The Principles of Communism (German: Grundsätze des Kommunismus) is a brief 1847 work written by Friedrich Engels , the co-founder of Marxism . It is structured as a catechism, containing 25 questions about communism for which answers are provided. In the text, Engels presents core ideas of Marxism such as historical materialism , class struggle , and proletarian revolution . The Principles of Communism served as the draft version for the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels .
Texts by Marx and Engels
1840s Doctoral Thesis ('41),
On Freedom of the Press ('42),
Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right ('43),
Comments on James Mill ,
Economic & Philosophic Manuscripts ,
On the Jewish Question ('44),
Theses on Feuerbach ('45),
Saint Max ('46),
The Poverty of Philosophy ,
Wage Labour & Capital ,
Wages ('47),
The June Revolution in Paris ('48)
1850s 1860s Theories of Surplus Value ,
Economic Manuscripts ('61),
Inaugural Address of the IWMA ,
Direct Production Process ('64),
On Proudhon ,
Confession ,
Value, Price and Profit ('65),
CAPITAL VOLUME I ('67),
4th Annual Report ('68),
The Right of Inheritance ('69)
1870s 1880s
1840s 1850s 1860s 1870s 1880s 1890s