The Communist Experiment: Revolution, Socialism, and Global Conflict in the Twentieth Century

by Strayer, Robert

• ISBN13: 9780072497441
• ISBN10: 0072497440
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-01-09
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education

Summary

Strayer's The Communist Experiment is part of a McGraw Hill's World History Series, designed to introduce readers to particular issues that have been significant on a global scale. This book offers an accessible, comparative, and thematically complete treatment of the "communist experiment," based on the idea that communism represents a unique lens through which to view the history of the 20th century on a global scale. Because communism relates to many other events and forces of the world at that time-world war, fascism, the rise the United States, decolonization, feminism, the rise of the Third World, revolution, and more-it provides an excellent frame for understanding those developments and their effects throughout the world.

Table of Contents

A Note from the Series Editors

Communism in Context Communism as a Global Phenomenon Communism in World History Conclusion: Communism and the Twentieth Century

Revolution and the Birth of Communism Why Revolution?

The Collapse of Old Regimes: Russia

The Collapse of Old Regimes: China Nine Months: The Bolsheviks and the Russian Revolution

Thirty-eight Years: The Making of the Chinese Revolution Conclusion: Unexpectedness and Conjuncture

Building Socialism Alone: Stalinism and the Soviet Experiment

The First Socialist Society

Stalinist Socialism

The Search for Enemies: A Soviet Holocaust

World War II and Beyond: Stalin's Final Years Conclusion: Explaining Stalinism

Mao's Path: Building Socialism in China Starting Points: Comparing China and the Soviet Union

First Steps Toward Socialism: Following the Soviet

Model Toward Socialism: Finding a Chinese Path Conclusion

Socialism and the Search for Enemies: Comparing the Soviet Union and China

Communism in the Global Arena

Standing Alone: The Soviet Union and the World, 1917-1945 Europe Divided

The Origins of the Cold War, 1945-1950

Communist Breakthroughs in Asia, 1949-1954

The Global Expansion of the Cold War, 1955-1985

The Cold War and the Nuclear Arms Race Dissension in the Communist World Conclusion: The Communist World in the 1970s

The End of the Communist Era

The Collapse of Communism in the Soviet Union

The Abandonment of Communism in China

The Fate of Two Communisms

The World and the End of the Communist

Era Conclusion: The Communist World in a New Century: Shrunken and Diluted

Epilogue: Communism and Reflections on History

Understanding and Forgetting Intentions, Outcomes, and Surprises Making

History Ambiguous Judgments Suggestions for

Further Reading

Notes Credits

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.