Product Description
by Mark Sandle (Author)
Why did communism grow so quickly? Why did it spread to turn almost half of the world red by the mid-1970s? What impact did it have upon capitalism and capitalist society?
Communism is a concise introduction to one of the most important and influential movements of the 20th century. It shows how the modern communist movement emerged out of radical millenarian movements of the Middle Ages and the English Civil War, becoming a mass movement of industrial society, seeking to overturn capitalism and replace it with a society of equality, justice, harmony and co-operation. It traces the growth of modern communism from its beginnings in the early nineteenth century to its position of global power at the end of the Second World War.
Mark Sandle investigates the ultimate failure of communism as a political ideology, and concludes by asking how far the historical record of communism has been used to conceal the historical record of capitalism.
Ideal for courses in both History and Politics.
Back Jacket
"Communism" is a concise introduction to one of the most important and influential movements of the 20th century.It explores the history of communism: how it emerged, why it rose to become one of the most influential political movements of the twentieth century and the reasons for its decline and fall.
In this new volume in the Seminar Studies series, Professor Mark Sandle shows how the modern conception of communism emerged out of radical millenarian movements in the Middle Ages and the English Civil War, becoming a mass movement of industrial society that sought to overturn capitalism and replace it with a society founded on equality, justice, harmony and co-operation. He goes on to trace the growth of modern communism from its beginnings in the early nineteenth century to the peak of its global power at the end of the Second World War.
This comprehensive new history investigates:
- how communism operated in practice
- the reasons for the ultimate failure of communism both as political ideology and as political movement.
- how far the failings of communism has been used to conceal the failings of capitalism.
This book covers communism across time and across continents and contains a selection of key documents, maps and images. It is ideal for courses in both history and politics, and for anyone wishing to learn more about a movement which is central to our understanding of the 20th century world.
Mark Sandle is Professor of History at the King's University College, in Edmonton, Alberta. He previously worked in the UK. He has published and written widely on Russian and Soviet history including "Gorbachev" (2008) and "A Short History of Soviet Socialism (1999)."
Author Biography
Mark Sandle is a principal lecturer in Russian and Soviet History at De Montfort University. He recently won an award as a DMU Distinguished Teacher (for which he was nominated by his students). He is fascinated by ideas and their impact and loves looking at the broad sweep of history and finding patterns to help people make sense of the past. His previous publications include A Short History of Soviet Socialism (1999) and Brezhnev Reconsidered (2002).
