Both the "Communist Manifesto" and Chomsky's "Propoganda Model" both involve two classes: the elites (few in number) and the masses. Both employ techniques to maintain a controlled image of society and keep the masses in check: Marx's bourgeoisie achieves this goal through religious & political illusions, while Chomsky's mass media flat out ignores, dilutes and twists subjects to make any potentially disturbing newspiece (and thus thought-provoking, perhaps in the long run leading to action) dulled to the point of a mere campaign issue or even a non-story.
As a result, the masses are exploited and manipulated, buying into the elites' images and ideals of what society should be (and convincing them that things are normal, status quo, and so on) resulting in the elite's excessive profits. The people, claim Marx and Chomsky, have most of the power to overthrow and/or change this lopsided model, but are only held back due to these skilled techniques (and not, to a large degree, brute force) of the elite to keep them (relatively) calm.
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