Written: As a speech in German, delivered October 20 th , First published in English: No later than August 15, Public Domain: This work is free of any copyright restrictions. Transcription and Markup: Bill Wright for marxists. This lackluster translation, unfortunately, is not worthy of the importance of its subject matter.
In view of its historical impact, the transcription here is presented exactly as printed other than undeniable typos , with all its inconsistent terminology and perplexing translation choices. The biggest errors arise from the use of American popularized theoretical terms, for which I give the following warnings.
Finally, I have added quite extensive editorial endnotes to this transcription, which deal both with translation issues and historical context more broadly. The Erfurter convention of Oct. It separates him from this means of production and converts him into a destitute member of the proletariat, whilst a comparatively small number of capitalists and great land-owners obtain a monopoly of the means of production.
Hand in hand with this growing monopoly goes the crushing out of existence of these shattered small industries by industries of colossal growth, the development of the tool into the machine, and a gigantic increase in the productiveness of human labor. But all the advantages of this revolution are monopolized by the capitalists and great land-owners. To the proletariat and the rapidly sinking middle classes, the small tradesmen of the towns and the peasant proprietors Bauern , it brings an increasing uncertainty of existence, increasing misery, oppression, servitude, degradation and exploitation Ausbeutung.
Ever greater grows the mass of the proletariat, ever vaster the army of the unemployed, ever sharper the contrast between oppressors and oppressed, ever fiercer that war of classes between bourgeoisie and proletariat which divides modern society into two hostile camps and is the common characteristic of every industrial country. The gulf between the propertied classes and the destitute is widened by the crisis arising from capitalist production, which becomes daily more comprehensive and omnipotent, which makes universal uncertainty the normal condition of society, and which furnishes a proof that the forces of production have outgrown the existing social order, and that private ownership of the means of production has become incompatible with their full development and their proper application.
