Far-left political ideologies and movements Books

Book SynopsisRising prosperity was supposed to bring democracy to China, yet the Communist Party’s political monopoly endures. How? Minxin Pei looks to the surveillance state. Though renowned for high-tech repression, China’s surveillance system is above all a labor-intensive project. Pei delves into the human sources of coercion at the foundation of CCP power.Trade ReviewAn authoritative study of China’s surveillance system and its ability to strangle any possible dissent…Pei reveals the vast machinery of surveillance and repression in China, fueled by leaders’ fear, distrust, and paranoia. * Kirkus Reviews *Pei ably untangles and demystifies the Chinese surveillance system: for all its obscure and sinister aura, he paints it as the work of harried bureaucrats who struggle with glitchy equipment and unproductive employees…It adds up to a clear-eyed account of China’s surveillance crusade. * Publishers Weekly *An instant classic, offering a peerless and encompassing explanation for a great puzzle of the twenty-first century: How did China’s autocratic regime outlast its peers? Through painstaking research, Minxin Pei has reverse-engineered the hidden system of preventive repression, exposing a world that is essential to understanding China’s past and, indeed, its future. -- Evan Osnos, author of the National Book Award–winning Wildland: The Making of America’s FuryA brilliantly researched and eye-opening masterpiece on modern China’s subtle power dynamics. Shining a light on the masterful strategy of ‘preventive repression,’ Pei offers a riveting exploration of China’s covert surveillance mechanisms. -- Yuhua Wang, author of The Rise and Fall of Imperial China: The Social Origins of State DevelopmentA timely, important book on a subject that has received little attention in Western literature. Pei offers both an illuminating analysis of the surveillance state’s historical evolution and a broad overview of its operations across different sectors in contemporary China. Theoretically informed and empirically rich, this is a welcome contribution. -- Lynette Ong, author of Outsourcing Repression: Everyday State Power in Contemporary ChinaChina’s development of high-tech surveillance is crucial to understanding Beijing’s domestic aims and international goals, yet it is still poorly understood. Pei brings together sharp and cogent analysis with deep research to illuminate one of the most important issues of today. -- Rana Mitter, author of China’s Good War: How World War II Is Shaping a New NationalismAn incisive analysis of a remarkably durable system of state power. Pei argues that China’s already formidable apparatus of political control, augmented with new resources and cutting-edge technologies, has become the most effective surveillance state in history. -- Andrew G. Walder, author of Agents of Disorder: Inside China’s Cultural Revolution

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Book SynopsisDrawing on newly-declassified government documents and international archives in Spain and beyond, this book explores the many ways in which Scots responded to the Spanish Civil War (1936-9).

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Book SynopsisMy Uncle Zhou Enlai paints a candid and heartwarming picture of one of China’s most beloved leaders and its first premier, Zhou Enlai (1898-1976). Written by his nephew, Zhou Erliu, who found himself at the heart of the political turmoil of the 20th century, this deeply moving and personal account is at once a touching family portrait of the Zhou clan and a comprehensive overview of China’s modern political history.Through personal anecdotes, letters, poems, photographs and other relics from the premier’s epoch-making life, the reader gets up close and personal with Zhou Enlai as never before and gets an intimate peek at life in China during these turbulent times.This book interweaves the fascinating life story of its author, from his childhood in Shanghai’s French concession through his involvement with the Communist Party of China (CPC) in the years of war and revolution up to the present day, and the story of his ‘Qi Ba’, the prominent CPC leader who was at the forefront of major events such as the founding of the PRC, the Cultural Revolution, the Nanchang Uprising, the Chinese Civil War and US president Richard Nixon’s visit to China in 1971, yet always found time to advise his beloved nephew about work, life, love and politics.My Uncle Zhou Enlai aims to set straight the historical facts and to convey the great impact Zhou Enlai had on Chinese and international politics, which paved the way for China’s re-entry into the international community. Always honest, wise, humble and kind, Zhou Enlai is warmly remembered by millions of people today both within and outside China, and this book serves as a testament by a close relative to the many Chinese and foreign lives he touched. A must-read for anyone interested in China’s history and cultural landscape, its gradual opening-up to the rest of the world, and its notable leaders and key figures.

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Book Synopsis''Masterfully opens up a little explored realm: how the quest for religion and spirituality drives hundreds of millions of Chinese'' Pankaj Mishra''A fascinating odyssey ... a nuanced group portrait of Chinese citizens striving for non-material answers in an era of frenetic materialism'' Julia Lovell, Guardian ''The reappearance and flourishing of religion is perhaps the most surprising aspect of the dramatic changes in China in recent decades...this is a beautiful, moving and insightful book'' Michael SzonyiIn no society on Earth was there such a ferocious attempt to eradicate all trace of religion as in modern China. But now, following a century of violent antireligious campaigns, China is awash with new temples, churches, and mosques - as well as cults, sects, and politicians trying to harness religion for their own ends. Driving this explosion of faith is uncertainty - over what it means to be Chinese, and how to live aTrade ReviewIan Johnson has long been a resourceful and bracing guide to the biggest national transformation of modern history. In The Souls of China he masterfully opens up a little explored realm: how the quest for religion and spirituality drives hundreds of millions of Chinese -- Pankaj MishraJohnson succeeds in having produced a nuanced group portrait of Chinese citizens striving for non-material answers in an era of frenetic materialism. -- Julia Lovell * Guardian *Extraordinarily rich and intimate... This vividly written, deeply researched book will be the primary work about religious faith in China for years to come. -- Leslie T. ChangThis entrancing and engaging book challenges the modern assumption that religion is a thing of the past -- Karen ArmstrongIan Johnson breaks new ground with a brilliant approach, mixing theoretical explorations with real life vignettes from a convincing insider-outsider-combined perspective, making them commenting each other, illuminating in the same way as through the traditional Chinese criticism paradigm of 'I commentate the six classics which commentate me.' The Souls of China is a must read for an understanding of China -- Qiu Xiaolong * author of The Inspector Chen Novels *The great Chinese writer Lu Xun once wrote that when many men pass along the same way, a new road is made. The Souls of China shows us how the Chinese people, some with heroic steps and others with hesitant ones, are making a new road for Chinese religion in the twenty-first century. The reappearance and flourishing of religion is perhaps the most surprising aspect of the dramatic changes in China in recent decades. With great sensitivity Ian Johnson guides us on a tour of the rituals, festivals, and above all some of the remarkable characters who make up this new Chinese religious world. This is a beautiful, moving and insightful book -- Michael Szonyi * author of Cold War Island *The Souls of China is a rich, informative, and timely book, which explores a major aspect of Chinese life. Ian Johnson carries erudition lightly and describes the people and events with deep insights and personal involvement. Section by section, the writing shows long-term dedication and meticulous research. At heart this is also a personal book, full of feelings and exuberance. It's a tremendous accomplishment -- Ha JinHis tripartite masterpiece Wild Grass and his newest book, The Souls of China, are the most remarkable works to come from a western author in the past two decades. -- Liao Yiwu * exiled Chinese author of God is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China *Through interviews conducted with a wide variety of practitioners, Johnson paints a vivid picture of the diversity of Chinese religious life....He provides a fascinating account of how traditional activities recovered after enduring severe repression during China's Cultural Revolution (1966-76). An excellent work that is highly recommended for readers interested in Chinese culture or religion * Library Journal *

