Popular communism books meet your next favorite book. Henceforth, the term communism was applied to the ideology of the parties founded under the aegis of the comintern. It certainly contains much truth and many facts that are often not in the college or high school textbooks. Astonishing in the sheer detail it amasses, the book is the first comprehensive attempt to catalogue and analyze the crimes of communism over seventy years. The black book of communism crimes, terror, repression stephane courtois nicolas werth jeanlouis panne andrzej paczkowski karel bartosek jeanlouis margolin harvard university press cambridge, massachusetts london, england 1999 translated by jonathan murphy and mark. My favourite book abaut jews, communism and freemasons. Instead, they painstakingly explore the many ways the killing was. By stephane courtois, nicolas werth, jeanlouis panne, andrzej paczkowski, karel bartosek, and jeanlouis margolin trans. Aug 24, 2017 the black book of communism alleges that communism killed 94 million people during the 20th century. Peasants often resisted communism more fervently than any group. He quotes lord acton as saying that a people averse to the institution. Stephane courtois, et al, the black book of communism, crimes, terror, repression.
Cambridge, ma, harvard university press, third printing 2000, french original 1997, pp. The book was originally published in 1997 in france under. After learning about canadas ridiculous monument to the victims of communism and finding out that theres a similar monument in my own city, i looked at the claims made by the reactionaries funding the projects. Not exaggerated, not even a particularly nasty day.
In political and social sciences, communism from latin communis, common, universal is a philosophical, social, political, and economic ideology and movement whose ultimate goal is the establishment of a communist society, which is a socioeconomic order structured upon the ideas of common ownership of the means of production and the absence of social classes, money, and the state. This number is accumulated from more than 10 different nations and various movements around the. Crimes, terror, repression by stephane courtois and five other writers, translated from the french 1999, 850 pages. Some of the atrocities of the reds are documented, although there is undue emphasis on communist victims of the relentless communist purges. The best books on the fall of communism five books. This is an assembly of extensive articles published in france two years ago and now. Most sensible adults are aware of communism s human toll in the ussr and elsewhere the forced starvations in the ukraine, the great purge of the 1930s, the gulag, the insanity of chinas great cultural revolution, pol pots murder of one of seven cambodians etc. The black book of communism was originally published in france on november 8, 1997, the eightieth anniversary of the russian revolution. Zoo station, silesian station, stettin station, potsdam station, lehrter station, and masaryk station and the nonfiction work, sealing their fate. Yet austere though this inventory is, its cumulative impact is overwhelming. Revolutions, like trees, must be judged by their fruit, ignazio silone wrote, and this is the standard the authors apply to the communist experience in the china of the great helmsman, kim il. The black book of communism crimes, terror, repression stephane courtois nicolas werth jeanlouis panne andrzej paczkowski karel bartosek jeanlouis margolin harvard university press cambridge, massachusetts london, england 1999 translated by jonathan murphy and mark kramer. In late 1997 a leading french publishing house, robert laffont, published le livre noir du communisme the black book of communism, an 850page book of scholarly essays that collectively provide a history of communism in the 20th century.
Rather, the body of the book is composed of a series of independent works from. Already famous throughout europe, this international bestseller plumbs recently opened archives in the former soviet bloc to reveal the actual, practical accomplishments of communism around the world. The black book of communism, written by stephane courtois has been called into question on multiple different grounds. South african communist party sacp south african history online. So many people in our country are ignorant of these things and they need to be informed so we dont buy into the propaganda and repeat the. Common types of primary sources include works of literature, historical documents, original philosophical writings, and religious texts. This international bestseller plumbs archives in the former soviet bloc to reveal the actual, practical accomplishments of communism around. This book is a must read and discusses many scholarly issues regarding the nature of totalitarianism, communism and fascism. Some critics have objected to the books depiction of communism and nazism as being similar, others have criticized the approach the book takes to assigning blame of deaths, and still others, most notably j. But the authors of the black book of communism do what none of the other authors had done before. The black book of communism gives a balance sheet of our present knowledge of communisms human costs, archivally based where possible, and otherwise drawing on the best secondary works, and with due allowance for the difficulties of quantification. The black book of communism, crimes, terror, repression. It was a critical book an entirely objective account of a victim in a labour camp.
