Almost two decades have passed since the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and the USSR. Robert Service, one of our finest historians of modern Russia, sets out to examine the history of communism throughout the world. His uncomfortable conclusion - and an important message for the twenty-first century - is that although communism in its original form is now dead or dying, the poverty and injustice that enabled its rise are still dangerously alive. Unsettling, compellingly written and brilliantly argued, this is a superb work of history and one that demands to be read.

'Bears all the hallmarks of a classic work of historical literature ... the true international legacy of communism [is] analysed to magisterial effect in this exhilarating work' Hwyel Williams New Statesman

'One of the best-ever studies of the subject ... a remarkable accomplishment' Economist

'An outstanding book, written with grace and style' Daily Telegraph

'[A] brilliantly distilled world history of communism ... Confronted by Service's amazing array of evidence to show that communism could only ever have flourished under conditions of extreme and all-pervasive oppression, only the determinedly softheaded would try to argue with him' Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday

About the Author
Robert Service is the author of the highly acclaimed Lenin: A Biography, A History of Twentieth-Century Russia, Russia: Experiment with a People and Stalin: A Biography, as well as many other books on Russia's past and present. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and of St Antony's College, Oxford. He is married with four children.

Awards
Winner of Independent Publisher Book Awards: History Silver Award 2008.



Book Information
ISBN 9780330439688
Author Robert Service
Format Paperback
Page Count 624
Imprint Pan Books
Publisher Pan Macmillan
Weight(grams) 492g
Dimensions(mm) 197mm * 130mm * 40mm