Stalinism for All Seasons by Vladimir Tismăneanu

The author has succeeded in giving not only a solid account of the spirituality and history of communist and fascist regimes, but also an outstanding testimony of liberal political and normative thinking.' 'The book offers a fascinating read with an incredible wealth of bibliographic sources that will benefit all those interested in the topic. 'A fascinating, brilliant and captivating book. presents a genuinely fresh perspective on this topic.” “The parallels between communism and fascism have often been noted, fueling endless debates over whether the movements were fundamentally similar or different. “An ambitious and challenging rereading of twentieth-century history.” It is likely to remain a durable contribution to a deeper understanding of the great historical outrages of the past century which were closely linked to the concept and reality of totalitarianism.” “This volume achieves the rare distinction of being at once nuanced and impassioned. It is a claim that since 1945, and particularly the Cold War, has generated much controversy. This affinity of Leninism with Nazism is the argument of Tismaneanu’s book. He comes to the conclusion that no party, movement, or leader holds the right to dictate to the followers to renounce their critical faculties and to embrace a pseudo-miraculous, a mystically self-centered, delusional vision of mandatory happiness. Ultimately, the author claims that no ideological commitment, no matter how absorbing, should ever prevail over the sanctity of human life. As much a theoretical analysis of the practical philosophies of Marxism-Leninism and Fascism as it is a political biography of particular figures, this book deals with the incarnation of diabolically nihilistic principles of human subjugation and conditioning in the name of presumably pure and purifying goals. The author discusses thinkers who have shaped contemporary understanding of totalitarian movements-people such as Hannah Arendt, Raymond Aron, Isaiah Berlin, Albert Camus, François Furet, Tony Judt, Ian Kershaw, Leszek Kolakowski, Richard Pipes, and Robert C.

He examines the inherent ideological appeal of these radical, revolutionary political movements, the visions of salvation and revolution they pursued, the value and types of charisma of leaders within these political movements, the place of violence within these systems, and their legacies in contemporary politics. Vladimir Tismaneanu brilliantly compares communism and fascism as competing, sometimes overlapping, and occasionally strikingly similar systems of political totalitarianism. Reflecting the author’s personal experiences within communist totalitarianism, this is a book about political passions, radicalism, utopian ideals, and their catastrophic consequences in the twentieth century’s experiments in social engineering. The Devil in History is a provocative analysis of the relationship between communism and fascism.

Stalinism for All Seasons by Vladimir Tismăneanu