Communism, especially of the Marxist-Leninist-Stalinist variety, is still in the news today. More accurately: American political conservatives and reactionaries like to cast aspersions on their more liberal opponents by suggesting they are all dyed in the red Marxist-Leninist-Stalinist Communists. And there are some leftists who are proving more open to that prospect.

Sean McMeekin presents a history of Marxist-Leninist-Stalinist Communism in To Overthrow the World: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Communism (affiliate link; galley received as part of early review program).

The author began with antecedents to Marx in the days of the French Revolution and immediately afterward. Much is then made of Marx, especially the contrast between his own middle-class bourgeoisie lifestyle intentionally and consciously divorced from the plight of the urban working class of mid-19th century Europe and the Hegelian philosophical prognostications Marx would set forth in all of his writings. The history of the first and second International were then presented. The rest of the history will in some way or another gravitate around the Russian Revolution and the establishment of the USSR: Lenin, then Stalin, attempts at spreading Communism overseas, the Second World War, the Eastern Bloc, the rise of the Chinese Communist Party, North Korea, Vietnam, and Cuba, and the disaster of the Khmer Rouge. The author ends with the divergent paths of Eastern Europe and China: the collapse of Communism in the USSR and the Eastern Bloc and its entrenchment in China in the wake of Tienanmen Square.

In terms of the philosophy of Marxism/Communism, the work is strongest until it reaches the Russian Revolution; afterward it tends to record more historical events than much of anything about the philosophy. While the work does generally decently at considering the Marxism behind Lenin and Stalin and the development of the USSR, the work would be stronger by considering how much of Russian ideology was co-opted in the Leninist/Stalinist regime.

This work of historical exploration is by no means objective; the author’s hostility toward all things Communist remains quite palpable throughout. This is by no means a sympathetic consideration of Communism and its legacy.

Nevertheless, the work does well at demonstrating the inherent problems with Marx and Marxist-Leninist-Stalinist Communism which end up getting papered over in most forms of discourse. It’s important to see how disconnected Marx really was from the proletariat, and how nihilistic his desire for revolution and for wanton destruction would prove to be. It’s important to remember how poorly Marxist-Leninist-Stalinist Communism has played out in practice, leading to untold millions of deaths in the Eastern Bloc, USSR, China, Cambodia, North Korea, etc., and how much many of these regimes required Western support in getting propped up to survive.

It would be good for many political conservatives and reactionaries to consider this work and to see the rather large distance there is between the kinds of policies and purposes laid out by most in the Democratic Party and Marxist-Leninist-Stalinist Communist revolutionary dogma and ideology. Likewise, it is good for political liberals to consider how no matter how well Marx’s critiques of capitalism might land, his whole Hegelian dialectical framework and lust for revolution were terribly misguided and should not at all be commended or emulated.

It is lamentable how impoverished our socio-political discourse has become if the only two options are full-throated Marxism or Gordon Gekko-style capitalism. Can our political and economic philosophical discourse not move well beyond the middle of the nineteenth century?

As someone who teaches world history classes, this was a great book for my own reference. Definitely too detailed and long for an average student, but for my own background it was very helpful.

A great realistic view on how Marxism gave rise to communism and how communism affected world affairs. The criticism in here is great and something to reflect upon. Normally books that examines Marx, Marxism and Communism tend to either be overly critical that the author's opinion comes across and it is demotivating or it is overly optimistic, neglecting its history. I feel this book is a great realistic balance and I truly appreciate this type of approach.

"To Overthrow the World" is by far the very best book that I have read in months! It is well written and well researched, plus it is very informative and a joy to read. Buy it! Read it! And put it aside to read a second time. I enthusiastically recommend Sean McMeekin latest book!

A well-orchestrated, detailed recount of the history and the evolution of communist ideology.

This is quite possibly the most well-researched, non-biased technical breakdown of this topic that I have found thus far, and is perfect for the studying Historian, or for the casual learner seeking to understand how we got to the political climate we face today.

I find that locating information seeking to understand the polarity in ideology between Western capitalists and international communist ideals is difficult to find, and often focuses on points critically condemning communism and only so. While I understand how this came to be after the heated climate of the Cold War, it doesn't help to fully understand the complete picture. That is where this book is so beautifully done.

This book bridges the connection between the use of communist-Marxist ideals and the evolution of the modern dictator / authoritarian. I consider this a vital resource to anyone seeking to understand the world (particularly outside Western capitalistic societies) on a deeper ideological level, and so perhaps you can develop thoroughly educated opinions in the fields of politics and global matters.

I received this e-book from NetGalley and the publisher Basic Books. Thank you for proving this title in exchange for an honest review. As a studying Historian and collector of important books, I will be purchasing a physical copy for my library when it is published later this year.

Thank you to the author Sean McMeekin for taking the time to research and release such a detailed resource as well.

Good 'warts and all' assessment of global communism that captures the socialist idealism and the totalitarian impulse in various national communist movements. Particularly strong analysis of the collapse of the USSR, the various strands of agrarian communism, and a compelling argument for the continued relevance and evolution of the ideology in a globally precarious world.