To Overthrow the World

'The pen portraits of Lenin, Stalin and Brezhnev are sharp and succinct, and the narrative surges across the bloodied sands of Soviet history. . . The book's chapters on China are the best.' -- <b><i>Literary Review</b></i> 'The best short history of communism I know.' -- <b><I>The New Criterion</I></b> ‘A wide-ranging examination of how the concept of communism was a key driver of the conflicts of the 20th century—and remains a significant force.’ -- <b><i>Kirkus Reviews</b></i> 'An entertaining and readable summary [...] an impressive achievement.'  -- <b><I>The Washington Free Beacon</I></b> 'This vivid history contains valuable insights, including that of Bakunin, the Russian anarchist, who immediately pointed out the crippling contradiction of Marxism—that it merely substitutes one power-hungry form of government for another. McMeekin follows this sceptical thread, detailing economic weakness and political madness of Communist regimes.' -- <b>Geoffrey Wawro, author of <i>The Vietnam War: A Military History</b></i> 'No other book to my knowledge has demonstrated so damningly the endemic falsity of the ideology’s doctrines, together with the appalling consequences of the social experiment in a worldwide setting.' -- <b>Nikolai Tolstoy, historian</b> 'An essential read. Sean McMeekin is one of the few historians who understands the history of communism from the ground up. He has written a powerful and urgent book, revealing communism in all its ugly detail, and showing how its pernicious influence still lingers on into the twenty-first century.' -- <b>Nick Lloyd, author of <i>The Western Front</i></b> ‘With amazing scholarship, Sean McMeekin tells the story of the rise and fall of Communism. McMeekin punctures one myth after another. Many people today are too young to remember the Cold War, and it is vital that they learn the facts about Communism found in To Overthrow the World.’ -- <b>David Gordon, Senior Fellow, Ludwig von Mises Institute</b>