The black book of communism, an 800page collection of essays about the human toll exacted by communist regimes in the twentieth century, reaches a much simpler conclusion. Popular communism books meet your next favorite book. The black book of communism alleges that communism killed 94 million people during the 20th century. This is an 800page history of the terror, repression and killings of communism stretching from the bolshevik revolution to the present.
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, 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. 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. Others besides solzhenitsyn have witnessed the effects of communism such as john noble. 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. The black book of communism, which is finally appearing in english, is an extraordinary and almost unspeakably chilling book. Communism might be wonderful, if you happen to be the tyrant in charge. The soviet model emphasized political murder of its opponents and citizens though it was willing to simply exploit them as economic assets in labor camps. Why doesnt the black book of communism include the almost. 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.
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. Astonishing in the sheer detail it amasses, the book is the first comprehensive attempt to catalogue and analyze the crimes of communism. 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. John omicinski, the scottsdale tribune i cant think of any book that would be more important for americans to read. The black book is an elegantly simple and valuable record of a time many would like to forgetbut will have to deal with. 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. Crimes, terror, repression jeanlouis panne, andrzej paczkowski, karel bartosek, jeanlouis margolin, nicolas werth, stephane courtois, mark kramer, jonathan murphy, mark kramer on. Why doesnt the black book of communism include the almost 6 million nazis killed by communism. Peasants often resisted communism more fervently than any group. Bursting into history from the most unlikely corner of europe amid the trauma of world war 1. Why doesnt the black book of communism include the almost 6.
It certainly contains much truth and many facts that are often not in the college or high school textbooks. Jun 01, 2001 stephane courtois, et al, the black book of communism, crimes, terror, repression. The fraudulent death tolls contained in the book are the single most quoted anticommunist source in the world. The black book of communism was originally published in france on november 8, 1997, the eightieth anniversary of the russian revolution. The first printing sold out in a matter of weeks, and the. Stephane courtois, et al, the black book of communism, crimes, terror, repression. It is a major study that deepens our understanding of communism and poses a philosophical and political challenge that cannot be ignored. And the work about totalitarian imprisonment systems, the gulag archipelago by solzhenitsyn 3 vol. 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.
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. Astonishing in the sheer detail it amasses, the book is the first comprehensive attempt to catalogue and analyze the crimes of communism over. 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. The black book of communism first published in 1997, the black book of communism, crimes, terror, repression, is a catalogue of unspeakable horror unequaled in the history of the world. Because there is still more to be understood and researched on the matter. Why isnt the black book of communism on the curriculum of every school in europe. In that period, the africanamerican population was still concentrated in the south, where it was largely disenfranchised, excluded from the political system. The authors, all distinguished scholars based in europe. He resigned from the communist party in 1956 and had famously said it was the most intelligent thing i have ever done. This international bestseller plumbs archives in the former soviet bloc to reveal the actual, practical accomplishments of communism around. The black book is a groundbreaking effort by a group of french scholars to document the human costs of communism in the 20th century.
Totalitarianisms central feature is a state that desires total control and assumes the right to impose that control at any cost. Lets move on to your first book, solzhenitsyns one day in the life of ivan denisovich. Communism dominated the world scene throughout the twentieth century, yet as martin malia in the books foreword the uses of atrocity notes, the research. 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.
Jan 01, 2001 black book puts to rest the odious fiction that has softened communisms image for so long. The biggest lies ever concerning communism are debunked. Crimes, terror, repression by stephane courtois isbn. The black book of communism by stephane courtois kirkus. 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. The best books on communism recommended by robert conquest. This would include, the already mentioned black book of communism. 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.
Full text of the black book of communism internet archive. An 800page compendium of the crimes of communist regimes worldwide, recorded and analyzed in ghastly detail by a team of scholars. Oct 05, 20 why isnt the black book of communism on the curriculum of every school in europe. Aug 24, 2017 the black book of communism alleges that communism killed 94 million people during the 20th century. Communism has been the great story of the twentieth century. A weak point of the book is that a leftist bias remains. 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 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.
