Customer Reviews

Communism: A History (Modern Library Chronicles)

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I first read this fantastic little book back in 2003 and it never left my side throughout 4 years of university. That's my way of putting a disclaimer in that my review may be a little biased.

Over 161 pages Pipes charts the rise and fall of Communism from the very first intellectual musings by Plato and Aristole all the way through to John Locke and of course Karl Marx and Lennin. Pipes argues coherently and articulately coming to the conclusion that Communism failed not because of timing, or location, or implementation, but because the ideology of communism is fundamentally flawed. It wouldn't have mattered one jot if the time, place or manner of implementation changed (as the Neo-Marxist argue) because the ideology was so fundamentally anti-human that it would never have worked.

If you are interested in finding out how such a fundamentally flawed ideology could control the actions and reactions of the hundreds of millions of people and dictate the formation of the geo-political situation for 73 odd years then read this book - you won't regret it and it is quite simply a page turner that I found impossible to put down.

Communism was an amazing development in world history. A system of ideas took control of intellectuals and revolutionaries across the world, but in unindustrialized nations communism was able to achieve power and wrecked horrible suffering on those unlucky enough to be born within its grasp.

Richard Pipes does an excellent service by providing the reader with a concise history of Communism. Call it a 'Cliff Notes' if you will, yet it is brief and easy to follow.

Pipes spilts his book into three sections. The first details the history of communism from Marx to its rise and domination in Russie. The second is the reaction to communism and its influence on intellectual life in other industrialized nations. Finally Pipes explores communisms influence in the third world with an excellent examination of China and how Mao's style of communism contrasted with the USSR (which was caught between hoping to encourage communism abroad but unwilling to see communists abroad who achieved power drift from control by Moscow...result tension and hostility between Russia, China etc.).

While Communism has died, it is important that we remember its errors for two reasons. The first is so we do not repeat them, obviously. The second is so that we know where the modern world came from as we start our way into a new century.

In a succint 160 pages, Richard Pipes aptly lays down a history of Communism which is meant to serve both as an introduction to and an obituary for this "utopia" envisioned by Karl Marx and others.

The telling quotes and the refreshingly logical progression (from its starting point in the books of philosophers to the bloody ocean of victims it left behind) make this book arguably one of the best ever written on this grim subject. Although I cannot speak for everyone, the skill that Pipes displays while grounding his conclusions in the facts as well as his ability to pick the quotes that best exemplify each leader, make this the best that I personally have ever read on Communism--and thus my rating of five stars.

To be frank, if Communism does survive after this, the book will only prove its point--that Communism, in theory as well as in practice, has a reckless disregard for both the facts of reality and for human life.

A few reviewers of this book are horrified that Richard Pipes straightforwardly blames communism for the oceans of blood spilled by Soviet, Chinese, Cuban, Cambodian, and other noted communists tyrants. One reviewer even suggests that American capitalism has produced horrors of comparable magnitude. Hmmm.... What might these depredations of capitalism be? While capitalism has not and will not produce heaven on earth - no system ever will - the negative effects of capitalism that agitate its detractors are hardly comparable to the wholesale slaughtering of human freedom and human life achieved by every single communist regime.

Pipes argues eloquently and without a hint of hysteria that communism by its nature breeds tyranny. It is not the only breeder of tyranny, of course, but it is certainly the gold medallist of tyrannical forces.

Pipes' humanity, his skill with words, and his deep knowledge of history make this little book a true gem.

Overall a fantastic book, but one caveat.

Like a reviewer below, I was disappointed by Pipes's gloss on Chile and the Nixon's administration's role in installing the dictator Pinochet.

The story of the millions slaughtered and generations crushed by brutal, kitsch-coated regimes in thrall to a psuedo-science (Marxism, Leninism) deserves a book that is completely honest. By not conceding (or even acknowledging the ambiguities while arguing for a new take on)this seemingly clearcut excess of the United States's anti-Communist struggle in Latin America -- which, alas, resulted in a fourteen year dictatorship complete with torture and killings -- Pipes does himself and his readers a great disservice.

