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An informative tale of plots and revolution that, tragically, loses the plot itself

Revisado: 12-22-24

I was first introduced to Mr. McMeekin through his title Ottoman Endgame, in which he wrote with penetrating insight about a time and place that is often impenetrable to western laymen. When I saw this work about Communism was soon to be published on Audible, I leapt at the opportunity to listen. Of particular interest was his title, which promised to treat Communism in our post-post-cold-war era with due respect.

And, to a great extent, Mr. McMeekin succeeds in delivering an informative and entertaining work. He is unfailingly critical of Communism, to be sure, but this results in a healthy skepticism towards the legends Communism has spun around itself, and which often ensnare other authors. He is very willing to implicate Soviet Communism in the catastrophe of World War II, for instance, puncturing the common Communist claim that it was the first and greatest enemy of Fascism. He also takes an early and bold stance that Communism in *practice*, if not in theory, has essentially always resulted in totalitarian dictatorship, varied only in degree and not in essence.

But the quality of the work begins to decline the closer to contemporary politics it gets, and this is largely due to McMeekin’s focus on Communism as actually practiced as opposed to its ideological content.

Past the early Cold War, McMeekin spends very little time covering the often real differences in Communism, even when they had important consequences. The critical doctrinal difference between Maoism and Leninism, for instance (that in the former, the peasantry *is* the revolutionary class, rather than just capable of allying with the revolutionary class as in the latter) was barely mentioned, despite helping to drive the Sino-Soviet split and having implications for the severity of the CCP’s worst excesses. The differences inherent to Tito’s Yugoslavia are barely discussed. A much better depiction of Central European Communism in practice can be gleaned from recent regional histories. In short, the work eventually elides into something closer to a state-level history of the Cold War than a history of one of its ideologies.

This problem reaches its climax in the concluding, post Cold-War chapters, in which McMeekin’s earlier focus on Communism’s form rather than color metastasizes into a bizarre conclusion that totalitarianism essentially *is* Communism. Laying the blame for things such as the USA’s post-9/11 surveillance state on imitation of Communist China, ignoring the fact that it was installed chiefly by Conservative Reaganites, with different motives and intentions, which do actually matter in the long term.

The most disappointing aspect of the title, in light of, well, its title, is that in consequence McMeekin spends absolutely no time talking about the resurgence of overtly Marxist ideas among the disaffected youth of the West. Much ink has been spilled discussing the swerve of GenZ and younger cohorts to the illiberal *right*, but little serious popular discussion has yet been aired about the similar movement to the illiberal *left*. This could have made this title one of the most timely and incisive works on Communism in recent history. The actual lazy gloss we received at the work’s conclusion is this particularly anticlimactic.

Overall, this book is still far from unsalvageable. But it fails to rise above being a general history of Communism with a critical perspective. Given McMeekin’s talents, that is a pity.

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Good content, but suffers from poor audio splicing

Revisado: 04-29-24

This is the best audiobook currently available on Audible concerning India’s descent into religious majoritarianism. It expects the listener to have a decent baseline understanding of India, and does have a tendency to go on tangents, but overall this is a focused and serious inquiry into the subject matter.

I would rate it higher, but this title has some serious presentation issues that bear mentioning. This isn’t the fault of Aakar Patel’s narration, which though having occasional issues of cadence is perfectly understandable. Rather, the splicing together of the audio seems to have been done poorly. Fairly frequently, one will hear sentences get abruptly cut off before they have finished playing back. The missing narration can usually be guessed at, but this is jarring, and unfortunately takes away somewhat from the listen.

With that having been said, this title remains an important resource for those who wish to understand India’s increasingly illiberal and potentially even authoritarian trajectory. If you take this seriously (as most globally minded listeners should) this is a good introduction.

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A sweeping perspective on America’s past

Revisado: 07-08-22

Paul Johnson’s 1997 History of the American People does the difficult work of summarizing 400 years of American history, from its earliest colonial stirrings to the triumphant period of unipolarity at the end of the 20th century. Johnson strikes a delicate balance of focus between American society, economics, government, and other factors, giving readers a holistic picture of the nation as it has evolved.

