The Balkan Wars 1912-13; The War Correspondence of Leon Trotsky [Paperback]

Leon Trotsky (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 524 pages
• Publisher: New York, Monad Press; Australia, Pathfinder (1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0913460680
• ISBN-13: 978-0913460689
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,184,145 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Trotsky's brilliant war correspondence, April 27, 2005

By 

David Salner (Frederick, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The War Correspondence of Leon Trotsky: The Balkan Wars 1912-13 (Paperback)

Trotsky saw in the Balkan Wars a portent of the Europe-wide war, which we know today as World War I. He risked cholera, malaria, and other ills, to file these articles, which expose the social breakdown in these small impoverished nations. He blasts the imperialist powers for using the conflict for their own purposes, for example when the Russian-French-British camp covered up massacres of Turkish Muslims. Anyone interested in the roots of anti-Semitism should read the article included here on the Jewish question in Romania. This book is a classic of Marxist reporting and a very good source of background information to anyone wanting to understand the current unraveling of the Balkans.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 2000, and still the same, June 22, 2000

By 

"cgroiss" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Balkan Wars 1912-13; The War Correspondence of Leon Trotsky (Paperback)

What's most frightening about this book is that ever so often I had the impression that I was reading about the present-day situation on the Balkan. Yes, the old dynasties were swept away in the aftermath of WWI, so the names have changed, but the peoples on the Balkan peninsula are still the playthings of international capital and its henchmen in the parliaments. Unfortunately most modern reporters either hardly know how to formulate a correct phrase or have no clue about the social and economic background of the situation they write about. L.D. Trotsky, on the other hand, combined a keen eye for the complex intersection of economy, politics and religion with an expressive style. Not to forget his vitriolic humour. (And yes, I loved his snide remark about Austrian tardiness - verrry true!;-)) Despite the intricacy of the issues, these reports are easily readable.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An indispensable reference on the background of Balkan fight, September 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Balkan Wars 1912-13; The War Correspondence of Leon Trotsky (Paperback)

Trotsky's war correspondence from the Balkan Wars that just preceded World War I is more than a fascinating collection of journalism by a dramatic and passionate figure in modern history. It is also an indispensable backgrounder for the fighting going on in the region today. Much of Trotsky's reportage, e.g. on Serbian attempts to reduce the Albanian population of Kosova by mass murder, will echo very loudly. To his credit, Trotsky sided whole-heartedly with the Albanian victims, in a way that shames the modern defenders of media neutrality and global passivity in the face of ethnic terrorism. The beginning of all wisdom on the modern Balkan wars.