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Book SynopsisAfter three decades of "reform and opening up," China is closing its doors, clamping down on Western influence in the economy, media, and civil society. At the same time, President Xi Jinping has emerged as a champion of globalization, projecting Chinese power abroad and seeking to reshape the global order. Herein lies The Third Revolution.Trade ReviewThe Third Revolution is an excellent example of high-quality academic research on China * Tian He, Pacific Affairs *One of Iolitico's "Ten Names That Matter on China Policy"How should observers, especially those in Washington, assess Xi's China? In The Third Revolution, Elizabeth Economy offers a nuanced, persuasive answer: while China's heft in world affairs is growing rapidly, so too are the contradictions inherent in the attempt of an authoritarian country to shape what remains a predominantly liberal world order. * Global Asia *Economy . . . offers an engaging look at how areas such as internet regulation, reform of state-owned enterprises, and foreign policy are evolving under Xi's leadership. * Reuters Breakingviews *To understand and navigate China in the coming years, this is the book to read. At the heart of doing business in this opaque and contradictory country is understanding Xi Jinping, a masterful and complex politician. Elizabeth Economy's exceptionally clear account gives you the tools to do just that. * Fred P. Hochberg, Former Chairman and President, Export-Import Bank of the United States *The Third Revolution is enormously valuable for anyone seeking to understand the ways in which China is changing (and not changing) under Xi's leadership, and how the U.S. should best approach its relationship with China. Essential. * Robert E. Rubin, Former Secretary of the Treasury *The one book that tells you all you need to know about how China has changed under Xi Jinping. A clear-eyed, richly researched, and engaging account by one of America's most knowledgeable China experts. * Susan L. Shirk, University of California, San Diego *Timely and sobering analysis of the profound * and disturbingpolitical change that has occurred since the rise of Xi Jinping. This is by far the most insightful and illuminating study of China's new political landscape, and should be required reading for those concerned with China's future under strongman rule.Minxin Pei, Author, China's Crony Capitalism *Leading China expert Elizabeth Economy provides a clear-eyed net assessment of China under Xi Jinping: its global ambitions, domestic limitations, and the paradox of its external hubris and internal insecurities. Thoroughly researched and engagingly written, The Third Revolution should become staple reading for all who want to understand China today and where it is headed in the future. The findings are both illuminating and disturbing." * David Shambaugh, George Washington University and author of China Goes Global *Americans are slowly realizing that they live in a bipolar world with China, a nation that is incontrovertibly rising despite the destabilizing effects of serial self-reinvention. The advent of the latest progenitor of rejuvenation, Xi Jinping, has raised a host of vexing questions, but Economy's wonderfully lucid and well-researched book fills in many of the blanks regarding Xi's strengths and weaknesses. * Orville Schell, Arthur Ross Director, Asia Society Center on U.S.-China Relations *For the first time in modern history, we have a communist country poised to be the biggest and most important driver of the global free market. That's astonishing. And we still don't know what makes China's political leadership and Xi Jinping in particular tick. If that freaks you out (and it should), Liz Economy's book is the place to start. * Ian Bremmer, President and Founder, Eurasia Group *The timing of The Third Revolution is impeccable. Economy convincingly demonstrates how Beijing has used its heft to influence technological and political standards." - The Financial TimesA work of cool-headed analysis." - Foreign Affairs14/01/2019Table of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Heart of Darkness Chapter 3: Chinanet Chapter 4: The Not-So-New Normal Chapter 5: Innovation Nation Chapter 6: War on Pollution Chapter 7: The Lion Awakens Chapter 8: The Road Forward

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Book SynopsisThe end of the Cold War makes it possible, for the first time, to begin writing its history from a truly international perspective, one reflecting Soviet, East European, and Chinese as well as American and West European viewpoints. In a major departure from his earlier scholarship, John Lewis Gaddis, the pre-eminent American authority on the United States and the Cold War, has written a comprehensive comparative history of that conflict from its origins through to its most dangerous moment, the Cuban missile crisis. We Now Know is packed with new information drawn from previously unavailable sources; it also reflects the findings of a new generation of Cold War historians. It contains striking new insights into the role of ideology, democracy, economics, alliances, and nuclear weapons, as well as major reinterpretations of Stalin, Truman, Khrushchev, Mao, Eisenhower, and Kennedy. It suggests solutions to long-standing puzzles: Did the Soviet Union want world revolution? Why was GermanyTrade Review'A masterly review of the early phases of the conflict between the United States, Russia, China and their respective allies...it is clear, thorough and judicious; in short, magnificent.' * The Economist Review *'A new narrative of the first half of the Cold War up to the Cuban missile crisis...We Know Now is an important book. It deserves a wide readership.' * Taylor Downing, The Observer *Table of Contents1. Dividing the World ; 2. Cold War Empires: Europe ; 3. Cold War Empires: Asia ; 4. Nuclear Weapons and the Early Cold War ; 5. The German Question ; 6. The Third World ; 7. Economics, Ideology, and Alliance Solidarity ; 8. Nuclear Weapons and the Escalation of the Cold War ; 9. The Cuban Missile Crisis ; 10. The New Cold War History: First Impressions ; Notes, Bibliography, Index

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Book SynopsisBetween the winter of 1936 and the autumn of 1938, approximately three quarters of a million Soviet citizens were subject to summary execution. More than a million others were sentenced to lengthy terms in labour camps. Commonly known as ''Stalin''s Great Terror'', it is also among the most misunderstood moments in the history of the twentieth century. The Terror gutted the ranks of factory directors and engineers after three years in which all major plan targets were met. It raged through the armed forces on the eve of the Nazi invasion. The wholesale slaughter of party and state officials was in danger of making the Soviet state ungovernable. The majority of these victims of state repression in this period were accused of participating in counter-revolutionary conspiracies. Almost without exception, there was no substance to the claims and no material evidence to support them. By the time the terror was brought to a close, most of its victims were ordinary Soviet citizens for whom ''Trade ReviewHarris does an admirable job of bringing the major fears and concerns of the Soviet leadership into focus, from the rise of Nazi Germany to Japan's incursions deep into China to resentment of the regime among peasants. * Robert W. Thurston, Journal of Modern History *One can only applaud him [Harris] for tackling the most vexing and morally charged issues in Soviet history, and for doing so in a crisply, succinctly written volume ... A brief review such as this cannot do justice to Harris's nuanced argument and careful use of sources. The volume is not only a valuable contribution to the literature but also a book that, because of its coverage and readability, will work well in undergraduate classes. * William J. Chase, The Russian Review *[a] well-researched and tightly argued study ... [Harris] has produced the most important book we have on the origins of the great purges. But in the process he has done more than that. The chapters tracing the story up to the perfect storm of 1937 are in themselves a very attractive general survey of the first two decades of Soviet history. This clearly written book will be required reading for specialists in the field; general readers will find it useful as a compact survey of the state of the field. * Arch Getty, History *The Great Fear presents a nuanced reading of history drawing on a number of primary sources; its strength is to see the Great Terror in the context of world and Russian events which contribute to the structure of society and mindset of the people in power, rather than as the result of one's man's paranoia or capriciousness ... for those with a keen interest in Soviet history, this excellent book is a must for the light it throws on a dramatic and appalling period of the regime's history. * Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings blog *sparkles with learning * Andre van Loon, The Australian *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1: Fear and Violence 2: Peace and Insecurity 3: The Uncertain Dictatorship 4: The Great Break 5: Relaxation? 6: Tensions Mount 7: The Perfect Storm Conclusion Bibliography

