Product Description

The inexorable rise of Communism was the most momentous political phenomenon of the first half of the twentieth century. Its demise in Europe and its decline elsewhere have produced the most profound political changes of the last few decades. In this illuminating book, based on forty years of study and a wealth of new sources, Archie Brown provides a comprehensive history as well as an original and compelling analysis of an ideology that has shaped the world. Tracing the story of Communism from its nineteenth-century roots, the book shows how the political movement Karl Marx described as a 'spectre haunting Europe' expanded throughout the world during the twentieth century, and how the principles and precepts of this revolutionary system became a living reality for many millions of ordinary people. Even today, although Communism has been widely discredited in the West, a quarter of humanity - in Asia and Latin America - still lives under its rule. Archie Brown explores the appeal of Communism to its adherents, its resounding successes and its catastrophic failures. In the 1950s and '60s, as tensions mounted within Eastern Europe, internal struggles came to dominate party politics, and fresh challenges from the West exerted increasing pressure on the Communist states to reform. The book considers why so many of these apparently invincible regimes collapsed when they did, often extremely suddenly, changing the lives of so many overnight. A groundbreaking work from an internationally renowned specialist, "The Rise and Fall of Communism" is the definitive study of the most remarkable political and human story of our times.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13516 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 736 pages

Evening Standard
`the breadth of his scholarship...is hugely impressive... Brown offers clever insights, as well as some fascinating new revelations.'

Literary Review
'the crowning achievement of Archie Brown's career... this volume will remain a definitive study of communism... Thank you, Archie Brown'

The Scotsman
`brilliantly succinct ... the breadth of the scholarship and research is hugely impressive ... '

Customer Reviews

Top Marx!
Don't be put off by the dry sounding title. First class account of the strange, sometimes breathtakingly cruel history of communism. Mr. Brown certainly knows his stuff but wears his learning lightly and the general reader, like me, is in for a treat. Even at over 600 pages I found myself wishing there was more. Inevitably, the USSR (and its eastern European satellites) and China get most attention, but there are absorbing bits on Cuba, Asia and Africa.

I have no political or ideological axes to grind and I found Mr. Brown to be a fascinating guide, always clear, often funny. Like all good historians he provides detailed, illuminating references so that you can follow up anything that strikes your fancy.

A good book if a little dry and technical at times.
The Rise and Fall of Communism by Archie Brown is a good book dealing with the rise of Communism from its origins in the works of Marx and Engels, through its rapid growth post 1945 to the present day when it is not as prevelent a form of government as it once was. It is well-written with interesting analysis of questions such as why different systems of Communism emerged in different countries? or why some Communist states have survived while others became democracies? However, at times it can be a bit technical and get bogged down which upsets the generally good pace the book has. Nevertheless, it is a useful general book on communism and I have no doubt would be useful as a good starting point for more specific reading. In conclusion, it is a good book which provides a useful analysis of the history of communism as an idea and then a system of government.