List Price: $21.99 Details

Save: $6.69 (30%)

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime & FREE Returns

FREE delivery Friday, April 22 if you spend $25 on items shipped by Amazon

Or fastest delivery Wednesday, April 20. Order within 22 hrs 24 mins

In Stock.

As an alternative, the Kindle eBook is available now and can be read on any device with the free Kindle app. Want to listen? Try Audible.

[{"displayPrice":"$15.30","priceAmount":15.30,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"15","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"30","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"kS7kQ5cIq6mPD4YZtalWzI4Qi%2BrlRaPB8DhW%2FZbVvNvUy7qKJ2Jfi39fqDRjAdrseXBDZzeZYDZRimj1Zo7bKaekWEzEM85f7fNh%2FVRJoEJ5FOAENL1u4cU%2BvOsrWqcWpA4ViKm3KmY%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW"},{"displayPrice":"$10.33","priceAmount":10.33,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"10","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"33","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"VOeLkzleZPxgekpKSxlrvTZ3ENJ9rcTbD9q1exyjs8LiMVHy%2BHkRciTvpHcyWDYOBB7kHqUsjISf7%2FtcGI8xmAhXIKPGcRyeS6RFLLI3Ws03arZFaKtmEFMsjlSy5uPcfQVCWAvm1HB4HHSELQsfSdVU8VlgYq2RpT87%2Bg5mTDyho4h7yCnMJQ%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED"}]

$$15.30 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Secure transaction

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Details

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Return policy: Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery Friday, April 22 if you spend $25 on items shipped by Amazon

Or fastest delivery Wednesday, April 20. Order within 22 hrs 24 mins

Used: Acceptable | Details

Sold by Karton Enterprises

Fulfilled by Amazon

Share <Embed>

Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Other Sellers on Amazon

Added

Not added

$8.65
+ $5.12 shipping

Sold by: M-B-M

Added

Not added

$20.43
& FREE Shipping

Sold by: bargainbookstores-

Added

Not added

$21.57
& FREE Shipping

Sold by: Publisher Direct

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 3 images

Follow the Author

Kevin Williamson

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Socialism (The Politically Incorrect Guides) Paperback – January 10, 2011

by Kevin D Williamson (Author)

304 ratings

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$14.99

—

Audible Audiobook, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Paperback

"Please retry"

$15.30

$8.65

$4.99

MP3 CD, Audiobook, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$18.60

—

Enhance your purchase

Stalin’s gulag, impoverished North Korea, collapsing Cuba...it’s hard to name a dogma that has failed as spectacularly as socialism. And yet leaders around the world continue to subject millions of people to this dysfunctional, violence-prone ideology.

In The Politically Incorrect Guide™ to Socialism, Kevin Williamson reveals the fatal flaw of socialism—that efficient, complex economies simply can’t be centrally planned. But even in America, that hasn’t stopped politicians and bureaucrats from planning, to various extents, the most vital sectors of our economy: public education, energy, and the most arrogant central–planning effort of them all, Obama’s healthcare plan.

In this provocative book, Williamson unfolds the grim history of socialism, showing how the ideology has spawned crushing poverty, devastating famines, and horrific wars. Lumbering from one crisis to the next, leaving a trail of economic devastation and environmental catastrophe, socialism has wreaked more havoc, caused more deaths, and impoverished more people than any other ideology in history—especially when you include the victims of fascism, which Williamson notes is simply a variant of socialism.

Williamson further demonstrates:

Why, contrary to popular belief, socialism in theory is no better than socialism in practice
Why socialism can’t exist without capitalism
How the energy powerhouse of Venezuela, under socialism, has become an economic basket case subject to rationing and blackouts
How socialism, not British colonialism, plunged the bountiful economy of India into stagnation and dysfunction—and how capitalism is rescuing it
Why socialism is inextricably linked to communism

If you thought socialism went into the dustbin of history with the collapse of the Soviet Union, think again. Socialism is alive and kicking, and it’s already spread further than you know.

Print length

304 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Regnery Publishing
Publication date

January 10, 2011
Dimensions

7.3 x 0.6 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

1596986492
ISBN-13

978-1596986497
See all details

Frequently bought together

Thomas E. Woods Jr.
892
Paperback
129 offers from $1.90
Paul Kengor
173
Paperback
43 offers from $11.86
Ph.D. Robert P. Murphy
156
Paperback
80 offers from $4.00
H. W. Crocker III
474
Paperback
88 offers from $4.25
Kevin R. C. Gutzman
290
Paperback
101 offers from $1.45
Brion McClanahan
208
Paperback
80 offers from $1.94

Editorial Reviews

Review

[This book will] ". . . sound the alarm to alert all patriots and arm them with the facts they need to fight the good fight."

\\bit.ly/fXILVJ --Prudence Paine, prudencepaine.com

"Eviscerating. Williamson outlines the fine hashes socialism and Communism have made in the countries in which they have been imposed." --National Review

"Required reading." --Mark Levin Show

From the Inside Flap

What's the central characteristic of socialism? That's easy--it's failure.