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Book SynopsisHow did one man''s critique of capitalism guide the course of modern history?When he died in 1883, Karl Marx left behind an intellectual legacy of formidable proportions and revolutionary potential, yet one that exerted limited actual political, social, or economic influence. The full force of his ideas did not come into play for another generation, and only after they had been appropriated and applied by some of Marxism''s earliest proponents. The history of Marxism, in other words, is the story of those who brought Marx''s ideas into play, transforming a sweeping but fractious and occasionally abstruse view of historical and social forces into a coherent plan of action. Christina Morina''s illuminating book focuses on the first generation of Marxists who turned the work and ideas of one social theorist, one among many, into one of the most powerful transnational political movements in modern history.The Invention Of Marxism is therefore a group portrait, featuring such figures as Rosa Luxemburg, Max Adler, Jean Jaurès, Eduard Bernstein, Karl Kautsky, and Vladimir Lenin German, French, Russian, Czech whose lives became dedicated to interpreting and applying Marxist thought. They were the vehicles by which his ideas were read, debated, and gradually adopted in socialist movements across Europe. Morina''s fascinating book therefore reconstructs the beginnings of Marxism through the individual politicization of a group of intellectuals who made it their purpose in life to solve the ''social question'', exploring the nexus between their intellectual constructs and social and political reality. The Invention of Marxism shows how what started as a theory of capitalism grew into a fully-fledged political philosophy and platform, one that shaped the century that followed Marx''s death. In short, it reveals how an idea first conquered these individuals and then the world.Trade ReviewMorinas pen-portraits - fine-grained, deftly interlinked - are superb. Forgotten figures, such as Adler and Struve, are coaxed back into the sunlight, famous ones - Lenin, Kautsky, Luxemburg - reimagined * Madoc Cairns, Times Literary Supplement *Morina's pen-portraits - fine-grained, deftly interlinked are superb. * Madoc Cairns, Editor at Plough Quarterly , TLS *The Invention of Marxism provides rich biographical portraits of the first generation of Marx's most ardent followers. * Choice *Table of ContentsPROLOGUE: Marxism as a Generational Project I SOCIALIZATION Born in the Nineteenth Century: Family Influences Adolescence and Its Discontents: Emerging Worldviews Beating the Drum: Literary Influences II POLITICIZATION Paths to Marxism I: London, Paris, Zurich, Vienna (1878-1888) Translating Marxism: Guesde and Jaurès Star Students: Bernstein and Kautsky Theory and Practice: Adler's Belated Marxism Paths to Marxism II: Geneva, Warsaw, St. Petersburg (1885-1903) The Social Question as a Political Question: Plekhanov's Turn toward Marx The Social Question as a Question of Power: Struve and Lenin Engagement as Science: Luxemburg III ENGAGEMENT On Misery, or the First Commandment: The Radical Study of Reality Miserable Living: Depicting Proletarians and Peasants Miserable Labor: The Proletarian World of Work On Revolution, or the Second Commandment: Philosophy as Practice Revolutionary Expectations Revolution at Last? Dress Rehearsal in St. Petersburg, 1905/06 CONCLUSION: From Marx to Marxism: Fieldworkers, Bookworms, and Adventurers

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Book SynopsisThe text provides an introduction to the intricate web of contemporary Chinese politics - and China's changing place in the global system. It discusses China and democracy, human rights issues, and the move to integrate China into the international economy.Trade ReviewReading this excellent work by Andrew Nathan on the potential for a Chinese transition to democracy compels one to probe one's own unexamined presuppositions and unconscious cultural prejudices. -- Edward Friedman, University of Wisconsin-Madison Philosophy East & West Such rich, thoughtful, and rigorous analysis makes China's Transition an important book in the study of contemporary Chinese politics. It represents a remarkable methodological achievement that should be the envy of all students of Chinese politics. -- Minxin Pei, Princeton University Political Science Quarterly [A] deeply perceptive and eloquent collection of essays... What distinguishes Nathan's approach is that he takes up the political question of how to negotiate with Beijing about human rights. New York Review of Books Glitters with refreshing analyses on a wide range of literary, political, and ideological issues in recent PRC history... Packed with great insights and excellent analyses, it should be considered indispensable reading for any serious student of contemporary Chinese politics. Journal of Oriental StudiesTable of Contents1. China Bites Back 2. A History of Cruelty 3. Mao and His Court 4. Maoist Institutions and Post-Mao Reform 5. Chinese Democracy: The Lessons of Failure 6. The Democratic Vision 7. The Decision for Reform in Taiwan 8. Electing Taiwan's Legislature (written with with Helena V.S. Ho) 9. The Struggle for Hong Kong's Future 10. Is Chinese Culture Distinctive? 11. Cultural Requisites for Democracy in China (written with Tianjian Shi) 12. Left and Right in Deng's China (written with Tianjian Shi) 13. The Place of Values in Cross-Cultural Studies 14. The Chinese Volcano 15. The Constitutionalist Option 16. Human Rights and American China Policy

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Book Synopsis* Brilliant and incisive, HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD leaves us in no doubt that Karl Marx is as much a thinker for our century as he was for the preceding two

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Book SynopsisSociologist Robert Wuthnow notes remarkable similarities in the social conditions surrounding three of the greatest challenges to the status quo in the development of modern societyâthe Protestant Reformation, the Enlightenment, and the rise of Marxist socialism.

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Book SynopsisOn the centennial of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, Tony Saich offers the definitive history of the CCP’s rise and rule. The party has suffered self-inflicted wounds yet thrived thanks to its flexibility. Looking ahead, Saich assesses how the CCP is adapting to global leadership and the expectations of China’s growing middle class.Trade ReviewThere is arguably no organization in the world today that is more important to understand than the CCP…Saich’s [book] provides a comprehensive narrative of the CCP from its inception to this day…He is meticulous in his research and descriptions. -- Martin Laflamme * Los Angeles Review of Books *One of the best and clearest treatments of the subject to date…Tony Saich walks us through the myriad transformations the Party and its members have been through: from rebels to survivalists, revolutionaries to crushers of rebellion, and finally to socialist capitalists. With clarity and attention to detail…this is a truly authoritative text on one of the most successful political parties in history. -- Alec Ash * The Wire China *An extremely lucid, insightful history of the Chinese Communist Party. Saich’s readable narrative takes the CCP from its origins as a tiny group of revolutionaries in Shanghai a century ago to the powerful, repressive rulers of a world power today. From Rebel to Ruler should stand as an authoritative account of the party’s development. -- James Mann, author of The China FantasyThe Chinese Communist Party is one of the most important, yet least understood, political organizations in the world today. Saich has produced a superb interpretation of the party for its hundredth anniversary. From Rebel to Ruler is both deep and nuanced in the account of its history, and incisive on the unique combination in the party under Xi Jinping of ideology, pragmatism, and sheer brute force. -- Rana Mitter, author of China’s Good WarThe definitive, candid, and absorbing history of a political organization that counts 90 million members and indisputably rules as America’s most powerful rival. Drawing on priceless contacts made in China over decades, Saich describes how ideological underpinnings, ruthless campaigns, and the ‘coercing of conformity’ pushed the CCP through revolutionary zeal to its current all-powerful position. A vital account, based on magnificent research, that shows the party as a colossal, relentless, and enduring machine. -- Jane Perlez, former Beijing Bureau Chief, New York TimesAn unpretentious, humane, and deeply informed history of the Chinese Communist Party. Saich, whose considerable time in China adds depth and understanding to this excellent book, offers a clear narrative that does justice to the earlier history as well as present concerns. This will be our most reliable account of the history of the CCP for a generation. -- Timothy Cheek, author of The Intellectual in Modern Chinese HistorySaich is a surehanded and deeply knowledgeable guide in this highly accessible tour of the entire sweep of the Chinese Communist Party’s century-long history. While the party now projects a self-image of unity, competence, and strength, Saich recounts a narrative replete with internal strife, uncertainty, and deep-seated insecurity. His reflections on the future of the party, and China, are sobering. -- Andrew G. Walder, author of China Under MaoA sweeping history of the Chinese Communist Party, from its fledgling urban beginnings in 1921 Shanghai to today…Offers key insights into how the party survived the collapse of communism in Russia and Eastern Europe and the steep challenges facing current leader Xi Jinping. This exhaustive, well-informed chronicle sheds light on one of the world’s most consequential political institutions. * Publishers Weekly *Gives a broad overview of the main characters, movements, and ideologies that have shaped the CCP… Saich provides a different angle by focusing on the inner workings, strategy, and personalities of the Chinese Communist Party…Presents the Party, in all its complexity, on its own terms. Saich is not simply offering commentary from an outside point of view, he is attempting to give readers the tools to access the CCP as they see themselves. * ChinaSource *If you were to travel back in time to 1921 and predict that the Communist Party of China would rule over the world’s second-largest economy 100 years later, no one would believe you. In this definitive primer, Tony Saich explains how the impossible came true. -- Yuen Yuen Ang * Project Syndicate *

