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.Towards a Global History of Communism ; PART I: IDEOLOGY ; 1. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels on Communism ; 2. Lenin and Bolshevism ; 3. Stalin and Stalinism ; 4. Mao and Maoism ; PART 2: GLOBAL MOMENTS ; 5. 1919 ; 6. 1936 ; 7. 1956 ; 8. 1968 ; 9. 1989 ; PART 3: GLOBAL COMMUNISM ; 10. The Comintern ; 11. Communism in Eastern, Central, and South-Eastern Europe ; 12. Communism in China ; 13. Communism in Southeast Asia ; 14. Communism in Latin America ; 15. Communism in the Islamic World ; 16. Communism in Africa ; PART 4: COMMUNIST POLITIES AND ECONOMIES ; 17. Political and Economic Relations between Communist States ; 18. Communism and the Peace Movement ; 19. Rituals of Power ; 20. Communism and Political Terror ; 21. Popular Opinion under Communist Regimes ; 22. Communism and Economic Modernization ; 23. Collectivization and Famine ; 24. Consumption in Communist Societies ; PART 5: COMMUNISM AND SOCIAL RELATIONS ; 25. The Life of a Communist Militant ; 26. Rural Lives in Communist Societies ; 27. Industrial Work in Communist Societies ; 28. Women in Communist Societies ; 29. Privilege and Inequality in Communist Societies ; 30. Nation-Building and National Conflict in Communist Societies ; PART 6: COMMUNISM AND CULTURE ; 31. Socialist Cultural Production ; 32. Communism and the Artistic Intelligentsia ; 33. Communism and Popular Culture ; 34. Communism and Religion ; 35. Communism and Sport