Reds: A Global History of Communism
Mason is not writing a critique of communism from the right...But, aside from asserting that historically 'it was anarcho-syndicalism and left social democracy, not Bolshevism, that expressed working-class consciousness in its most authentic form,' he is vague about what a transformative project would entail ... While this book should provoke discussion, some of Mason’s potential audience may also be inured to his opinions ... He writes well, despite occasional anachronisms and lapses into journalese, and his very readable narrative raises important questions ... He might have added that the hypocrisy of governments arresting pensioners for protesting against genocide, while facilitating that very genocide, makes some question as to whether any moral difference exists between liberal democracy and its supposed enemies.
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Reds is a serious reminder of the horror that results when ideas that seem 'fair' and 'just' are violently mobilized.
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Surprising and provocative...this book is so well-timed. And so valuable.
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