Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant summary of communism.
Review: In a mere 165 pages, Professor pipes was able to convey the essence of communism: the quest for an elusive social equality that had gone haywire.It all started with a bad idea that went worse each time the communists tried to tinker with it. In order to promote equality, they, on one hand, suppressed private property, free press and free elections; but on the other hand, they established a new class: the "Party members" to carry out the execution of the program. The latter received special treatments in form of nomenklaturas: they were able to buy high quality items in special shops while common people had to line up to buy scarce, low quality merchandise in government stores. This, among other things, ran counter to the equality program. They then coerced people into working more but receiving less in form of wages and benefits: this was another contradiction of the system. In the end, the privileged few were powerful and had total control over the silent majority. The Soviet Union then diverted 30 to 40% of its GNP to build up a strong military system at the expense of draining the nation's limited economic resources. Bureaucracy led to economic insufficiency, decreased production and further impoverishment of the people; it also led to man-made starvation. The system finally imploded resulting in the breakdown of the Soviet Union. The cost of the experimentation was staggering: 85 to 100 million people died as a result.
Rating: 
Summary: A History of Hypocrisy and Brutality
Review: For a mere 160 pages, this book is saturated with intriguing history. It certainly provides a concrete outline to one of the most psychotic and bloody endeavors ever embarked upon by humankind. If we are to fathom how it was that Stalin could so readily do away with millions of human lives, it is necessary to explore the idea, or "theory", of Communism. Long having been the plaything of idle philosophy, Communism was first given a scientific foundation by Karl Marx, who converted even the skeptics with his painfully elaborate social and economic analyses. Using Georg Wilhelm Friederich Hegel's philosophy of dialectical history and Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, Marx propounded the idea of a "social evolution" that would ultimately lead to the overthrow of capitalism and the rule of the proletariat. So scientific was this theory, that hardcore communists ascribed to it the defining element of fatalism. Indeed, such bloodthirsty monsters as Mao Tse-Tung and Pol Pot religiously believed their violent social project was teleologically driven by the course of nature and perfectly outside the realm of moral liability. For Communism to have imbued a fundamentalist character of such outrageous heights was perhaps its greatest curse upon history. Richard Pipes describes in sometimes amusing detail the frightening Communist machine first established by Vladimir Lenin. Uncompromising from the start, Lenin furiously insisted in the face of opposition from his fellow communists upon a violent interpretation of Marx, eventually earning for himself his very own epithet - "Leninism". Lenin distinguished himself further by attempting to speed up the process of Marx's social evolution, mainly through imposing a system of totalitarian control. Upon securing the seat of power through the Bolshevik Revolution, Lenin immediately established a one-party system and suspended what few civil rights the people of the Soviet Republic enjoyed. He realized early on that his "communism" would have to be imposed through force and violence from above. This, however, was to become Communism's greatest weakness, for the machine could not sustain itself except through increasing violence. When Communist policies resulted in total disaster, Lenin only acted to implement them with greater violence. Stalin later took to more fanatic extremes to bring about the Communist fantasy. His attempt to collectivize Soviet agriculture, coupled with the fierce retribution he leveled against those who resisted his "development" programs, meant the deaths of faceless millions. Countless more lives were lost during the Great Terror, in which unremitting fear and paranoia pervaded the Republic as anybody could be shot at random on the mere suspicion of treason. Law had absolutely no meaning for Lenin and still less in the black, hellish nightmare that became known as "Stalinism". Pipes rightly points out the glaring contradictions in Soviet Communism, both internally and with the prophet Marx himself. For example, Lenin's New Economic Policy permitted peasant farmers to sell on the open market and authorized, to a limited degree, trade and the private production of consumer goods. Stalin instituted the "nomenklatura": a group of Communist officials who enjoyed elite privileges, making egalitarianism an impossibility. Skilled workers received higher wages. Stalin allied himself to Hitler, a bizarre collaboration between extreme left and right. During the war with Germany, Stalin called upon his Soviet subjects to fight for "Holy Russia", thereby reintroducing the "opium of the masses" that Marx so bitterly despised. Stalin was also a notorious anti-Semite, planning at one point to expel the Soviet Jewish population to Siberia. Perhaps in his madness, he forgot that the prophet himself was Jewish. The level of Soviet repression led to the ultimate fear that the Revolution would incite a revolution. --- This book, like any other, is not without shortcomings. There is minimal discussion of the social and political history in which the seeds of Communism were planted and nourished. Why exactly did Communism come about? Communism is described as "revolutionary". What then was it that Communism was revolting against? There is also no discussion of the fact that communism had a large following prior to Marx, who can hardly be described as the first communist. If anything, he was only the first Marxist. Marx simply popularized communism like never before. Pipes doesn't even mention the French Revolution, which for Marx served as the prototypical revolution against an illegitimate economic system. Hence, his historical obsession. What was it that led millions of people worldwide to follow such a desperately radical movement? Communism cannot, after all, exist in a social, political, and economic vacuum. It thrives off of a hatred for and feeds its revolutionary hunger against something. That something is capitalism, the illegitimate father of communism. What was it about the nature of the capitalist system that generated so much resentment? Here, it is important to distinguish criticism from solution. Was the Marxist critique of the capitalist system valid? Were there (and are there still) legitimate grievances against capitalism? Pipes provides zero discussion of the Communist Manifesto aside from merely mentioning its title. It is clear that without providing a truthful account of the demoralizing agents within capitalism, it will never be possibly to fully understand the position of the communists. Other minor problems with the book include the omission of any discussion of Ché Guevara - hardly a minor figure in history. Pipes misrepresents Pinochet's coup against Salvatore Allende by ignoring the CIA's role. He distorts Italian history by failing to mention the CIA's contribution in subverting the democratic process in 1948. He presents the hostilities between Cuba and the U.S. as though they were only an issue with Communism (U.S. hostility to Cuba goes back to the very origins of American history). Pipes misrepresents the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC) by omitting the object of their revolt, namely the U.S.-backed Columbian army and paramilitary forces. He does a great injustice to Nicaragua by noting only the lack of popular support for the Sandinistas, while cheerfully omitting a far more significant fact - the Sandinistas were defending Nicaragua from the devastating and wholly unlawful attacks by the United States. In short, Pipes takes "communism" out of context, presenting it as an eternal evil, which makes it impossible to fully understand it. --- In short, this book is quite useful as introductory material. However, it's absolutely necessary to read widely and learn the full picture if we are to properly understand the infamous phenomenon of "communism".
