卡尔·马克思，全名卡尔·海因里希·马克思（德语：Karl Heinrich Marx，1818年5月5日－1883年3月14日），马克思主义的创始人之一，第一国际的组织者和领导者，马克思主义政党的缔造者，全世界无产阶级和劳动人民的革命导师，无产阶级的精神领袖，国际共产主义运动的开创者。

弗里德里希·恩格斯（Friedrich Engels，1820年11月28日－1895年8月5日），德国思想家、哲学家、革命家、教育家，军事理论家，全世界无产阶级和劳动人民的伟大导师，马克思主义创始人之一。恩格斯是卡尔·马克思的挚友，被誉为“第二提琴手”，他为马克思从事学术研究提供大量经济支持。马克思逝世后，将马克思遗留下的大量手稿、遗著整理出版，并众望所归地成为国际工人运动的领袖。

A sensation since it debuted in 1848, The Communist Manifesto is one of the most important political texts ever written. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels were German theorists who, by the mid-nineteenth century, felt that the time had come for working-class people to rebel against the wealthier ruling classes. A more just and equitable political system was needed, and Marx and Engels believed they had the solution. In their Manifesto, Marx and Engels advise readers that change is looming over all of Europe in the form of communism. They outline the fundamental problems of European society and government, calling all who suffer under the current regime to action. Their work led to passionate uprisings and huge political changes, for better and for worse. Whether taken as a rallying cry or a historical document, The Communist Manifesto is a fascinating read for anyone interested in the history of political and social change.