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The Stalinist Legacy: Its Impact on Twentieth Century World Politics
Twenty years after the Soviet Union's collapse activists are still confronted by the legacy of Stalinism. This volume aims to deepen our understanding of the origins, impacts, and enduring prominence of Stalinism, so as to help exorcise these ghosts of the past. Featuring essays by Tariq Ali, Ernest Mandel, Isaac Deutscher, and many others.
551 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
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About the author
Tariq Ali
137 books809 followersTariq Ali (Punjabi, Urdu: طارق علی) is a British-Pakistani historian, novelist, filmmaker, political campaigner, and commentator. He is a member of the editorial committee of the New Left Review and Sin Permiso, and regularly contributes to The Guardian, CounterPunch, and the London Review of Books.
He is the author of several books, including Can Pakistan Survive? The Death of a State (1991) , Pirates Of The Caribbean: Axis Of Hope (2006), Conversations with Edward Said (2005), Bush in Babylon (2003), and Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads and Modernity (2002), A Banker for All Seasons (2007) and the recently published The Duel (2008).
He is the author of several books, including Can Pakistan Survive? The Death of a State (1991) , Pirates Of The Caribbean: Axis Of Hope (2006), Conversations with Edward Said (2005), Bush in Babylon (2003), and Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads and Modernity (2002), A Banker for All Seasons (2007) and the recently published The Duel (2008).
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May 13, 2025
This is a book that should be much better known. The world does not need any more hagiographies of the 20th century's post-capitalist experiments and especially needs no more demonologies. If we are going to come to an understanding of these countries and experiments, what is needed are serious material analyses. Non-orthodox Marxists are the most willing to provide this, and so several of the best historians and writers of the 20th century are collected here.
Outstanding historians such as Isaac Deutscher and Perry Anderson, along with important historical figures like Leon Trotsky and Christian Rakovsky, provide a general framing to "The Roots of the Problem," as the first part of the book is titled, and in the second part other writers provide excellent analyses of specific countries and parties, along with presentations of important texts by historical figures as Nikita Khrushchev (the "secret speech") and Josef Smrkovsky.
Vietnam, Poland, Czechoslovakia, China, India and Albania are only some of the countries given serious analyses. Particularly interesting is Fernando Claudin's report on the immediate aftermath of World War II when communist parties in France, Italy and Greece could have played a large role, potentially providing a socialist alternative to the Stalinized Soviet Union, but the efforts of the U.S. and Britain to stifle any move toward socialism combined with the holding back of revolutionary impulses by Stalin ended whatever possibility there might have been.
The Stalinist Legacy: Its Impact on Twentieth Century World Politics is a treasure trove and recommended reading for anybody seeking answers to what happened in the 20th century. Attacks from the world's capitalist countries of course played a role (and are not denied in these essays) but if we want to achieve fuller understanding, analyzing the internal dynamics of the post-capitalist countries is essential.
Outstanding historians such as Isaac Deutscher and Perry Anderson, along with important historical figures like Leon Trotsky and Christian Rakovsky, provide a general framing to "The Roots of the Problem," as the first part of the book is titled, and in the second part other writers provide excellent analyses of specific countries and parties, along with presentations of important texts by historical figures as Nikita Khrushchev (the "secret speech") and Josef Smrkovsky.
Vietnam, Poland, Czechoslovakia, China, India and Albania are only some of the countries given serious analyses. Particularly interesting is Fernando Claudin's report on the immediate aftermath of World War II when communist parties in France, Italy and Greece could have played a large role, potentially providing a socialist alternative to the Stalinized Soviet Union, but the efforts of the U.S. and Britain to stifle any move toward socialism combined with the holding back of revolutionary impulses by Stalin ended whatever possibility there might have been.
The Stalinist Legacy: Its Impact on Twentieth Century World Politics is a treasure trove and recommended reading for anybody seeking answers to what happened in the 20th century. Attacks from the world's capitalist countries of course played a role (and are not denied in these essays) but if we want to achieve fuller understanding, analyzing the internal dynamics of the post-capitalist countries is essential.
Displaying 1 of 1 review