From North Korea to the American public education system, from Venezuelan oil companies to ObamaCare, the reports of socialism's demise have been greatly exaggerated. Although the Soviet Union collapsed in ignominy, the central planning impulse that guided it endures in countless industries and government policies throughout the world. As Kevin Williamson explains in this myth-busting book, socialism never works because it can't work. It assumes the authorities have all-knowing planning abilities that human beings don't possess--and can't possess. This central flaw has resulted in crushing poverty, devastating famine, and even mass murder. And yet the socialist "dream" is spreading--including here in America.

From the Back Cover

Praise for
The Politically Incorrect Guide to Socialism
This really should be required reading for those who think that socialism is a relic of a half forgotten past. Contrary to popular belief, the socialist impulse is alive and well. It s been said that socialism would only work in Heaven where it s not needed and in Hell where they ve already got it. With the cool detachment of an exorcist, Kevin Williamson methodically demolishes the allegedly angelic good intentions behind socialism to reveal the demonic consequences of its implementation.
Jonah Goldberg, editor at large of National Review Online and author of Liberal Fascism
Socialism isn t dead it s just in disguise. From Lenin and Hugo Chavez to state run industries and U. S. healthcare, Kevin Williamson puts his finger on what makes government planners dreams of running our lives not only ineffective, but dangerous: they don t know half as much as they think they do. Exploring the socialists philosophy in their own words, Williamson shows why the problem with socialism isn t just that it hurts the economy, but that it undermines all the institutions that allow a free society to function and that is why it can t co exist with liberty.
Mark Levin, nationally syndicated talk radio host and author of Liberty and Tyranny
In The Politically Incorrect Guide to Socialism, Kevin Williamson cuts through the confusion about socialism, providing long overdue clarity and precision. In the process he exposes the insidious nature of the ideology, including its various American forms, and he drives a stake through the heart of today s apologetics for this menace. The book is scholarly, informative, and absolutely fascinating.
David Limbaugh, author of Crimes Against Liberty
Kevin Williamson takes a look at socialism in all its forms, and he uncovers some facts that might make even would be socialists wince: socialism isn t just bad for business, but bad for the poor, bad for the environment, and bad for your health. If you want to understand the deeper ideological forces at work in our politics today, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Socialism is a good place to start.
Larry Kudlow, host of CNBC s the Kudlow Report
"

About the Author

Kevin Daniel Williamson (born September 18, 1972) is an American conservative commentator. He is the theater critic for The New Criterion and the author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Socialism (2011, Regnery), The End Is Near and It's Going to Be Awesome (2013, HarperCollins/Broadside Books), The Dependency Agenda (2013, Encounter Books), and The Case against Trump (2015, Encounter Books), and has contributed chapters to The New Leviathan: The State Vs. the Individual in the 21st Century (2013, Encounter Books) and Future Tense: The Lessons of Culture in an Age of Upheaval (2013, Encounter Books). Williamson previously worked at the Mumbai-based Indian Express Group, the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Journal Register Newspapers, and the Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University, where he directed the journalism and communication programs, and as an adjunct professor at The King's College. Williamson was the editor of The Bulletin , a former daily newspaper in Philadelphia.

Start reading The Politically Incorrect Guide to Socialism on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Regnery Publishing; 1st edition (January 10, 2011)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1596986492
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1596986497
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.16 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.3 x 0.6 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #442,561 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #630 in American Civil War Biographies (Books)
- #877 in Communism & Socialism (Books)
- #1,248 in Political Conservatism & Liberalism

Customer Reviews:
304 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		82%
4 star		10%
3 star		4%
2 star		1%
1 star		3%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

An excellent compendium

Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2019

Verified Purchase

This book is a mix of good arguments plus insights and historical data. Communism equals to Socialism is the main definition that stayed with me as long as I read. The book also contains several examples on current issues in order to let you know how the transformation capacity of this ideology is making up the world in his own image.

Highly recommended for all those interested in knowing why socialism is the most dangerous enemy of the free society.

19 people found this helpful

Helpful

J. Stewart

Get this information

Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2018

Verified Purchase

Please get this book. It is critical for the USA because people out of ignorance think socialism is ok. It is not. This book demonstrates that socialism is impossible.

19 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Fan

... those who believe that this one-step-removed-from-communism is such a good thing for societies

Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2018

Verified Purchase

I purchased this to self-educate myself about socialism in my attempt to understand the thinking of those who believe that this one-step-removed-from-communism is such a good thing for societies. This from a person who has lived within a capitalist society all his life and who has observed the suppressive affect of a socialist environment upon an individual's ambition for advancement in all things.

10 people found this helpful

Helpful

M. A. Chapman

This book could save the country

Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2018

Verified Purchase

An alarmingly high percentage of "millennials" say they would prefer to live under Socialism than Capitalism. If this book became required reading (which will never happen, but just saying) this nation could be kept from making the same mistakes that so many countries have made.

