The Oxford Handbook of the History of Communism
The impact of Communism on the twentieth century was massive, equal to that of the two world wars. Until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, historians knew relatively little about the secretive world of communist states and parties. Since then, the opening of state, party, and diplomatic archives of the former Eastern Bloc has released a flood of new documentation. The thirty-five essays in this Handbook, written by an international team of scholars, draw on this new material to offer a global history of communism in the twentieth century.

In contrast to many histories that concentrate on the Soviet Union, The Oxford Handbook of the History of Communism is genuinely global in its coverage, paying particular attention to the Chinese Revolution. It is 'global', too, in the sense that the essays seek to integrate history 'from above' and 'from below', to trace the complex mediations between state and society, and to explore the social and cultural as well as the political and economic realities that shaped the lives of citizens fated to live under communist rule. The essays reflect on the similarities and differences between communist states in order to situate them in their socio-political and cultural contexts and to capture their changing nature over time. Where appropriate, they also reflect on how the fortunes of international communism were shaped by the wider economic, political, and cultural forces of the capitalist world. The Handbook provides an informative introduction for those new to the field and a comprehensive overview of the current state of scholarship for those seeking to deepen their understanding.
1116045104
The Oxford Handbook of the History of Communism
The impact of Communism on the twentieth century was massive, equal to that of the two world wars. Until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, historians knew relatively little about the secretive world of communist states and parties. Since then, the opening of state, party, and diplomatic archives of the former Eastern Bloc has released a flood of new documentation. The thirty-five essays in this Handbook, written by an international team of scholars, draw on this new material to offer a global history of communism in the twentieth century.

In contrast to many histories that concentrate on the Soviet Union, The Oxford Handbook of the History of Communism is genuinely global in its coverage, paying particular attention to the Chinese Revolution. It is 'global', too, in the sense that the essays seek to integrate history 'from above' and 'from below', to trace the complex mediations between state and society, and to explore the social and cultural as well as the political and economic realities that shaped the lives of citizens fated to live under communist rule. The essays reflect on the similarities and differences between communist states in order to situate them in their socio-political and cultural contexts and to capture their changing nature over time. Where appropriate, they also reflect on how the fortunes of international communism were shaped by the wider economic, political, and cultural forces of the capitalist world. The Handbook provides an informative introduction for those new to the field and a comprehensive overview of the current state of scholarship for those seeking to deepen their understanding.
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The Oxford Handbook of the History of Communism

The Oxford Handbook of the History of Communism

The Oxford Handbook of the History of Communism

The Oxford Handbook of the History of Communism

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Overview

The impact of Communism on the twentieth century was massive, equal to that of the two world wars. Until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, historians knew relatively little about the secretive world of communist states and parties. Since then, the opening of state, party, and diplomatic archives of the former Eastern Bloc has released a flood of new documentation. The thirty-five essays in this Handbook, written by an international team of scholars, draw on this new material to offer a global history of communism in the twentieth century.

In contrast to many histories that concentrate on the Soviet Union, The Oxford Handbook of the History of Communism is genuinely global in its coverage, paying particular attention to the Chinese Revolution. It is 'global', too, in the sense that the essays seek to integrate history 'from above' and 'from below', to trace the complex mediations between state and society, and to explore the social and cultural as well as the political and economic realities that shaped the lives of citizens fated to live under communist rule. The essays reflect on the similarities and differences between communist states in order to situate them in their socio-political and cultural contexts and to capture their changing nature over time. Where appropriate, they also reflect on how the fortunes of international communism were shaped by the wider economic, political, and cultural forces of the capitalist world. The Handbook provides an informative introduction for those new to the field and a comprehensive overview of the current state of scholarship for those seeking to deepen their understanding.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780198779414
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication date: 04/02/2017
Series: Oxford Handbooks
Edition description: Reprint
Pages: 672
Sales rank: 727,134
Product dimensions: 6.60(w) x 9.50(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

S. A. Smith is at University of Essex. He was a graduate student at Moscow State University and Peking University in the late 1970s and early 1980s and taught for many years at the University of Essex. More recently, he was professor of comparative history at the European University Institute, Florence. He has written extensively on the Russian and Chinese Revolutions, and is currently writing a book which compares the efforts of the Soviet and Chinese Communist regimes to eliminate 'superstition' from daily life, in areas such as popular religion, calendrical and life-cycle rituals, agriculture, and folk medicine, and which explores how sections of the populace engaged the regimes through 'politics of the supernatural'.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Towards a Global History of Communism, S. A. SmithPART I: IDEOLOGY1. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels on Communism, Paresh Chattopadhyay2. Lenin and Bolshevism, Lars T. Lih3. Stalin and Stalinism, Kevin McDermott4. Mao and Maoism, Timothy CheekPART 2: GLOBAL MOMENTS5. 1919, Jean-Francois Fayet6. 1936, Tim Rees7. 1956, Sergei Radchenko8. 1968, Maud Anne Bracke9. 1989, Matthias MiddellPART 3: GLOBAL COMMUNISM10. The Comintern, Alexander Vatlin and S. A. Smith11. Communism in Eastern Europe, Pavel Kolar12. Communism in China, Yang Kuisong and S. A. Smith13. Communism in Southeast Asia, Anna Belogurova14. Communism in Latin America, Mike Gonzalez15. Communism in the Islamic World, Anne Alexander16. Communism in Africa, Allison DrewPART 4: COMMUNIST POLITIES AND ECONOMIES17. Political and Economic Relations between Communist States, Balazs Szalontai18. Averting Armageddon: The Communist Peace Movement, 1948-1956, Geoff Roberts19. The Cult of Personality and Symbolic Politics, Daniel Leese20. Communist Revolution and Political Terror, Julia C. Strauss21. Popular Opinion under Communist Regimes, Sheila Fitzpatrick22. Communism and Economic Modernization, Mark Harrison23. Collectivization and Famine, Felix Wemheuer24. The Politics of Plenty: Consumerism in Communist Societies, Paul BettsPART 5: COMMUNISM AND SOCIAL RELATIONS25. The Life of a Communist Militant, Marco Albeltaro26. Rural Life, Jeremy Brown27. Workers under Communism: Romance and Reality, Tuong Vu28. Communism and Women, Donna Harsch29. Privilege and Inequality in Communist Society, Donald Filtzer30. Nation-Making and National Conflict under Communism, Adrienne Lynn EdgarPART 6: COMMUNISM AND CULTURE31. Cultural Revolution, Richard King32. Communism and the Artistic Intelligentsia, Mark Gamsa33. Popular Culture, Dean Vuletic34. Religion under Communism, Richard Madsen35. Sport under Communism, Robert Edelman, Anke Hilbrenner, and Susan Brownell
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