Listeners with any political sensitivity will quickly notice that this book does not pretend to be politically neutral: Johnson is a conservative and this fact is evident throughout the book. It remains a history, however, and avoids becoming a partisan screed. Indeed, Johnson’s willingness to give his honest thoughts on matters (notably his appreciation for the much-maligned Richard Nixon) is at times a valuable counterpoint to some interpretations of American history that have become orthodoxies. On rare occasions it can elicit eye-rolling (Johnson insists on derisively labeling the educated classes as “right-thinking”, for instance) but even for those of liberal bent these moments are far from overwhelming.

Well read by Nadia May (a performer whose British accent is less discordant once one realizes that the author is also British), this book is an excellent addition to the libraries of those who wish to learn about the history of the United States, or those who are already familiar but who seek different angles on a subject they know well.

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An unfashionable but valuable look into empire

Revisado: 03-13-22

Ferguson's book is one part history and one part apologia: in addition to telling an effective and engaging history of how a set of rainy and unpromising islands rose to become the largest empire in history, he also makes a compelling case for the British Empire's dominance being easily the best outcome to have been hoped for in the age of the European empires.

With that being said, two major things detracted from my ability to wholeheartedly enjoy this title. The first is Jonathan Keeble's performance: authentically British, but with a weary and sighing quality that seems almost to embody an old, senescent Britain gazing longingly at its lost empire.

The second is how Ferguson chooses to portray Britain's slide out of hegemony. Here, rather than focusing on the increasing untenability of empire in a world empowered by the ideas of nationalism, self-determination, and universal human rights, Ferguson instead chooses to set up a false binary between Britain's imperial rule and the triumph of the Axis powers. In doing so, he not only attempts to over-generously depict the empire as a kind of martyr for humanity (indeed, at one point the empire is rather crassly compared with Christ), but also chooses to greatly abridge the coverage of the independence movements that ultimately catalyzed the empire's actual crumbling. In doing so, Ferguson chooses to stroke British pride over making a deeper and more profound point: namely, that the British empire's conceptions of liberty ultimately sowed the seeds for its own destruction, but in doing so, still managed to spread these ideas to almost all corners of the globe.

All said, this is a valuable and worthy listen for those that wish to understand the impact Britain has had on the world we live in today. If you can get past a stuffy presentation and can keep a critical eye trained on the overall narrative, Ferguson's work is an excellent execution of a positive look at the age of empire and its legacy.

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Prussia in extreme detail

Revisado: 12-25-17

This book is an excellent and academic account of Prussia's history, which delves frequently into the question of what Prussia meant both in its own time and in the Germany which followed its demise. Clark provides an intellectually honest attempt to investigate Prussia, and his analysis offers scrutiny on many an old accepted truth about the country. While this attention to Prussia's established reputation is sometimes a bit overdone (a common pattern in this book is to be presented with a Prussian stereotype, only for Clark to spend half an hour offering evidence that it wasn't always true), the book is nonetheless an entertaining, informative, and accessible dive into one of history's most important and enigmatic states.

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A thorough history of the great 20th century evil

Revisado: 10-01-17

Shirer's massive account will be quite an undertaking even in audio form (it clocks in at 50-60 hours), but in terms of completeness and accuracy of scholarship it is unrivaled.

Two things of note before you buy: firstly, this book dedicates the lion's share of its time to the rise of the Third Reich, the fall only constituting a modest portion. Additionally, WWII is described with less detail than a dedicated book about the conflict. Shirer focuses on the social and governmental history of Nazi Germany, with less coverage of the military dimensions than one might expect.

Secondly, having been written only 15 years after the horrors of WWII had passed, some of Shirer's views may be considered outdated to modern listeners. Particularly, Shirer tends to take a dismal view of the German people as a whole, laying blame for Hitler's rise on what he sees as inherent traits of the German national character, emphasizing the failure of Germany to stop Nazism to an often excessive degree, and even (in the postword) viewing German reunification as a worrying development. These damning conclusions struck this listener as being a little too emotional and sweeping. It is the price to pay, one assumes, for Shirer being a firsthand witness to it all. Few would not be disgusted with what they saw.

If the listener can get past these issues, they will be rewarded with a work of monumental scope and importance, adapted excellently into audio format by the performance of the narrator.

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An accesible look at the historical Jesus

Revisado: 08-01-17

Contrary to the insistence of its critics, this book is a fair and open minded look at how the shadowy Jesus of history likely differs from the glittering Jesus of Scripture. A reader would do well to acquaint themselves with the basic beliefs and texts of Christianity before reading, but enough accommodation is made by the author to allow anyone to enjoy its contents.

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