15 people found this helpful

Helpful

J Ellory

Easy to read

Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2017

Verified Purchase

If you want to be able to refute your leftist friends with facts, this is the book. Easy to read, well written, explains what happened to Venezuela.

24 people found this helpful

Helpful

Eric Oppen

An eloquent denunciation of a pernicious philosophy

Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2020

Verified Purchase

Socialism seems to be harder to kill than a cockroach. No matter how often it is discredited, it comes back, again and again, like Freddy Kruger. Its advocates howl "But real socialism has never been tried." Uh, yes, it has. In all sorts of iterations, from the hardest of the hard-core (North Korea, Mao's China, Hoxha's Albania) to the softest (contemporary Sweden). But it always comes a cropper, because it's based on false premises and the writings of a delusional old madman who was seething with rage that he was expected to earn a living instead of being supported just because he was just that awesome.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

river rat 222

Socialism: a good way to impoverish and enslave a society

Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2020

Verified Purchase

A society that does not know history and does not heed the warnings of history, is doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past and suffer the consequences that history teaches us will occur. Read and learn! Where socialism is embraced we find painful lessons that are illustrative for us today. The author also gives explanations, and examples as to why socialism is a recipe for failure.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Very Good for the casual reader

Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2014

Verified Purchase

It is a surprisingly fun read actually. Both informative and well written, it addresses the common myths and wishful thinking of those who like socialism... or at least the idea of it. Socialism is what it is in the real world, not on paper. The author goes into why the ideals go astray... and why they HAVE TO go astray in implementing socialism.

Socialism in Russia is different from socialism in Sweden but when socialism is compared across cultures commonalities appear. He addresses the issue of sorting out what is local or cultural vs. what is tied to socialism itself regardless of the culture that socialism is applied in.

This is our second copy; the first one went astray. : )

I can also recommend:
The Rational Optimist: how prosperity evolves by Matt Ridley
Development as Freedom by Amartya Sen
Reinventing the Bazarr by John McMillan
Liberalism by Von Mises could be a good addition as well (Liberalism in the original sense of the term- it's not what you think.)
Human Action: The Scholar's Edition by Ludwig von Mises

If you start with Politically Incorrect and go down that list you will get a fair start on better understanding socialism, capitalism and free markets, appropriate/inappropriate regulation/intervention by government, and economic growth in both the developed part of the world and the third world, and a bit more besides.

Development as Freedom looks (in part) at freedom of action, and Human Action on the study of the actions people take. That's so simplified as to be misleading... you could say H.A. looks at economic choices as part of a wider framework. Development as Freedom also looks at economics in a broader framework; he examines the freedoms that help foster economic development and enable people to live the kind of lives they have reason to value - with economic growth providing some of the means to their ends.

Friedrich Hayek used the term catallaxy to describe "the order brought about by the mutual adjustment of many individual economies in a market." --You may want to look at some of his work as well.

If you are ready for something heavier, Prices and Production by Freidrich Hayek and The Theory of Money and Credit by Ludwig Von Mises are good choices. I found Von Mises rather hard to read in some sections, but well worth the effort.

13 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English

Rogerio

Beautiful

Reviewed in Brazil on November 29, 2020

Verified Purchase

Magnificent description of the perils of central planning. Without price discovery, how can there be an efficient and prosperous economy?

Amazon Customer

Goes through in great detail the complete idiocy of Socialism

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 20, 2013

Verified Purchase

Obviously this is a series written from a Libertarian perspective. It really is a good read on what an evil Socialism is, how it always ends up with state oppression of the people and what complete lies Socialists get into to try to justify their actions and mistakes- often reversing previous positions and trying to justify the completely unjustifiable (slavery, death camps, etc, etc).

6 people found this helpful

marcelo monteiro

Tudo que você precisa saber sobre socialismo

Reviewed in Brazil on August 27, 2014

Verified Purchase

Excelente análise do socialismo como sistema econômico fadado ao fracasso. Trata dos diferentes tipos de socialismo e do que todos têm em comum. Já existe tradução para o Português.

3 people found this helpful

Translate review to English

H. Urz

Power to the People??

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 19, 2012

Verified Purchase

An interesting read on an alternative look at the idealism that has dogged practical socialism for decades. The intelligent and open minded among us will early in chapter one soon appreciate this is a conservative-slanted critique from the right of the political spectrum. But take away some of the more sweeping premises and ignore the author's step onto the occasional personal soapbox, and what remains is a thought-provoking perspective on socialism and the often violent, devisive and damaging political creeds that both grew up to follow and oppose it, and how that battle has affected all our lives.

Interesting too how any criticism of socialism's so dearly held ideals have inevitably brought out the internet warriors of the left with their carefully prepared one-star reviews !!!

If only for the negative reviews alone, a recommendation in itself to read the book.

10 people found this helpful

See all reviews