At a time when old hacks like Noam Chomsky are still pushing their tawdry goods to gullible college students it's important to answer with the clear truth: that no moral equivalency can be made between the evils of communism and the West. That said, Pipes can and should be totally honest. Yes, the U.S. did some things that might now seem dubious and, truth be told, ugly and mistaken in Latin America, but this was at the height of the Cold War and can in no way be compared to the horrors of communist societies.

Such a concession would have given greater credence to the rest of the book. What's more it would have been true.

Instead Pipes gets to Central and South America and sort of fudges the events of 1974 in a very brief, not entirely honest, cursory passage. He should have given his audience more credit.

This is an excellent overview of horrific and still relevant history. Far superior to Martin Amis's recent tome on Stalin for one. It's a shame the author briefly flinched and, for reasons unknown, didn't trust the full and absolute truth of the past ravaged century to be a damning enough.

It's too bad readers like ... continue the sad myth that communism only failed because it occurred on unpromising Russian soil. Funny how communism always seems to be occuring in the wrong place at the wrong time. Why did Cuba fail? Apparently, Cuba was also not fertile soil for this wonderful ideology. Why did communism in China fail? Presumably ... believes this too was not the right place or time. Of course, one needn't read too much Lenin to realize that he wasn't a thug who appropriated communism for his ruthless purposes. As Pipes shows, Lenin passionately believed in communism's tenets and wrote many analytic texts of this ideology. Every instrument of terror employed by Stalin was created by Lenin, an avid and thoughtful follower of Marx. To dismiss these people as inauthentic communists is revisionism at its worst.

The converse of ... ridiculous review of this book is equally illuminating. Whereas communism never seems to find the right venue in which to flower, free-market capitalism never seems to fail, from the United States to a rock called Hong Kong. Capitalism is not anarchism, but countries that establish a firm rule of law and incentives for individuals to produce within that legal framework invariably excel. It's funny how people who defend capitalism always defend it as it actually exists, whereas those who defend communism or socialism always defend only the ideal. That speaks volumes. As if there is any basis for evaluating an ideology other than how it actually performs. I could easily defend the ideal of capitalism - all businesses would be perfectly run, no unemployment, etc.. It's a nice trick if you can away with it. I am very glad Pipes wrote this wonderful book so people remember not only that communism failed more miserably than its worst critics could have forseen, but exactly why it did so.

This is the first book in the Modern Library Chronicles series I have read, and I finished it quite impressed. If others are half as well done, then I'm in for a real treat when I grab the next one. Of course, Richard Pipes' reputation precedes him, and he certainly adds much to this slim and excellent volume. His prose is crystal clear. His argument is both well presented and extremely well documented. This book, though short, is full of facts, all pointing to Pipes' predominant argument--that Communism, both a pseudoscience and pseudoreligion, is a flawed and contradictory system.

Pipes treats Communism as three "types": ideal, program, and regime. The ideal, that of full social equality, stretches back to Plato and was carried on, to varying degrees, by figures such as Thomas More, John Locke, and Helvetius. In the 1800s, Marx and Engels proposed their program--abolishing private property. And with Lenin and the Soviet Union, Communism as a regime comes into being. It is this third type that occupies most of the book.

Pipes explains the rise of Communism in Russia--why, for example, it took place there despite its not being industrialized. He then traces its institutionalization under Lenin and then Stalin, the terror it perpetuated, the lives it took. (And he makes the sometimes forgotten point that the Communist Party had MUCH to do with the rise to power of the Nazis in Germany.) His attentions then turn to attempts at Communism elsewhere--China and the Third World. Pipes' approach is somewhat centered on the Soviet Union, but this is fair, given that the USSR looms the largest in the story of Communism and given its role in attempting to promote revolution abroad. The system, Pipes argues, is bound to fail because the equality it seeks to create requires an enforcement apparatus that destroys equality, and because, in times of conflict (which Communism requires), ethnic and territorial loyalties dominate those of class. It is, moreover, too rigid, unable to correct itself, inflexible.

