Suchergebnisse

"Explores the relationship between culture and power in Imperial Russia. Argues that Russia's performing arts were part of a vibrant public culture that was usually ambivalent or hostile to the tumultuous political events of the revolutionary era"--Provided by publisher

A review of three books: (1) Stephane Courtois et al, The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression (Cambridge: Harvard U Press, 1999); (2) Francois Furet, The Passing of an Illusion: The Idea of Communism in the Twentieth Century (Chicago: U of Chicago Press, 1999); (3) Robert Conquest, Reflections on a Ravaged Country (New York: Norton, 2000). Courtois et al document the human costs exacted by multiple century communist regimes, challenging conventional historiography by connecting the Soviet state's oppressive policies with the Lenin regime, the USSR's attempts to influence international political developments, & communism's influence within multiple Asian, Latin American, & African nations. Furet's attempt to explicate why some intellectuals, particularly those from Western European nations, have provided strong support for communist ideals is then discussed; specific attention is dedicated to examining Furet's claims that Western European nations viewed the Bolshevik Revolution as perpetuating the spirit of the French Revolution & that Stalin effectively presented the Soviet state as a valuable ally in combating the emergence of fascism. Conquest offers an alternative account of communism's continued popularity in Western academia, namely Western intellectuals attraction to communism's underlying utopian ideals. Moreover, Conquest's contentions that many Western intellectuals were deceived upon visiting the USSR & that Western journalists were discouraged from producing negative reports about the USSR are considered. The need for Western scholars to acknowledge their part in allowing communism to violate certain people's human rights is stressed. J. W. Parker