Following the disappearance of the Soviet Union, scholars across the political spectrum tackled the world-historical significance of the end of communism. This book addresses the balance-sheets of modern political history offered by three writers—-Francis Fukuyama, Eric Hobsbawm and Perry Anderson—-comparing them with the future projected by Marx in The Communist Manifesto . Gregory Elliott argues that Marx is central to all three accounts and that, along with the Manifesto, they form a quartet of analyses of the results and prospects of capitalism and socialism, which are of enduring significance for the Left. Senses of an Ending provides a readable survey of key historical and political thinkers that will appeal to anyone interested in modern political thought.