Rating:
Summary: A slim volume of horror
Review: After reading Pipes' "Communism" one will get a much better sense of the twisted idealism that led to the extermination of millions of innocents. Pipes discusses in detail the roots of Communism, it's eventual collapse, and why it still survives in some parts of the world while its leaders are obvilious to its defects. Although Pipes could have written a much longer book, this is an excellent beginning for anyone with interest in politics and specifically the stubborn existence of Socialist thought.
Rating:
Summary: Pipes didn't go far enough...
Review: In my view Pipes overestimated the subjects of his study. In addition to having an unworkable economic program, a complete lack of understanding of human nature and a generally homicidal disposition, Marxists just aren't all that bright. As 'heraklitus' points out below, even with a paranoid attitude and history's biggest intelligence agency the leaders of the USSR knowingly participated in an arms race they knew in advance they couldn't win. It's not a surprise everything they tried to build ended in failure.
Rating:
Summary: 167 Compelling Pages
Review: A few reviewers of this book are horrified that Richard Pipes straightforwardly blames communism for the oceans of blood spilled by Soviet, Chinese, Cuban, Cambodian, and other noted communists tyrants. One reviewer even suggests that American capitalism has produced horrors of comparable magnitude. Hmmm.... What might these depredations of capitalism be? While capitalism has not and will not produce heaven on earth - no system ever will - the negative effects of capitalism that agitate its detractors are hardly comparable to the wholesale slaughtering of human freedom and human life achieved by every single communist regime. Pipes argues eloquently and without a hint of hysteria that communism by its nature breeds tyranny. It is not the only breeder of tyranny, of course, but it is certainly the gold medallist of tyrannical forces. Pipes' humanity, his skill with words, and his deep knowledge of history make this little book a true gem.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent and easy read
Review: It's too bad readers like ... continue the sad myth that communism only failed because it occurred on unpromising Russian soil. Funny how communism always seems to be occuring in the wrong place at the wrong time. Why did Cuba fail? Apparently, Cuba was also not fertile soil for this wonderful ideology. Why did communism in China fail? Presumably ... believes this too was not the right place or time. Of course, one needn't read too much Lenin to realize that he wasn't a thug who appropriated communism for his ruthless purposes. As Pipes shows, Lenin passionately believed in communism's tenets and wrote many analytic texts of this ideology. Every instrument of terror employed by Stalin was created by Lenin, an avid and thoughtful follower of Marx. To dismiss these people as inauthentic communists is revisionism at its worst. The converse of ... ridiculous review of this book is equally illuminating. Whereas communism never seems to find the right venue in which to flower, free-market capitalism never seems to fail, from the United States to a rock called Hong Kong. Capitalism is not anarchism, but countries that establish a firm rule of law and incentives for individuals to produce within that legal framework invariably excel. It's funny how people who defend capitalism always defend it as it actually exists, whereas those who defend communism or socialism always defend only the ideal. That speaks volumes. As if there is any basis for evaluating an ideology other than how it actually performs. I could easily defend the ideal of capitalism - all businesses would be perfectly run, no unemployment, etc.. It's a nice trick if you can away with it. I am very glad Pipes wrote this wonderful book so people remember not only that communism failed more miserably than its worst critics could have forseen, but exactly why it did so.
Rating:
Summary: The Awful Truth
Review: It is a disturbing read. Communism is such a large topic, yet Pipes compresses it into a very short book. By needing to be straight to the point, the nature of communism emerges clearly. It was the greatest disaster ever inflicted on the human race.
Rating:
Summary: A fast read and a great read
Review: I finished this book in one sitting. It was so well written that I couldn't put it down, something I surely didn't expect. Pipes gives a concise and no-nonsense report on the story of Marxism and its wholly despicable results. Especially fascinating to me were the sections on Stalinist Russia, and the rise of Communism in Asia. Well worth the time (it won't take too much after all) to better understand what is probably the most significant political story of 20th century civilization.
Rating:
Summary: Very readable
Review: A facinating and very readable history of the this failed and abusive system.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing introduction to an important subject
Review: Communism was an amazing development in world history. A system of ideas took control of intellectuals and revolutionaries across the world, but in unindustrialized nations communism was able to achieve power and wrecked horrible suffering on those unlucky enough to be born within its grasp. Richard Pipes does an excellent service by providing the reader with a concise history of Communism. Call it a 'Cliff Notes' if you will, yet it is brief and easy to follow. Pipes spilts his book into three sections. The first details the history of communism from Marx to its rise and domination in Russie. The second is the reaction to communism and its influence on intellectual life in other industrialized nations. Finally Pipes explores communisms influence in the third world with an excellent examination of China and how Mao's style of communism contrasted with the USSR (which was caught between hoping to encourage communism abroad but unwilling to see communists abroad who achieved power drift from control by Moscow...result tension and hostility between Russia, China etc.). While Communism has died, it is important that we remember its errors for two reasons. The first is so we do not repeat them, obviously. The second is so that we know where the modern world came from as we start our way into a new century.
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