The first printing sold out in a matter of weeks, and the. Revolutions, like trees, must be judged by their fruit, ignazio silone wrote, and this is the standard the authors apply to the communist experience in the china of the great helmsman, kim il sungs korea, vietnam under uncle ho and cuba under castro, ethiopia under mengistu, angola under neto, and afghanistan under najibullah. The black book of communism is part of wikiproject cambodia, a project to improve all cambodiarelated articles. Full text of the black book of communism see other formats. Crimes, terror, repression is a 1997 book by stephane courtois, nicolas werth, andrzej paczkowski and several other. Some critics have objected to the book s depiction of communism and nazism as being similar, others have criticized the approach the book takes to assigning blame of deaths, and still others, most notably j. What are books which explains communism the best besides. Maos great leap forward needed only two years to destroy tens of millions of peasants.
Le livre noir du capitalisme the black book of capitalism is a 1998 french book published in reaction to the black book of communism. Astonishing in the sheer detail it amasses, the book is the first comprehensive attempt to catalogue and analyze the. Manifesto of the communist party marxists internet archive. Black book of communism by barnetti, micky and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at.
The fraudulent death tolls contained in the book are the single most quoted anticommunist source in the world. It is a measure of the success of the class struggle that the reactionary intelligentsia felt compelled to write an 854 page book touching on the death toll of communism. Crimes, terror, repression is a book written by several european academics and edited by stephane courtois, and documents a history of repressions, both political and civilian, by communist states, including genocides, extrajudicial executions, deportations, and artificial famines. Yes lets do that as ive quite a lot to say about old solzh. Communism dominated the world scene throughout the twentieth century, yet as martin malia in the book s foreword the uses of atrocity notes, the research. Buy the black book of communism crimes, terror, repression. A weak point of the book is that a leftist bias remains. In its many enthroned variations, from lenins 1917 revolution to the recent marxistleninist regimes of africa, communism has killed upwards of 100 million people 65 million in china alone. It is a major study that deepens our understanding of communism and poses a philosophical and political challenge that cannot be ignored. Why doesnt the black book of communism include the almost. This book is one of the first attempts to study communism with a focus on its criminal dimensions, in both the central regions of communist rule and the farthest reaches of the globe.
Sep 05, 2017 this book is a must read and discusses many scholarly issues regarding the nature of totalitarianism, communism and fascism. Crimes, terror, repression jeanlouis panne, andrzej paczkowski, karel bartosek, jeanlouis margolin, nicolas werth, stephane courtois, mark kramer, jonathan murphy, mark kramer. What americans must know about socialism the heritage. The contributors to the book include some of the finest scholars from both east and west, who have drawn extensively on. The black book of communism begins to show us that totalitarianism is totalitarianism, whether we call it fascist, communist or some other name. Quoting survivors, escapees, and what little information had been published in the soviet press, the black book of communism. The black book of communism, the seminal harvard university press work, which specialized in trying to get accurate data on the enormous volume of deaths produced by communist tyrants, states that. Incredibly, the crimes of communism have yet to receive a fair and just assessment from both historical and moral viewpoints.
Be the first to ask a question about the black book of communism. The best books on communism five books expert recommendations. But is also presents many facts and historical events regarding communism. An extraordinary accounting, this book amply documents the unparalleled position and significance of communism in the hierarchy of violence that is the history of the twentieth century. Please consult the journals reference style for the exact appearance of these elements, abbreviation of journal names, and use of punctuation. Crimes, terror, repression is a 1997 book by stephane courtois, nicolas werth, andrzej paczkowski and several other european academics documenting a history of political repressions by communist states, including genocides, extrajudicial executions, deportations, killing populations in labor camps and artificially created famines. The first edition of the manifesto was a 23page pamphlet in a dark green cover. Overall, somehow or another, the black book of communism has managed to raise the debate one notch. List of books and articles about communism in america. The black book of communism the barbaric gentleman. Black book puts to rest the odious fiction that has softened communisms image for so long. Pastor steve waldron, new life of albany albany, ga.
The communist manifesto talk vaguely and very little if at all about communism which is a stateless, moneyless, marketless, anarchist society that operates economically on the principle from each according to ability, to each according to hi. Unlike the latter work, le livre noir du capitalismes primary goal is not to try to attribute a number of victims to the political system in question. Jan 01, 2001 black book puts to rest the odious fiction that has softened communisms image for so long. The black book of communism, while some of its claims have been disputed is nevertheless the source of material for any anticommunist, and should be mandatory reading for anybody to the right of karl marx. Some of the atrocities of the reds are documented, although there is undue emphasis on communist victims of the relentless.
