This is Marx and Engel's landmark treatise - in a graphic deluxe edition. One of the most important and influential political theories ever formulated, "The Communist Manifesto" is a revolutionary summons to the working class - an incisive account of a new theory of communism that would be brought about by a proletarian revolution. Arguing that increasing exploitation of industrial workers will eventually lead to a rebellion in which capitalism will...

In the decades following the death of Marx in 1883, the socialist movement grew, but it also became highly factional over arguments about theory and organizational tactics. In this episode, learn about the rise of political parties in Germany and America, the establishment of the Second International, and the struggle over "revisionism."

Come to see Lenin's arrival at Petrograd's Finland Station in April 1917 as one of the most important turning points in modern history: the establishment of a communist regime after decades of theory. Also, preview the themes you'll explore in these episodes, and get solid definitions of terms such as communism and socialism.

How does a revolutionary regime build a bridge to world revolution? After a look at the Third International, or "Comintern,"_x009d_ created in 1919 to spread the message of global revolution, explore failed attempts at sovietizing Hungary and Bavaria and the Soviet-Polish War of 1920, which dashed remaining hopes for linking up with Germany.

Follow the trajectory of Bolshevik social experiments to inaugurate a new civilization up through the death of Lenin in 1924. You'll learn about Lenin's "monumental propaganda"_x009d_ plan, which changed the appearance of Russia; the nationalist program of "putting down roots"_x009d_; party recruitment drives and purges; and even the mummification of Lenin's body.

With the outbreak of the First World War, Lenin (who called war an "accelerator of history"_x009d_) had the world crisis he could turn to his advantage. Topics here include Marxist debates over the philosophies of defensism and defeatism, the arrival of Leon Trotsky and his theory of "permanent revolution,"_x009d_ and the widening rift between socialists and communists.

Take a detailed look at the life of Lenin, whose ideas and actions propelled him to become the first man to bring communist theory into power in 1917. Here, focus on Lenin's hardness in the face of the 1891-1892 famine, his manifesto "What Is to Be Done?", and the Bolshevik and Menshevik factions.

First, unpack the meaning of the revolutionary messages in "The Communist Manifesto" and "Das Kapital." Then, use a basic vocabulary of Marxist concepts to better understand Marx's model of history and economics. Last, examine how the revolutionary lives of Marx and Engels sought to unify theory with practice.

In the early seventies, the world was watching as Chile democratically elected Socialist leader Salvador Allende. His political ideals and aspirations—among them providing education for all children and distributing land to the nation’s workers—terrified the country’s right-wing, as well as the U.S., who helped orchestrate a military coup that replaced him with dictator Augusto Pinochet.