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Book SynopsisA primer for how to be an anti-capitalist in the 21st centuryTrade Review'David Harvey is an inspiration for me, and for people who desperately want a just world order. One of the most perceptive and intelligent thinkers the progressive movement has' -- Owen Jones'David Harvey provoked a revolution in his field and has inspired a generation of radical intellectuals' -- Naomi KleinTable of ContentsPreface - Jordan T. Camp Editors’ Note - Jordan T. Camp and Chris Caruso Author’s Note - David Harvey Acknowledgements 1. Global Unrest 2. A Brief History of Neoliberalism 3. Contradictions of Neoliberalism 4. The Financialization of Power 5. The Authoritarian Turn 6. Socialism and Freedom 7. The Significance of China in the World Economy 8. The Geopolitics of Capitalism 9. The Growth Syndrome 10. The Erosion of Consumer Choices 11. Primitive or Original Accumulation 12. Accumulation by Dispossession 13. Production and Realization 14. Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Climate Change 15. Rate versus Mass of Surplus Value 16. Alienation 17. Alienation at Work: The Politics of a Plant Closure 18. Anti-Capitalist Politics in the Time of COVID-19 19. The Collective Response to a Collective Dilemma Discussion Questions and Further Readings Index

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Book SynopsisA popular history of the emergence of football in early twentieth century RussiaTrade Review'Football is an excellent way in to understanding any country, and if there's one country we need to understand better now, it's Russia. An extremely timely book.' -- Simon Kuper, co-author of 'Soccernomics''A fascinating, thorough and at times revealing investigation into the origins of football in the USSR.' -- Jonathan Wilson, author of 'Inverting the Pyramid''A fascinating, brilliantly researched insight into the patchwork origins of the ruthless powerhouse that Soviet football would become.' -- Robert O'Connor, author of 'Blood and Circuses'Table of ContentsIntroduction Part One. Infancy Part Two. Adolescence Part Three. Youth Epilogue Bibliography Acronyms

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Book SynopsisThe book that immerses the Cold War in the warm bath of nostalgia.Q: Why, despite all the shortages, was the toilet paper in East Germany always 2-ply?A: Because they had to send a copy of everything they did to Moscow.Communist jokes are the strangest, funniest, most enchanting and meaningful legacy of the 80 years of political experimentation in Russia and Eastern Europe, known as Communism. The valiant and sardonic citizens of the former Communist countries - surrounded by an invisible network of secret police, threatened with arrest, imprisonment and forced labour, confronted by an economic system that left shops empty, and bombarded with ludicrous state propaganda - turned joke-telling into an art form. They used jokes as a coded way of speaking the truth.HAMMER AND TICKLE takes us on a unique journey through the Communist era (1917-1989), and tells its real history through subversive jokes and joke-tellers, many of whom ended up in the gulagsTrade ReviewBen Lewis's book celebrates the brilliance with which jokes exposed the gulf between the Soviet ideal and its brutal reality. * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *There is a laugh on every page -- John Suchet * S MAGAZINE, SUNDAY EXPRESS *

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Book SynopsisA Jew, Pole, daughter, mother, wife, Communist, migrant, Holocaust survivor, and refugee driven to fight for a better world. Ordinary or anything but? In Tonia Lechtman's life, the lofty and the quotidian intertwined, making everything she did both monumental and mundane. Who was she?Trade Review“A thoroughly researched, nuanced, and deeply moving book, rich with intimate details that do not take away from the broader relevance of Tonia Lechtman’s seemingly ordinary life.” -- Natalia Aleksiun, Harry Rich Professor of Holocaust Studies, University of Florida“An Ordinary Life? is an extraordinary story. As a historian, Anna Müller is both fearless and enormously sensitive. Her research is exhaustive; Tonia Lechtman’s story is both enthralling and wrenching. Müller’s biography discloses, with painful intimacy, the modern condition of homelessness. Tonia could be the iconic tragic heroine of the twentieth century, a century now revealed through a drama of motherhood.” -- Marci Shore, author of The Taste of Ashes: The Afterlife of Totalitarianism in Eastern Europe“In beautifully evocative prose, Anna Müller uncovers the remarkable biography of Tonia Lechtman, whose journeys through Poland, Palestine, France, and Switzerland reflect the challenges of her generation. It is a profoundly intimate portrait that explores Lechtman’s multiple identities … with delicacy, empathy, and historical perspective. Through the life story of one woman, Müller sheds new light on the universal predicament of the twentieth-century.” -- Jeffrey Veidlinger, Joseph Brodsky Collegiate Professor of History and Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan and author of In the Midst of Civilized Europe: The Pogroms of 1918-1921 and the Onset of the Holocaust“In her biography of Tonia Lechtman, Anna Müller . . . ponders the limits of individual agency in times of social upheavals and catastrophes. What happened to this Jewish woman from Poland and what did she do? What is the price one pays for being overtaken by history? An absorbing book, a heartbreaking life story.” -- Irena Grudzińska Gross, author of Czeslaw Milosz and Joseph Brodsky: Fellowship of Poets“A fascinating study…. The book is a story of one person and it is a history of the twentieth century, with all its conflicts, hopes, experiments, and persecution. It is this world that Tonia Lechtman lived through, and it is a world that she also helped shape. Anna Müller succeeds in explaining the intersections of gender, class, and ethnicity, especially for Polish Jewish women’s lives. This book will engage you and make you want to know more about the last century and about how we understand the past and the present.” -- John C. Swanson, author of Tangible Belonging: Negotiating Germanness in Twentieth-Century Hungary“A Jew, a Communist, a mother, a refugee, a political idealist, a victim of postwar Stalinism in Poland: the life of Tonia Lechman through conflicting identities and the horrors of the twentieth century, brilliantly told by an academic.” -- Ruth Fivaz-Silbermann, author of La fuite en Suisse: Les Juifs à la frontière franco-suisse durant les années de la "Solution finale"

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Book SynopsisPart of a definitive English-language edition, prepared in collaboration with the Institute of Marxism-Leninism in Moscow, which contains all the works of Marx and Engels, whether published in their lifetimes or since. The series includes their complete correspondence and newly discovered works.

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Book SynopsisIn Beyond Capital, the internationally esteemed Marxist philosopher Istvan Meszaros provides a major contribution to the task of reassessing the socialist alternative and the conditions for its realization in the light of twentieth-century developments and disappointments.Trade ReviewNot only profound in its analysis, but also so passionately inspired by sympathy for the downtrodden and their struggle for liberation. — Daniel Singer, The Nation // For me, István Mészáros is one of the few people who has made essential contributions to the body of Marxist thought. Like Marx, he is not easy to read, but he is definitely worth the effort. — Michael A. Lebowitz, author, The Socialist Alternative and Build It Now

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Book SynopsisProvides the first detailed examination of rank-and-file communist party activism as an element of governance in the Soviet system, offering an empirical account of the bottom level of the apparatus of the Soviet Communist Party in its formative years.