The black book of communism, the seminal harvard university press work, which specialized in trying to get accurate data on the enormous volume. Full text of the black book of communism internet archive. These steps are designed to implement the trance formation of the american mind, from freedom to the acceptance to live in bondage. A primary source is a work that is being studied, or that provides firsthand or direct evidence on a topic. By seeking to put a number on the premature deaths caused by communist. Lets move on to your first book, solzhenitsyns one day in the life of ivan denisovich. The best books on the fall of communism recommended by nick thorpe. The black book of communism stephane courtois, nicolas. The black book of communism, which is finally appearing in english, is an extraordinary and almost unspeakably chilling book. Why doesnt the black book of communism include the almost 6. Seventeen hours a day we had to sit like that and hear from the morning to the evening. Five recommendations from the bbcs central europe correspondent, who witnessed the collapse of yugoslavia, popular uprisings in bulgaria and serbia, and the transformation of nonviolent to violent resistance in.
He is the author of six books in the john russell espionage series, set in wwii berlin. The black book of communism, one of the largest most blatant distortions of history. Probably the most important historical study published since the collapse of the soviet union in 1991 allowed access to kremlin archives for the first time, the black book sparked passionate national debate when it was first published in france in 1997 and. The first printing sold out in a matter of weeks, and the book became the center of political and academic debates in france and across europe. In 1800, there wasnt what i would call a ukrainian or still less a belarusian nation.
The collected conservative writings of david horowitz duration. The wikiproject is also a part of the counteracting systematic bias group on wikipedia, aiming to provide a wider and more detailed coverage on countries and areas of the encyclopedia which are notably less developed than the rest. Nevetheless, the book, published in paris in 1927, was one of the first to describe the soviet unions earliest political prisons, located on the solovetsky islands in the white sea. The black book of communism crimes, terror, repression. Their program called for the uniting of all the workers of the world for the coming world revolution, which would be followed by the establishment of a dictatorship of the proletariat and state socialism. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. The black book of communism alleges that communism killed 94 million people during the 20th century. Crimes, terror, repression by jeanlouis panna and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Revolutions, like trees, must be judged by their fruit, ignazio silone wrote, and this is the standard the authors apply to the communist experiencein the china of the great helmsman. What are the best books on communism and capitalism. Extremely welldocumented, formed by a collection of essays by distinguished scholars some are members of the left, some former communists, this book exposes the reality of communism, not the lies spread by academia, the media and their acolytes on the left. Courtois and his colleagues do not simply unfold the numbers relentlessly and numbingly.
Crimes, terror, repression is a book authored by several european academics and edited by stephane courtois, 1 which documents a history of repressions, both political and civilian, by communist states, including genocides, extrajudicial executions, deportations, and artificial famines. Communism is good, communism is good, communism is good, communism is good, until you heard one who was already 20 years in prison under the communists shouting, communism is good, communism is good, communism is good, i give my life for communism. The authors are prisoners of history in the sense that a residue of their gullibility remains and distorts the book. This is the reality of socialism a pseudoreligion grounded in. The book not only bashes socialism and makes it out to be worse than fascism, it outright tries to portray fascism as a good thing. In this book, anne applebaum goes into the area between the old russian empire, germany and the old turkish empire, and sees how it has developed. Totalitarianisms central feature is a state that desires total control and assumes the right to impose that control at any cost. Animal farm by george orwell, the communist manifesto by karl marx, one day in the life of ivan denisovich by aleksandr solzh. Poland in 1980 with the formation of solidarity, chinas tiananmen square in 1989, and. The formation of the cpsa in 1921 was a turning point in the development of labour politics in south africa. Lets talk about anne applebaums book, between east and west. Crimes, terror, repression harvard university press, cambridge 1999, pp.
663 1380 555 532 558 765 923 793 1431 942 1026 390 695 1086 735 741 1477 273 868 1238 890 737 255 1245 1164 1215 425 137 158 112 1257 839 813 982 1243 171 158 1271 940 555 1084 575 1335 218