Esteemed historian of the soviet union recommends five books on communism, from novels and personal narratives to theoretical works. Yet austere though this inventory is, its cumulative impact is overwhelming. Crimes, terror, repression harvard university press, cambridge 1999, pp. The communist party usa, ideologically committed to foster a socialist revolution in the united states, played a significant role in defending the civil rights of african americans during its most influential years of the 1930s and 1940s. This book is a must read and discusses many scholarly issues regarding the nature of totalitarianism, communism and fascism. Animal farm by george orwell, the communist manifesto by karl marx, one day in the life of ivan denisovich by aleksandr solzh. The book draws two general distinctions between the communism of asia and the soviet union and its satellites. If you are going to read only one book this year, make it the black book of communism. The black book of communism harvard university press.
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. A unique attempt by french historiansas important in its way as the works of solzhenitsynto chronicle the crimes of communism wherever it has attained power in the world. What are the best books to read about communist history. The communist party had attracted most of its members from european immigrants and the various foreign language federations formerly associated with the socialist party of america. My favourite book abaut jews, communism and freemasons. 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 book was originally published in 1997 in france under the title le livre noir du. The best books on communism five books expert recommendations. The black book of communism, one of the largest most blatant distortions of history. Buy the black book of communism crimes, terror, repression. Quoting survivors, escapees, and what little information had been published in the soviet press, the black book of communism.
Black book of communism by barnetti, micky and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. This number is accumulated from more than 10 different nations and various movements around the. In 1800, there wasnt what i would call a ukrainian or still less a belarusian nation. 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. Sep 05, 2017 this book is a must read and discusses many scholarly issues regarding the nature of totalitarianism, communism and fascism. Maos great leap forward needed only two years to destroy tens of millions of peasants. But the authors of the black book of communism do what none of the other authors had done before. The contributors to the book include some of the finest scholars from both east and west, who have drawn extensively on new archival findings. The black book of communism stephane courtois, nicolas. The crimes of communism stephane courtois life cannot withstand death, but memory is gaining in its struggle against nothingness.
While the john birch society has long exposed the international communist dynamic as a criminal and political conspiracy, the black book of communism does a great job of documenting that communist conspiracys overall crimes against mankind from their own records in the former soviet union. Black book puts to rest the odious fiction that has softened communisms image for so long. Some of the atrocities of the reds are documented, although there is undue emphasis on communist victims of the relentless communist purges. Why we should revisit the black book of communism now. By seeking to put a number on the premature deaths caused by communist. 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. But is also presents many facts and historical events regarding communism. 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. For the cumulative toll of victims of communist rule, estimated by the authors at between 85 and 100 million. The black book of communism crimes, terror, repression. Communist party usa and african americans wikipedia. Stephane courtois, nicolas werth, jeanlouis panne, andrzej paczkowski, karel. 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. The authors did such a bad job they were forced to admit it and print a retraction.
Crimes, terror, repression jeanlouis panne, andrzej paczkowski, karel bartosek, jeanlouis margolin, nicolas werth. Overall, somehow or another, the black book of communism has managed to raise the debate one notch. Aug 10, 2011 the biggest lies ever concerning communism are debunked. The black book of communism begins to show us that totalitarianism is totalitarianism, whether we call it fascist, communist or some other name. Cambridge, ma, harvard university press, third printing 2000, french original 1997, pp. Lets talk about anne applebaums book, between east and west. The collected conservative writings of david horowitz duration. Not the least remarkable thing about this book is that this is the first time such a study has been made. The black book of communism, crimes, terror, repression. At more than 850 pages of carefully sifted evidence by a group of toplevel scholars from a variety of countries.
Crimes, terror, repression is a 1997 book by stephane courtois, nicolas werth, andrzej paczkowski and several other. 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. By stephane courtois, nicolas werth, jeanlouis panne. The black book of communism hardcover crimes, terror, repression. They said the changes would be made in the next edition. When the communist party usa was founded in the united states, it had almost no black members. Its publication caused a sensation in france when it was first.
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