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Book SynopsisFacing global climate crisis, Karl Marx''s ecological critique of capitalism more clearly demonstrates its importance than ever. This book explains why Marx''s ecology had to be marginalized and even suppressed by Marxists after his death throughout the twentieth century. Marx''s ecological critique of capitalism, however, revives in the Anthropocene against dominant productivism and monism. Investigating new materials published in the complete works of Marx and Engels (Marx-Engels-Gesamtausgabe), Saito offers a wholly novel idea of Marx''s alternative to capitalism that should be adequately characterized as degrowth communism. This provocative interpretation of the late Marx sheds new lights on the recent debates on the relationship between society and nature and invites readers to envision a post-capitalist society without repeating the failure of the actually existing socialism of the twentieth century.Trade Review'Marx in the Anthropocene is a deeply restorative project, both analytically and politically. Through a detailed examination of Marx's notebooks on the natural sciences, Kohei Saito reminds us why Marx insisted that the relationship between nature and capitalism was fundamentally unsustainable. The book restores to us a forgotten Marx, one who is eager to learn from precapitalist societies, one who is beginning to see destruction in development. Taking his lead from this longneglected Marx, Saito then builds a powerful argument for degrowth communism, a theoretical approach that aims to reorganize the very notion of abundance to fit the common weal, rather than fit an abstract notion of luxury communism. Marx in the Anthropocene reminds us, again, why anticapitalism is the nutrient that must be urgently added to nature'' Tithi Bhattacharya, author of Feminism for the 99%: A Manifesto'A masterpiece. This is the book we have been waiting for. Saito draws on Marx to deliver a thrilling synthesis of degrowth and ecosocialism. Herein lies the secret to post-capitalist transition. A must-read for every socialist and every environmentalist -it will change both forever' Jason Hickel, author of Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World'After his brilliant essay on Marx's ecology, Kohei Saito shows in his new pathbreaking book how different Marxist thinkers tried to deal with the environmental, challenges, from an anti-capitalist perspective. As in his previous essay, Saito is able to grasp Marxism as thought in movement, and not as a closed system. His courageous appeal for a 'degrowth communism' is a decisive contribution for an ecological Marxism of our times, a communism for the Anthropocene' Michael Löwy, author of Ecosocialism: A Radical Alternative to Capitalist Catastrophe'the way Saito mobilises Marxist theory to make a plea for 'the abundance of wealth in degrowth communism' … is as precise as it is gripping' Timothée Parrique, The Conversation'In this refreshing and highly significant work, Kohei Saito draws on only recently published writings from Marx's later notebooks on science and nature which reveal a less Promethean Marx … essential reading for all serious Marxists.' John Green, Morning StarTable of ContentsDedication; Acknowledgements; Abbreviations; Introduction; Part I. Marx's Ecological Critique of Capitalism and its Oblivion: 1. Marx's theory of metabolism in the age of global ecological crisis; 2. The intellectual relationship of Marx and Engels revisited from an ecological perspective; 3. Lukács's theory of metabolism as the foundation of ecosocialist realism; Part II. A Critique of Productive Forces in the Anthropocene; 4. Monism and the non-identity of nature; 5. The revival of utopian socialism and the productive forces of capital; Part III. Towards Degrowth Communism: 6. Marx as a degrowth communist; 7. The abundance of wealth in degrowth communism; Conclusion; References; Index.

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Book SynopsisAn excellent and entertaining essayist, Laski's volume deals with the issues of politics and law in Europe and American during the 1920s and 30s. It is unified by the concpetion of democracy as a society of equals sharing in a common good.  Table of Contents1. The Danger of Being a Gentleman: Reflections on the Ruling Class in England (1932) 2. On the Study of Politics (1926) 3. Law and Justice in Soviet Russia (1935) 4. The Judicial Function (1936) 5. The English Constitution and French Public Opinion, 1789-1794 (1938) 6. The Committee System n English Local Government (1936) 7. Nationalism and the Future of Civilization (1932) 8. Mr. Justice Holmes: For his Eighty-Ninth Birthday (1930)

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Book SynopsisIn 1940, Daily Telegraph correspondent Henry Buckley published his eyewitness account of his experiences reporting form the Spanish Civil War. The copies of the book, stored in a warehouse in London, were destroyed during the Blitz and only a handful of copies of his unique chronicle were saved. Now, eighty years after its first publication, this exceptional eyewitness account of the war is republished with a new introduction by acclaimed scholar Paul Preston.The Life and Death of the Spanish Republic is a unique account of Spanish politics throughout the Second Republic, from its foundation of 14 April 1931 to its defeat at the end of March 1939. It combines personal recollections of meetings with the great politicians of the day and intimate accounts of dramatic events with a deep understanding of Spain its people, politics and culture. Providing a fascinating portrait of a crucial decade of contemporary Spanish history and based on an abundance of the witneTable of ContentsIntroduction. The Humane Observer: Henry Buckley, Paul Preston (London School of Economics, UK) Foreword 1. The Spain I Found 2. Death of a Dictator 3. Jaca: A Successful Failure 4. Curtain to a Régime 5. A Republic is Born 6. The King’s Record 7. Trouble in the Republic 8. Words – not Deeds 9. A Middle-Class Republic 10. August Fireworks 11. Bad Days for the Republic 12. Vatican Policy in Spain 13. Lerroux in Charge 14. Semana Santa 15. Juan March 16. The Storm-Clouds Gather 17. To Save the Republic 18. No Dictatorship 19. The Republic Marks Times 20. Azaña has the Answer 21. Victory 22. Adrift After Victory 23. Personal Reactions 24. The Explosion 25. Off to the Front 26. Moors in Castile 27. Franco Advances from the South 28. Toledo in Peace and War 29. The Telephone Building 30. Madrid is Saved 31. A Count in Gaol 32. Attempts to Surround Madrid 33. The Battle of Guadalajara 34. New Tactics 35. Coronation Interlude 36. Admiral Raeder Shells Almeria 37. In Caux-sur-Montreux 38. Prieto as War Minister 39. Teruel for the Republic 40. Franco wins the Battle of Aragon 41. Enrique Lister 42. On Valencia, Journalism and Other Matters 43. The Toll of Human Suffering 44. Dr Juan Negrin 45. A Closed Frontier and a Crumbling Front 46. Parliament in a Dungeon 47. The End of a Republic Index

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Book SynopsisThe astonishing drama of Cold War nuclear poker that divided humanity - reissued with a new preface to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the wall.Trade ReviewPRAISE FOR 'DRESDEN' 'In narrative power and persuasion, he has paralleled in Dresden what Antony Beevor achieved in Stalingrad' Independent on Sunday 'Well-researched and unpretentious fascinating Taylor skilfully interweaves various personal accounts of the impact of the raids' Michael Burleigh, Guardian 'Impressive Taylor weaves a chilling narrative from eyewitness accounts and painstaking documentary research, particularly with German sources. He explains the conceptual and strategic background with admirable clarity. His account of the air operation itself is quite superb' The Times

