The relevance of a work like "The Civil War in France" cannot be identified solely with the specific and temporally and locally limited period it refers to, but with an entire historical period of wars and revolutions, the cycle of which, even in the 21st century, does not seem to have closed.

The material from which Karl Marx draws his scientific conclusions is not an "abstract" scientific material based only on sources or archives. It is the very struggle of classes, faithfully captured through the besieged Paris, it is the proletarian democracy itself, as implemented by the rebellious citizens of Paris, it is the bitter experience of the blood in which the revolution that does not properly defend itself is immersed.

Thus, this book is not only one of the most important documents for the "glorified herald of a new society," but also a "bible" for the lovers of Direct Democracy throughout the world. However, this book also represents one of the best texts of the great German thinker, an amazing example of the combination of political writing, scientific analysis, and literary creation, a model of what living political analysis means and how it should be written.

This current edition, systematically annotated, includes in addition to the main work, an extensive and informative introduction by Friedrich Engels, as well as the famous letter from Karl Marx to Ludwig Kugelmann.