I would have liked to have read a bit more about the philosophical development of Marxism and Communism, particularly in connection with liberation theologies in the Third World. But this hardly detracts from the book, which is meant only as a summary and introduction, to whet the appetite for further reading. And at this, it is quite excellent.

Pipes does a nice job of encapsulating what is rapidly becoming ancient history. Having made several visits to Russia and Chile in the past ten years, this book helped explain for me some of the history and mystery of both countries. Students should read this brief (160 pages) volume. You will better understand the marvels of capitalism by understanding the absurdity of communism.

Communism is based on the abolition of private property and all the Marxist theory, "science" and predictions have seriously missed the mark, misfired, or, sadly, made life miserable for millions of people. While Lenin wanted to control the "commanding heights", Daniel Yegin's recent book and PBS series of the same name shows that free markets and "liberal" democracy have triumphed repeatedly over the past century. Private property is not the cause of poverty. It may be the cure for poverty. People, by nature, want to acquire and own things and people, just like corporate capitalists, want to make a profit (earn more than they spend). Communism turns this simple notion on its head, and several tens of millions of deaths later, this sad phase of history is disappearing.

Yes, capitalism is imperfect. But what works better, communism or capitalism? Just ask the people who have lived under both political systems and the answer is obvious.

To quote Pipes: "Communism was not a good idea that went wrong; it was a bad idea."

I had to chuckle at the reviewer below (8/19,not a communist from Boston) because it's the classic apology for the horrors of communism that this book examines. I used to hear this argument repeated often by my 'comrades' when I was a lefty in the early 80's: The communism that has existed in the world is not 'real' communism, and if only everyone would follow what Marx 'REALLY' said, all would be perfect. Besides, if communist governments committed atrocities, it's only because mean old monopoly capitalism forced them to. The poor, noble Bolsheviks were fighting a civil war, the west had sent troops to the Far East, Stalin was a monster, but what can you expect, with the west trying to overthrow him? And if only Trotsky had been in control, we would have had a veritable heaven on earth, blah, blah, blah. I've heard it all before. What is so horrible about communism/socialism is that so many leftist intellectuals made, and still make, apologies for it (it's so much more comfortable to criticism Hitler and fascism, isn't it?). It's amazing that communism has had and continues to have so many true believers. It's a kind of 'fundamentalism,' if you will. The leftists I used to run with wanted it both ways: they proclaimed that the USSR was a travesty of Marx's and Trotsky's theories. And yet, when they saw something they liked about the USSR (i.e, 'free' medical care), they were quick to call it 'real, existing solialism.' Open your own eyes, o 'teen developing own econom system' (no firing squads in your system, okay?) Books like this are a 'must read' lest we ever forget the horrors committed in the name of 'the workers' state.'

This is an excellent book for all those people who know little about communism and think they should know more about it, but don't want to plow through a long historical work for a ideology that you might think is no longer relevant.

The book is written by Harvard Professor Richard Pipes, who is the father of the now well-known scholar on Islam, Daniel Pipes. This well written texts introduces you with only 160 pages in both the communist theory as the practical outcomes that became part of history. It is fully understandable that this well written work, got the Best of Amazon 2001 award, it is well deserved.

The book starts with the communist theory and it's root in very old philosophical ideas that go as far back as Plato. After that it explains the situation in Russia and how the revolution developed. You read about the time under Lenin, Stalin, Khrushchev and the collapse of the communist system. Then Pipes describes the history of communism in the West and the third world. He covers all the interesting countries, China, Cambodia, Turkey, Chili, etc. To conclude in the last chapter with an analysis of why communism collapsed, the role of ideology and the price paid by its participants.

As you can see in some of the negative reviews of this book, the communist ideology still has it's defenders and hence it is fair to expect that the communist ideology and the ideas that are the foundation of it, still have an influence on people. You can better be familiar with this history and these ideas, if you want to understand the current events.