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Book SynopsisKarl Marx was the first theorist of global capitalism and remains perhaps its most trenchant critic. This clear and innovative book, from one of the leading contemporary experts on Marx's thought, gives us a fresh overview of his ideas by framing them within concepts that remain topical and alive today, from class struggle and progress to democracy and exploitation. Taking Marx's work in his pamphleteering, journalism, speeches, correspondence and published books as central to a renewed understanding of the man and his politics, this book brings both his life experience and our contemporary political engagements vividly to life. It shows us the many ways that a nineteenth-century thinker has been made into the 'Marx' we know today, beginning with his own self-presentations before moving on to the successive different "Marxes" that were later constructed: an icon of communist revolution, a demonic figure in the Cold War, a 'humanist' philosopher, and a spectre haunting Occupy Wall Street. Carver's accessible and lively book unpacks the historical, intellectual and political difficulties that make Marx sometimes difficult to read and understand, while also highlighting the distinct areas where his challenging writings speak directly to the twenty-first-century world. It will be essential reading for students and scholars throughout the social sciences and anyone interested in the contemporary legacy of his revolutionary ideas.Trade Review"Terrell Carver has done something new, surprising, and very rewarding. By concentrating on Marx the political activist, rather than Marx the grand figure of intellectual history, Carver allows us to understand the many ways in which Marx's ideas resonate through contemporary political debates. Marx emerges as a 'punchy writer, formidable thinker and economics-minded gadfly.'"—Jonathan Wolff, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford "Full of insight and enthusiasm, Terrell Carver's provocative new book gives us a welcome portrait of Marx as very much our contemporary - a political activist grappling with issues that still concern us, in ways we can still learn from."—David Leopold, University of OxfordTable of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Abbreviations Timeline Introduction: Another Marx Chapter One: Making Marx 'Marx' Chapter Two: Class Struggle and Class Compromise Chapter Three: History and Progress Chapter Four: Democracy and Communism/Socialism Chapter Five: Capitalism and Revolution Chapter Six: Exploitation and Alienation Afterword A Note on Complete Works and Canon-formation Bibliography Endnotes Index

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Book SynopsisWe have entered the gateway to the apocalypse. This theological concept is the best metaphor to describe the world in which we are already living. Chaos is all around us: political folly, economical delirium, ecological catastrophe, intellectual cynicism, technological simulation of life. This is what Franco ‘Bifo’ Berardi suggests in this wry, dark, disconcerting but also brilliant and invigorating journey through the main events that we have witnessed in recent years. One century after the Communist revolution, the very idea that the world could be changed for the better seems dead once and for all. Every time that a new change occurs nowadays, it seems to be a change for the worse. But the fact that nothing can save us any more shouldn’t be seen as a form of fatality or a reason for surrender. On the contrary, if our world is dead, then the space is open for another to appear – a world where apocalypse can shake us out of our zombie-like contemporary existence. The second coming of Communism will have nothing to do with 1917. Apocalypse has to be conceived of as a metaphor, and Communism is a metaphor too: the metaphor of the possible deployment of the potentials of the mind.Table of Contents0. How to How to deal with chaos Not action but interpretation Black out 1. In retrospect Fifty years after sixty-eight A hundred years after the Soviet revolutionIs fascism back? 2. Apocalypse The expanding sphere of nothingness The Empire of Chaos and the Embedded Order Guns, opioids and reason Trumping truth in the empire of fake Auschwitz on the beach 3. Is there life after the apocalypse?

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Book SynopsisThe struggle in projects, ideas and symbols between the strongest Communist Party in the West and an anti-communist and pro-Western government coalition was the most peculiar founding element of Italian democratic political system after World War II. Communism and anti-Communism in early Cold War Italy enlightens new aspects of and players of the anti-Communist ‘front’. It takes into account the role of cultural associations, newspapers and the popular press in the selection and diffusion of critical judgements and images of Communism, highlighting a dimension that explains the force and the diffusion of anti-communist opinions in Italy after 1989 and the crisis of traditional parties. The author also places the case of Italian cold-war anti-communism in an international context for the first time.Table of ContentsIntroduction1. Systems and methods for political communication in post-war Italy2. Religious and moral values3. Freedom and democracy4. The fatherland, the Italian nation and its role in the world5. Towards a legitimation of prosperity?Index

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Book SynopsisIn Marxism and America, an accomplished group of scholars reconsiders the relationship of the United States to the theoretical tradition derived from Karl Marx.In brand new essays that cover the period from the nineteenth century, when Marx wrote for American newspapers, to the present, when a millennial socialism has emerged inspired by the presidential campaigns of Bernie Sanders, the contributors take up topics ranging from memory of the Civil War to feminist debates over sexuality and pornography. Along the way, they clarify the relationship of race and democracy, the promise and perils of the American political tradition and the prospects for class politics today.Marxism and America sheds new light on old questions, helping to explain why socialism has been so difficult to establish in the United States even as it has exerted a notable influence in American thought.Trade Review'Full of spirited and cogent arguments, prodigiously researched and vivaciously told, Marxism and America is tailor-made for activists and scholars of the present moment.' Alan Wald, University of Michigan'At last, a collection on Marxism in the United States that pays serious attention to women, sexuality and feminism.' Nancy Holmstrom, Rutgers University 'A talented group of writers. Anyone interested in understanding the past and present of the left in the United States — from Eugene Debs to W. E. B. Du Bois through AOC and Bernie Sanders — should read this book!' Bhaskar Sunkara, editor, Jacobin ‘This insightful, compelling collection shines fresh light on the vital importance of the American experience to understanding Marxist thought, as well as the value of Marxian analysis to understanding the history and social movements of the United States.’ Jonathan Bell, UCL'Filled with surprising insights, these beautifully researched essays on a wide range of topics demonstrate the importance and the diversity of Marxist-inspired politics and ideas in American history. At a moment of resurgence for the left, they are a wonderful resource.' Kimberly Phillips-Fein, New York University -- .Table of ContentsPreface – Nelson LichtensteinIntroduction: the Marx–America dialectic – Christopher Phelps and Robin Vandome1 The blue and the gray and the red: Marxism and Civil War memory – Matthew E. Stanley 2 “What is the correct revolutionary proletarian attitude toward sex?”: red love and the Americanization of Marx in the interwar years – Jesse F. Battan3 Marxism and Americanism: A. J. Muste, Louis Budenz, and an “American approach” before the Popular Front – Leilah Danielson4 Women, the family, and sexuality in U.S. Communist Party publications: refashioning Marxism for the Popular Front era – Jodie Collins5 Rethinking Karl Marx: American liberalism from the New Deal to the Cold War – Andrew Hartman6 Black Marxism off the color line: W. E. B. Du Bois and Oliver Cromwell Cox as democratic theorists – Paul M. Heideman7 “Not picketing in front of bra factories”: Marxism, feminism, and the Weather Underground – Sinead McEneaney8 A people’s history of Howard Zinn: radical popular history and its readers – Nick Witham9 Class, commodity, consumption: theorizing sexual violence during the feminist sex wars of the 1980s – Mara Keire10 Will the revolution be podcast? Marxism and the culture of “millennial socialism” in the United States – Tim Jelfs11 Does the American experience refute Marxism? – Kim MoodyIndex

