The Communist Manifesto rescued a considerable part of the population from the idiocy [sic!] of rural life". As Eric Hobsbawm noted, however: Marx and Engels’ political influences were wide-ranging, reacting to and taking inspiration from German idealist philosophy, French socialism, and English and Scottish political economy. "The Communist Manifesto" also takes influence from literature. In Jacques Derrida’s work, "Specters of Marx: The State of the Debt, the Work of Mourning and the New International", he uses Shakespeare’s "Hamlet" to frame a discussion of the history of the International, showing, in the process, the influence that Shakespeare’s work had on Marx and Engel’s writing.
1957 International Meeting of Communist and Workers Parties hardliners resisting 'de-Stalinization'. The meeting backed Khruschev's new line of different national paths towards socialism, peaceful co-existence and popular front tactics. As per the line given by the meeting, transition to people's democracy was possible through parliamentary elections, as long as the communist parties combined electoral work with mass struggles against reactionary forces. The meeting adopted a 'peace manifesto', outlining capitalist monopolies as the main threat to world peace. The manifesto was signed by all participants, except the Yugoslavs. Whilst the intended purpose of the meeting was to display unity of the world communist movement, the outcome was quite different.