cheap prices of commodities are the heavy artillery

 Explain - The cheap prices of commodities are the heavy artillery with which it batters down all Chinese walls, with which it forces the barbarians’ intensely obstinate hatred of foreigners to capitulate.

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This statement is a part of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels' Communist Manifesto. In this passage, Marx and Engels use metaphorical language to describe the impact of capitalism and the global market on societies and economies worldwide.

The phrase "cheap prices of commodities" refers to the products manufactured under capitalist systems that can be produced at lower costs due to various factors like mass production, technological advancements, and sometimes exploitation of labor. These inexpensive goods flood markets, making them widely available and affordable.

"Chinese walls" metaphorically represents barriers or protectionist measures that certain societies or economies might employ to shield themselves from outside influences or competition. In a historical context, it refers to China's historical isolationist policies, attempting to protect its economy and culture from foreign interference.

The "barbarians’ intensely obstinate hatred of foreigners" signifies the resistance or opposition felt by some societies or groups towards foreign influence, products, or the encroachment of capitalism on their traditional ways of life.

Marx and Engels suggest that the penetration of these cheap commodities into foreign markets serves as a powerful force (the "heavy artillery") that breaks down these protective barriers and forces resistant societies, represented by the metaphorical "barbarians," to surrender or adapt to the capitalist system. They argue that the competitive advantage of capitalist economies in producing cheap goods undermines protectionist measures and influences the global economy, compelling resistant societies to capitulate or adapt to the dominance of capitalist modes of production and trade.

In essence, this statement reflects Marx and Engels' analysis of how the global expansion of capitalism, driven by its ability to produce goods at lower costs and penetrate foreign markets, challenges and eventually erodes barriers set up by societies trying to protect themselves from external influences.