Cyril Smith shows that Marx developed a far richer and liberatory vision of humanity and the alternative to capital than that which has characterized his followers, and he makes a powerful argument that it is essential to return to Marx's original body of thought in order to reconstitute a viable critique of existing capitalist society.

Chapter 1 'The Prospects for Socialism' Chapter 2 Marx Versus Historical Materialism Chapter 3 The Communist Manifesto after 150 Years Chapter 4 Marx's Critical Science Chapter 5 Democracy and Property in Athens Chapter 6 Towards the Modern State Chapter 7 Hegel's Contradictory Summary of the Tradition Chapter 8 Karl Marx's Critique of Politics Chapter 9 Marx, Communism and Revolution Chapter 10 Marx and Human Self-Creation Chapter 11 Marx and the Fourfold Vision of William Blake Chapter 12 Hegel Chapter 13 Marx Chapter 14 An Inconclusive Conclusion