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Book SynopsisIn Marxism and America, an accomplished group of scholars reconsiders the relationship of the United States to the theoretical tradition derived from Karl Marx.In brand new essays that cover the period from the nineteenth century, when Marx wrote for American newspapers, to the present, when a millennial socialism has emerged inspired by the presidential campaigns of Bernie Sanders, the contributors take up topics ranging from memory of the Civil War to feminist debates over sexuality and pornography. Along the way, they clarify the relationship of race and democracy, the promise and perils of the American political tradition and the prospects for class politics today.Marxism and America sheds new light on old questions, helping to explain why socialism has been so difficult to establish in the United States even as it has exerted a notable influence in American thought.Trade Review'Full of spirited and cogent arguments, prodigiously researched and vivaciously told, Marxism and America is tailor-made for activists and scholars of the present moment.' Alan Wald, University of Michigan'At last, a collection on Marxism in the United States that pays serious attention to women, sexuality and feminism.' Nancy Holmstrom, Rutgers University 'A talented group of writers. Anyone interested in understanding the past and present of the left in the United States — from Eugene Debs to W. E. B. Du Bois through AOC and Bernie Sanders — should read this book!' Bhaskar Sunkara, editor, Jacobin ‘This insightful, compelling collection shines fresh light on the vital importance of the American experience to understanding Marxist thought, as well as the value of Marxian analysis to understanding the history and social movements of the United States.’ Jonathan Bell, UCL'Filled with surprising insights, these beautifully researched essays on a wide range of topics demonstrate the importance and the diversity of Marxist-inspired politics and ideas in American history. At a moment of resurgence for the left, they are a wonderful resource.' Kimberly Phillips-Fein, New York University -- .Table of ContentsPreface – Nelson LichtensteinIntroduction: the Marx–America dialectic – Christopher Phelps and Robin Vandome1 The blue and the gray and the red: Marxism and Civil War memory – Matthew E. Stanley 2 “What is the correct revolutionary proletarian attitude toward sex?”: red love and the Americanization of Marx in the interwar years – Jesse F. Battan3 Marxism and Americanism: A. J. Muste, Louis Budenz, and an “American approach” before the Popular Front – Leilah Danielson4 Women, the family, and sexuality in U.S. Communist Party publications: refashioning Marxism for the Popular Front era – Jodie Collins5 Rethinking Karl Marx: American liberalism from the New Deal to the Cold War – Andrew Hartman6 Black Marxism off the color line: W. E. B. Du Bois and Oliver Cromwell Cox as democratic theorists – Paul M. Heideman7 “Not picketing in front of bra factories”: Marxism, feminism, and the Weather Underground – Sinead McEneaney8 A people’s history of Howard Zinn: radical popular history and its readers – Nick Witham9 Class, commodity, consumption: theorizing sexual violence during the feminist sex wars of the 1980s – Mara Keire10 Will the revolution be podcast? Marxism and the culture of “millennial socialism” in the United States – Tim Jelfs11 Does the American experience refute Marxism? – Kim MoodyIndex

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Book SynopsisIn a world of deep political divisions and rising inequality, many of us feel the need for some form of collective resistance and transformative joint action. Calls for solidarity are heard everywhere. This book presents a critical proposal to guide our reflection on what solidarity is and why it matters. How is solidarity distinct from related ideas such as altruism, justice and fellow-feeling? What value does acting in solidarity with others have? In his lead essay, Andrea Sangiovanni offers compelling answers to these questions, arguing that solidarity is not just a fuzzy stand-in for feelings of togetherness but a distinctive social practice for an anxious age. His ideas are then put to the test in a series of responses from some of the world’s foremost philosophers and political theorists.Table of ContentsPart I: Lead essay 1 Solidarity: nature, grounds and value – Andrea Sangiovanni Part II: Responses 2 Solidarity is not joint action – Avery Kolers 3 The (anti)colonial limits of solidarity: history, theory, practice – Jared Holley 4 Collective transformative hope: on living in solidarity – Sally Scholz 5 The meaning(s) of solidarity – Rainer Forst 6 Solidarity and structural injustice – Catherine LuPart III: Reply7 Response to critics – Andrea SangiovanniIndex

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Book SynopsisThe staggering story of the most influential Chinese political dissident of the Mao era, a devout Christian who was imprisoned, tortured, and executed by the regimeBlood Letters tells the astonishing tale of Lin Zhao, a Chinese poet and journalist arrested by the regime in 1960 and executed eight years later, at the height of the Cultural Revolution. Alone among the victims of Mao's dictatorship, she maintained a stubborn and open opposition during the years she was imprisoned. She rooted her dissent in her Christian faith--and expressed it in long, prophetic writings done in her own blood, and at times on her clothes and on cloth torn from her bedsheets.Miraculously, Lin Zhao's prison writings survived, though they have only recently come to light. Drawing on these works and others from the years before her arrest, as well as interviews with friends, family, and classmates, Lian Xi paints an indelible portrait of courage and faith in the face of unrelenting evil.

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Book SynopsisImagining Afghanistan examines how Afghanistanhas been imagined in literary and visual texts that were published after the9/11 attacks and the subsequent U.S.-led invasion—the era that propelledAfghanistan into the center of global media visibility. Through an analysis offiction, graphic novels, memoirs, drama, and film, the book demonstrates thatwriting and screening "Afghanistan" has become a conduit for understanding ourshared post-9/11 condition. "Afghanistan" serves as a lens through whichcontemporary cultural producers contend with the moral ambiguities of twenty-first-centuryhumanitarianism, interpret the legacy of the Cold War, debate the role of theU.S. in the rise of transnational terror, and grapple with the long-term impactof war on both human and nonhuman ecologies.Post-9/11 global Afghanistan literary productionremains largely NATO-centric insofar as it is marked by an uncriticalinvestment in humanitarianism as an approach to Third World suffering and inanti-communism as an unquestioned premise. The book's first half exposes how persistinganti-socialist biases—including anti-statist bias—not only shaped recent literaryand visual texts on Afghanistan, resulting in a distorted portrayal of itstragic history, but also informed these texts' reception by critics. In thebook's second half, the author examines cultural texts that challenge thislimited horizon and forge alternative ways of representing traumatic histories.Captured by the author through the concepts of deep time, nonhuman witness, andwar as a multispecies ecology, these new aesthetics bring readers asophisticated portrait of Afghanistan as a rich multispecies habitat affectedin dramatic ways by decades of war but not annihilated.Table of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction: Global Afghanistan 1. Humanitarian Sublime and the Politics of Pity: Writing and Screening "Afghanistan" Circa 2001 2. Imagining the Soviets: The Faustian Bargain of Khaled Hosseini's Kabul "Trilogy" 3. Humanitarian Jihad: Unearthing the Contemporary in the Narratives of the Long 1979 4. Witness: Modes of Writing the Disaster 5. The Deep Time of War: Nadeem Aslam and the Aesthetics of the Geologic Turn 6. The Kabubble: The Humanitarian Community Under Scrutiny Conclusion: The End of an Era Notes Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisKarl Marx saw the ruling class as a sorcerer, no longer able to control the ominous powers it has summoned from the netherworld. Today, in an age spawning the likes of Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, our society has never before been governed by so many conjuring tricks, with collusions and conspiracies, fake news and endless sleights of the economic and political hand. And yet, contends Andy Merrifield, as our modern lives become ever more mist-enveloped, the works of Marx can help us penetrate the fog. In Marx, Dead and Alive – a book that begins and ends beside Marx’s recently violated London graveside – Merrifield makes a spirited case for a critical thinker who can still offer people a route toward personal and social authenticity. Bolstering his argument with fascinating examples of literature and history, from Shakespeare and Beckett, to the Luddites and the Black Panthers, Merrifield demonstrates how Marx can reveal our individual lives to us within a collective perspective – and within a historical continuum. Who we are now hinges on who we once were – and who we might become. This, at a time when our value-system is undergoing core “post-truth” meltdown.Trade Review“This enchanting portrait of Marx at work, with his legendary overcoat and shuffling ways, is brilliant, informative, and beautifully written. Merrifield then puts the insights he derives from reconnecting with Marx's writing to work to illuminate everything from the writings of Gogol and Dickens to the architectural disaster of New York's Hudson Yards.” —David Harvey, author, A Companion to Marx’s Capital and Marx, Capital and the Madness of Economic Reason

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Book SynopsisKarl Marx saw the ruling class as a sorcerer, no longer able to control the ominous powers it has summoned from the netherworld. Today, in an age spawning the likes of Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, our society has never before been governed by so many conjuring tricks, with collusions and conspiracies, fake news and endless sleights of the economic and political hand. And yet, contends Andy Merrifield, as our modern lives become ever more mist-enveloped, the works of Marx can help us penetrate the fog. In Marx, Dead and Alive – a book that begins and ends beside Marx’s recently violated London graveside – Merrifield makes a spirited case for a critical thinker who can still offer people a route toward personal and social authenticity. Bolstering his argument with fascinating examples of literature and history, from Shakespeare and Beckett, to the Luddites and the Black Panthers, Merrifield demonstrates how Marx can reveal our individual lives to us within a collective perspective – and within a historical continuum. Who we are now hinges on who we once were – and who we might become. This, at a time when our value-system is undergoing core “post-truth” meltdown.Trade Review“This enchanting portrait of Marx at work, with his legendary overcoat and shuffling ways, is brilliant, informative, and beautifully written. Merrifield then puts the insights he derives from reconnecting with Marx's writing to work to illuminate everything from the writings of Gogol and Dickens to the architectural disaster of New York's Hudson Yards.” —David Harvey, author, A Companion to Marx’s Capital and Marx, Capital and the Madness of Economic Reason

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Book SynopsisPresented at a time when fascism was a new and little understood phenomenon, Zetkin's work proposed a sweeping plan for the unity of all victims of capitalism in an ideological and political campaign against the fascist danger.

