It is hard to imagine a book, essay or pamphlet outside of the Bible that has been more influential, and widely read, than Marx and Engels' "Communist Manifesto". Written in 1848, this small book has become one of the world's most influential political tracts. Part of the "Rethinking the Western Tradition" series, this edition of the "Manifesto" features essays from such distinguished contributors as Vladimir Tismaneanu, Steven Lukes, Saskia Sassen, and Stephen Bronner that address its relevance in the post-1989, post-Cold War world, in which the ideological polarities of the twentieth century have been effaced, what was considered "the left" is in intellectual and political disarray, and Marxism has faded as an attractive mode of thought for most intellectuals. It also includes much ancillary material, including Engels' "Why I Am a Communist".

Jeffrey Isaac is James H. Rudy Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for the Study of Democracy and Public Life at Indiana University.