
Marxist"
has
been
brought
out
by
the
author
reminds
the
new
generations
that
Marx
himself
considered
his
teachings
only
as
an
attempt
to
use
certain
fundamental
concepts
to
understand
reality.
The
interesting
aspect
of
the
book
is
that
in
the
course
of
a
few
pages,
the
author
seeks
to
deal
with
the
very
serious
problems
faced
by
revolutionaries
after
the
collapse
of
the
Soviet
Union
and
the
setbacks
suffered
by
the
Communism.
These
aspects
need
much
deeper
study
and
discussions.
The
author's
comments
can
contribute
to
further
discussion.
The
very
important
ideological
problem
faced
by
Communist
movement
regarding
the
changes
in
the
structure
of
the
working
class
in
the
context
of
the
scientific
and
technological
revolution
has
been
dealt
with
by
the
author
in
the
concluding
sections.
This
is
a
matter
of
vital
importance
and
needs
very
serious
discussion.
The
very
wide
and
sweeping
canvass
of
the
book
trying
to
depict
nearly
two
centuries
of
human
development
in
the
philosophical,
social,
economic
and
political
spheres,
in
the
context
of
the
Communist
Manifesto
is
indeed
an
ambitious
effort.
The
very
nature
of
this
effort
will
make
the
book
and
its
contents
rather
difficult
to
read
for
many
readers.
Yet,
the
publication
of
the
book
will
contribute
to
a
better
and
more
useful
study
of
the
Manifesto
and
basic
Marxist
books.