Lethal Politics: Soviet Genocide and Mass Murder Since 1917 [Paperback]

R. J. Rummel (Author)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

R. J. Rummel is professor emeritus of political science at the University of Hawaii. He is the author of over one hundred scholarly articles and two doen books, including Power Kills, China’s Bloody Century, and The Miracle That Is Freedom.  In addition, he has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prie and been the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Conflict Processes Section of the American Political Science Association and the International Association of Genocide Scholars’ Award for Distinguished Lifetime Contribution to the Field of Genocide and Democide Studies and Prevention.

Product Details

• Paperback: 268 pages
• Publisher: Transaction Publishers; New edition edition (January 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560008873
• ISBN-13: 978-1560008873
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,334,437 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

R.J. Rummel is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science. He has published twenty-four nonfiction books (one that received an award for being among the most referenced), six novels, and about 100 peer-reviewed professional articles; has received the Susan Strange Award of the International Studies Association in 1999 for having intellectually most challenged the field; and in 2003 was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Conflict Processes Section, American Political Science Association. He has been frequently nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

See also "about R.J. Rummel www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/PERSONAL.HTM, or his curriculum vita at www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/LONGVITA.HTM. His website is at www.hawaii.edu/powerkills, his daily blog is at http://democraticpeace.wordpress.com/

Many of his books are downloadable free in pdf at: www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/NH.HTM

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding study of Soviet crimes against humanity, May 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Lethal Politics: Soviet Genocide and Mass Murder Since 1917 (Paperback)

If you only want to read one book on the Soviet regime, this is it. It shows that every Soviet dictator - from Lenin to Gorbachev - committed terrible atrocities against entire populations, including large-scale massacres, man-made terror-famines, and the destruction of millions in concentration camps. After discussing the historical record, the author collects and analyses thousands of estimates of the Soviet death toll, which he calculates at nearly 62 million. This book should be compulsory reading for anyone who cares about human rights.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Soviet Genocide, January 30, 2001

By 

Anti-communist (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lethal Politics: Soviet Genocide and Mass Murder Since 1917 (Paperback)

This is the best book ever written about the Soviet Union - in fact, it is one of the very few which are even honest. The author, a political scientist at the University of Hawaii, demonstrates that the Soviet Union committed terrible crimes against humanity, including huge massacres, forced famines and slave labour. The atrocities began with the October Revolution in 1917 and continued with Stalin's genocides against national, religious & socio-economic groups, the mass purges in Eastern Europe and the silent deaths of millions in the Gulag during the '50s, '60s, & '70s. The book concludes with the genocidal invasion of Afghanistan.