I don’t really know why I chose to read this—I guess for the historical importance? The manifesto itself is quite short, and pretty accessible, although it feels as if much more time would be needed to really understand some of its messages. It has a nice imagery, and it’s structure makes sense as a revolutionary text. The introductory essay, however, was the vast majority of this edition. It was extremely thorough, detailing the historical, philosophical, economic, and religious context for the manifesto. It’s incredibly dull, however, and largely inaccessible for large portions, unless one already has a strong understanding of various philosophies and the histories of other nations (my knowledge of Hegel comes only from Monty Python’s philosophers song). Either way, not sure why I read this. Not as controversial or offensive as most of America would have you believe, and far more advanced in scope and practice than most people complaining about communism would actually understand.