Communist Manifesto Lesson Plan

The Communist Manifesto famously begins with the claim that "the spectre of communism" is haunting Europe. What is the effect of this "spectre" metaphor? What does it suggest about the power of communism? What does it suggest about the inevitability of communism?

The idea of a ghost haunting Europe plays into assumptions that people held (and continue to hold) about communism being frightening or dangerous. However, the idea also captures the unavoidable nature of communism, as it is something that no power can "exorcise." As Marx and Engels will explain, communism cannot be avoided but is the natural byproduct of bourgeois mores.

Marx and Engels contend that there are...