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Book SynopsisFascism's ascent to power across Europe in the 1920s & 30s marks one of the greatest historical defeats of the left in history. Far from inevitable, this catastrophic defeat was resisted at every turn by Marxists of varying stripes who tried, unsuccessfully, to push the mass communist and social democratic parties to organize an opposition to the rising movements of violent reaction. This important volume offers the most complete selection of Marxist writings on fascism from this period in any language and provides invaluable lessons for contemporary readers concerned with today's far-right.Trade Review"Marxists in the Face of Fascism, with a very useful introduction by David Beetham, is an unrivaled and vital piece, allowing us to grasp the major contribution of inter-war Marxism, in its great diversity of theoretical approaches and political orientations, and to deepening our understanding of fascism and to antifascist practice"—Ugo Palheta, author La Possibilité du Fascisme

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Book SynopsisIn Marx, Women and Capitalist Social Reproduction, Martha E. Giménez offers a distinctive perspective on social reproduction which posits that the relations of production determine the relations of social reproduction, and which links the effects of class exploitation and location to forms of oppression predominantly theorised in terms of identity. Grounding her analysis in Marx's theory and methodology, Giménez examines the relationship between class, reproduction and the oppression of women in different contexts such as the reproduction of labour power, domestic labour, feminisation of poverty, and reproductive technologies. Because most people, whether members of dominant or oppressed groups, are working class, she argues that the future of feminist politics is inextricably tied to class politics and the fate of capitalism.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction Part 1: Marxist-Feminist Theory1 Marxism and Feminism 2 Structuralist Marxism on The Oppression of Women 3 Marxism, and Class, Gender and Race: Rethinking the Trilogy 4 Reflections on Intersectionality 5 What's Material about Materialist Feminism? Part 2: Capitalist Social Reproduction6 Population and Capitalism 7 Feminism, Pronatalism, and Motherhood 8 Reproduction and Procreation under Capitalism: A Marxist-Feminist Analysis 9 The Feminisation of Poverty: Myth or Reality? 10 The Dialectics of Waged and Unwaged Work: Waged Work, Domestic Labour, and Household Survival in the United States 11 Loving Alienation: The Contradictions of Domestic Work 12 Self-Sourcing: How Corporations get us to Work Without Pay 13 From Social Reproduction to Capitalist Social Reproduction Part 3: Whither Feminism? 14 Connecting Marx and Feminism in the Era of Globalisation: A Preliminary Investigation 15 Global Capitalism and Women: From Feminist Politics to Working-Class Women's Politics 16 Capitalism and the Oppression of Women: Marx Revisited Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisEmpiriomonism is Alexander Bogdanov 's scientific-philosophical substantiation of Marxism. In Books One and Two, he combines Ernst Mach 's and Richard Avenarius 's neutral monist philosophy with the theory of psychophysical parallelism and systematically demonstrates that human psyches are thoroughly natural and are subject to nature 's laws. In Book Three, Bogdanov argues that empiriomonism is superior to G. V. Plekhanov 's outdated materialism and shows how the principles of empiriomonism solve the basic problem of historical materialism: how a society 's material base causally determines its ways of thinking. Bogdanov concludes that empiriomonism is of the same order as materialist systems, and, since it is the ideology of the productive forces of society, it is a Marxist philosophy.Table of ContentsPreface The Autobiography of Alexander Bogdanov Bogdanov as a Thinker V.A. Bazarov Book One 1 The Ideal of Cognition (Empiriomonism of the Physical and the Psychical) 2 Life and the Psyche 1 The Realm of Experiences 2 Psychoenergetics 3 The Monist Conception of Life 3 Universum (Empiriomonism of the Separate and the Continuous) Conclusion to Book One Book Two 4 The 'Thing-in-Itself ' from the Perspective of Empiriomonism 5 Psychical Selection (Empiriomonism in the Theory of the Psyche) 1 Foundations of the Method 2 Applications of the Method (Illustrations) 6 Two Theories of the Vital-Differential Book Three 7 Preface to Book Three 1 Three Materialisms 2 Energetics and Empiriocriticism 3 The Path of Empiriomonism 4 Regarding Eclecticism and Monism 8 Social Selection (Foundations of the Method) 9 Historical Monism 1 Main Lines of Development 2 Classes and Groups 10 Self-Awareness of Philosophy (The Origin of Empiriomonism) Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis innovative book hones in on key elements of Marx's vast oeuvre, focusing on his contribution to social theory. Themes addressed include: the declining utility of Hegelian philosophy for Marx, his deepening confrontation with Ricardian political economy, Engels’ distorting impact on the publication of Capital, the place of the accumulation of capital, and especially of ‘primitive accumulation’, in Marx’s thought, and more. Extending beyond an analysis of the writing of Marx himself, Zarembka highlights the contributions of Rosa Luxemburg in the realms of political economy and nationalism and closes the book with a consideration of state conspiracies.Trade Review“The virtue of Zarembka’s book is that it examines the different ways in which Marx made a contribution to the social sciences. It offers to the reader much that is original and significant.… He explains in clear and accessible language key concepts of Marx’s economics, and how these have been interpreted by writers such as Rosa Luxemburg. This is a book which can be highly recommended both to specialists in Marx’s ideas and to the wider reading public.” —James D. White, Critical Sociology, 47:7/8 (Nov 2021)“[Paul Zarembka] has written a cogent, far-ranging, and informative work that provides useful insights into some evolving issues and controversies in Marx’s political economy… The informed and provocative nature of some of the arguments and ideas presented will serve to stimulate further research into important Marxian concepts.” —Contributions to Political Economy, June 2021

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Book SynopsisIn Forces of Production, Climate Change and Canadian Fossil Capitalism, Nicolas Graham reinterprets the concept of forces of production from an ecological standpoint and in the context of the deepening climate crisis. He argues that ecological knowledge itself, as well as associated developments in renewable energy technology and green infrastructure, represent advancements in productive forces. However, such "green productive forces" are fettered by capitalist relations of production, including the power of carbon capital. In addition to a conceptual and theoretical reinterpretation, case studies focusing on Canadian fossil capitalism provide a concrete-complex analysis of the deepening of fossil-fuelled productive forces and the process of fettering in both renewable energies and in the development and application of ecological knowledge.

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Book SynopsisThe Age of Assassins describes in gripping detail Vladimir Putin?s ruthless rise to power in Russia from his earliest rise to power in 1991 as an insignificant former KGB officer in Berlin. He gained power over the entire country and its economy by determining elections through business deals and criminal intervention ? from sophisticated cheating right up to murder and poisoning.

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