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Communism: A Very Short Introduction (2009)

by Leslie Holmes(Favorite Author)

3.48 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0199551545 (ISBN13: 9780199551545)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Oxford University Press, USA

series

Very Short Introductions

review 1: A decent book that does what it says on the tin. The author makes clear that he's primarily writing about the practice of states claiming to be building communism, rather than the theory of communism. ie. it's a book about the real world rather than a theoretical tract. You should bear this in mind before deciding if that's what you want. I did, so I was happy.Weaknesses? I would have liked to have gained more insight on the political system of Communism from the chapter with that name. I didn't feel that I understood how winners and losers emerged from the power battles at the top of Communist parties. It's almost as though, somehow, a leader establishes himself (almost always "him"...) and then everything else flows from that. But how did he establish himself? H... moreow does that work in a Communist state? What are the incentives that lead other senior party members to back the eventual leader rather than a rival? Maybe I'm asking too much - the exact same questions could be asked regarding non-Communist states and I'm not sure I'd have any better idea of the answers.Good book, well worth a read.
review 2: While capitalism is one extreme, communism is the other. I really liked the pace and the planned design of laying out a subject which can be utterly confusing at times. The words compel you to scrutinize the events that lead to the growth of communism. You tend to look at it more a radical force that was manipulated and was used means to personal ends. The book is truly enlightening and gives every major episode its deserved space instead of cluttering everything. less

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