The black book of communism stephane courtois, nicolas. Courtois and his colleagues do not simply unfold the numbers relentlessly and numbingly. The black book of communism, one of the largest most blatant distortions of history. But defenders of property and human liberty should always remain vigilant against totalitarian leftism, which is why weve selected the top 5. Quoting survivors, escapees, and what little information had been published in the soviet press, the black book of communism. 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. Us govt and media whitewash nazi holocaust citing debunked. The black book is a groundbreaking effort by a group of french scholars to document the human costs of communism in the 20th century. 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. Published by harvard university press, 1999 originally published in france, 1997. 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. Peasants often resisted communism more fervently than any group. The black book of communism crimes, terror, repression.
This book is a must read and discusses many scholarly issues regarding the nature of totalitarianism, communism and fascism. The contributors to the book include some of the finest scholars from both east and west, who have drawn extensively on. Communism is often criticized for its inability to create a sustainable economic system where people have incentive to perform efficiently and act ethically in their work. 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.
The stated function of the harvard project on cold war studies hpwcs is to further the progress of, and actively encourage the ongoing primary research of archival, cold war documents in the former easternbloc nations. This international bestseller plumbs archives in the former soviet bloc to reveal the actual, practical accomplishments of communism around. One of the few books that offers answers to such questions is the black book of communism. Some of the atrocities of the reds are documented, although there is undue emphasis on communist victims of the relentless. The dismantling of soviet communism, 198889 503 26. The authors did such a bad job they were forced to admit it and print a retraction. Astonishing in the sheer detail it amasses, the book is the first comprehensive attempt to catalogue and analyze the. The perils of communism has to be told and constantly told as modern. The black book of communism is a collection of rightwing essays published in france in 1997, and subsequently translated into english and published by harvard university press in 1999. Crimes, terror, repression, first published in 1996 in france and translated into an english edition in 1999 by harvard university press, offers an approximate account of the dead under communist regimes. Animal farm by george orwell, the communist manifesto by karl marx, one day in the life of ivan denisovich by aleksandr solzh. The book was originally published in 1997 in france under. Maos great leap forward needed only two years to destroy tens of millions of peasants. Communism and nazism are slightly different totalitarian systems.
In noncommunist societies, private property is often a necessary. In its many enthroned variations, from lenins 1917 revolution to the recent marxistleninist regimes of africa, communism has killed upwards of 100 million people 65 million in china alone. The black book of communism, crimes, terror, repression. The black book of communism was originally published in france on november 8, 1997, the eightieth anniversary of the russian revolution. Secret world of american communism yale university press. Thiessen sourced his downplaying of nazi crimes and hyping of those of communism from the black book of communism. The collected conservative writings of david horowitz duration. Cambridge, ma, harvard university press, third printing 2000, french original 1997, pp. An extraordinary accounting, this book amply documents the unparalleled position and significance of communism in the hierarchy of violence that is the history of the twentieth century. This is an assembly of extensive articles published in france two years ago and now. Communism, it seems, is on its last legs in todays 21st century world. The black book of communism by stephane courtois kirkus. The contributors to the book include some of the finest scholars from both east and west, who have drawn extensively on new archival findings. This book french, so it is actually controversial where it was written takes on the last century of communism, asserting that because the primary tenets of communism are based upon a mythically nice version of human nature, communism can only be imposed by force.
The first fact that students should learn is the number of deaths under communism. Popular communism books meet your next favorite book. Communist regimes have killed approximately 100 million people in contrast to the approximately 25 million victims of nazis. Gorbachev, perestroika, and the attempt to reform communism, 198587 481 25. Crimes, terror, repression by jeanlouis panne author, andrzej paczkowski author, karel bartosek author, jeanlouis margolin author, nicolas werth author. Communism dominated the world scene throughout the twentieth century, yet as martin malia in the books foreword the uses of atrocity notes, the research of the consequences of the marxistleninist phenomenon has hardly begun. Revolutions, like trees, must be judged by their fruit, ignazio silone wrote, and this is the standard the authors apply to. 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. The black book of communism, which is finally appearing in english, is an extraordinary and almost unspeakably chilling book. These documents have only become available since the collapse of the soviet union in 1991, and rapidly increase in numbers year by year.
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. 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. 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 authors are prisoners of history in the sense that a residue of their gullibility remains and distorts the book. The black book of communism, written by stephane courtois has been called into question on multiple different grounds. Now it has reached the shores of the english speaking nations in translation through the. For the cumulative toll of victims of communist rule, estimated by the authors at between 85 and 100.
Buy the black book of communism crimes, terror, repression. Nazi germanys methods of mass extermination were adopted from soviet methods. Fridrikh igorevich firsov is former head of the comintern archive at the russian center for the preservation and study of. Crimes, terror, repression first published in 1997 in france under the title. John earl haynes is a specialist in twentiethcentury american history at the library of congress. That is, having proposed a system based on the right to the full product of labour he reexamined. 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. The black book of communism harvard university press. Karl marx and fredrick engels the communist manifesto to the finland station edmund wilson rise and fall of communism archie brown the state and revolution vadimir lenin comrades robert service the accumulation of capital rosa luxembou. They said the changes would be made in the next edition.
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. An 800page compendium of the crimes of communist regimes worldwide, recorded and analyzed in ghastly detail by a team of scholars. Revolutions, like trees, must be judged by their fruit, ignazio silone wrote, and this is the standard the authors apply to the communist experiencein. Why we should revisit the black book of communism now. Some critics have objected to the books depiction of communism and nazism as being similar, others have criticized the approach the book takes to assigning blame of deaths, and still others, most notably j.
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. But is also presents many facts and historical events regarding communism. Instead, they painstakingly explore the many ways the killing was. What are the best books on communism and capitalism.
The black book came out in france in 1997 and has provoked a storm of controversy since then. Full text of the black book of communism see other formats. Harvey klehr, the samuel candler dobbs professor of politics at emory university, is also the author of the heyday of american communism. Incredibly, the crimes of communism have yet to receive a fair and just assessment from both historical and moral viewpoints. Crimes, terror, repression by stephane courtois and five other writers, translated from the french 1999, 850 pages. Its publication caused a sensation in france when it was first released in 1997, but americans were not able to see for themselves what the furor was all about until october 1999, when harvard university press. Crimes, terror, repression harvard university press, cambridge 1999, pp. The fraudulent death tolls contained in the book are the single most quoted anticommunist source in the world. The abolishment of private property is often cited as a major cause for laziness and corruption. Most sensible adults are aware of communisms human toll in the ussr and elsewhere the forced starvations in the ukraine, the great purge of the 1930s, the gulag, the insanity of chinas great cultural revolution, pol pots murder of one of seven cambodians etc. It is a major study that deepens our understanding of communism and poses a philosophical and political challenge that cannot be ignored. A weak point of the book is that a leftist bias remains.
The biggest lies ever concerning communism are debunked. This book is one of the first attempts to study communism with a focus on its criminal dimensions, in both the central regions of communist rule and the farthest reaches of the globe. Crimes, terror, repression is a 1997 book by stephane. Not the least remarkable thing about this book is that this is the first time such a study has been made. 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. Some of its contributors have admitted that the book s figures are fabricated or exaggerated. Black book puts to rest the odious fiction that has softened communisms image for so long.
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