Comrades
Communism: A World History
-
- 8,99 €
-
- 8,99 €
Publisher Description
An acclaimed examination of the global history of communism, from one of the finest historians of modern Russia.
‘One of the best-ever studies of the subject . . . a remarkable accomplishment.’ – The Economist
Decades after the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and the USSR, Robert Service sets out to trace its origins, tracking its spread across the globe throughout the twentieth century. From the USSR to Yugoslavia, Cuba to Western Europe, he chronicles the history of communist theory, spotlighting major events and individuals, and discussing the ideas right at its very heart.
From pre-Marxist thought to modern China, Service paints an authoritative portrait of communism and examines its place in the world in the twenty-first century. Unsettling, engaging and brilliantly argued, Comrades is a superb work of history and one that demands to be read.
‘An outstanding book, written with grace and style.’ – Victor Sebestyen, The Daily Telegraph
‘Bears all the hallmarks of a classic work of historical literature . . . the true international legacy of communism [is] analysed to magisterial effect in this exhilarating work.’ – Hwyel Williams, The New Statesman
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this incisive study, Service (A History of Modern Russia) surveys the varieties of communist ideologies (from Marx to Marcuse) and regimes (the Soviet Union getting the lion's share of attention) and finds a coherent pattern, which he forthrightly labels totalitarianism. Communism's hallmarks, he argues, include violent dictatorships, rigid, all-encompassing states that shackle civil society, persecute religion and stifle individual freedom. Communist systems impose dowdy fashions and stagnant economies staffed by listless workers. Rather than historical vagaries, Service contends, these are necessary features of communism, rooted in Marxist-Leninist doctrine and essential to regimes that needed suffocating repression to keep a lid on popular discontent. Service's critique is overwhelmingly negative, with scathing portraits of Communist leaders, intellectuals and fellow travelers like Sidney and Beatrice Webb, whom he calls "Stalin's admiring slugs." Yet he manages to be fair; he calmly exposes crimes of Communist regimes, nods at their achievements (especially those of local Communist administrations in India and Western Europe) and smiles at the poetic neocommunism of Mexico's Subcommandante Marcos. In his fluent narrative style, Service covers a lot of ground, sometimes too cursorily; the book could use more statistics, especially on the performance of Communist economies. Still, though bound to be controversial, his is an engaging and useful introduction to a world-shaking movement. 24 b&w photos.
