I was re-reading the Communist Manifesto and I couldn’t help but think that in its visionary sweep it swept away too much in its path that might impede nascent capitalism’s march and socialism’s inevitability. Too much melts into air, the complexities of economic, social, and political life are sidelined, and the working class supposedly by the force of its inner logic of development scales the political heights of capitalism in short order and then digs capitalism’s grave. This deterministic vision, not surprisingly, found its way into the communist movement.in the 20th century. It didn’t take up all the space, but its presence was (and still is) undeniable.