What do you think?
Rate this book
Communism: From Marx's Manifesto to 20th-century reality
Surveys the history of communism, examines the emergence and implications of Eurocommunism, and considers the impact of communism on Third World politics.
- GenresPhilosophyEconomics
151 pages, Hardcover
First published November 28, 1972
3 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 23, 2020
Four out of ten.
While Karl Marx's violent economic theory hasn't taken over the world in the way he predicted in the late 1800s, it has certainly left its mark in many nations of the world. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of this 1973 survey.
Forman begins with a brief summary of the history of Communist thought. He then attempts a global survey of the theory's application. But that's where it ends. In Forman's defense, it must be admitted that the fall of the USSR--which he predicts will not happen--brought entirely new perspective to the Communist program. However, he spends an entire chapter on Communist nationalism in western Europe, where it has never had much of a foothold; and on the other hand, he doesn't so much as mention Marx's intellectual casualties in Western academia--a far more toxic problem which was no less obvious in the 1970s than it is today.
Forman is to be commended, I suppose, for his reasonably balanced approach to a subject that for many Americans is hedged by emotion, even superstition. However, this survey is shallow and incomplete, and its findings are now thirty years out of date. I don't recommend it.
While Karl Marx's violent economic theory hasn't taken over the world in the way he predicted in the late 1800s, it has certainly left its mark in many nations of the world. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of this 1973 survey.
Forman begins with a brief summary of the history of Communist thought. He then attempts a global survey of the theory's application. But that's where it ends. In Forman's defense, it must be admitted that the fall of the USSR--which he predicts will not happen--brought entirely new perspective to the Communist program. However, he spends an entire chapter on Communist nationalism in western Europe, where it has never had much of a foothold; and on the other hand, he doesn't so much as mention Marx's intellectual casualties in Western academia--a far more toxic problem which was no less obvious in the 1970s than it is today.
Forman is to be commended, I suppose, for his reasonably balanced approach to a subject that for many Americans is hedged by emotion, even superstition. However, this survey is shallow and incomplete, and its findings are now thirty years out of date. I don't recommend it.
August 18, 2016
"Marxian doctrines have two of large extent been abandoned, but even if they never fitted the world situation, this philosophy must be given credit for inspiring the most major social change since the middle of the 19th century. Its impact endures even though its theories have not been specifically carried out."
•James D. Forman
•James D. Forman
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews