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Book Review
Comparative/World
Tim Rees and Andrew Thorpe, editors. International Communism and the Communist International 19191943. New York: Manchester University Press. 1998. Pp. x, 323. $79.95.
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The collapse of the Soviet Union early in the 1990s led to the partial opening of long-closed Russian archives, throwing new light on old controversies in communist history and raising new issues for debate. Articles and books have been appearing in a steady stream, most notably from Yale University Press, which has established an Annals of Communism series with more than a dozen projected volumes, several dealing with the Communist International (CI) and its constituent parties. The book under review is a collection of articles stemming from a symposium held at the University of Exeter with scholars from around the world asked to present papers on the Comintern in light of and using the new material now available for research. |
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There are three major sections. After three articles on the Comintern itselfone on the origins of the Third International, one on the structure and personnel of the Comintern, and an important essay by Kevin McDermott on what the new documentation tells us about the CI's historythe book includes ten presentations on the Comintern's European sections, covering countries ranging from Great Britainthe subject of two essaysto Greece. The only notable region lacking representation here is Scandinavia. The third part is less focused, with five articles on the Comintern's sections in Asia and the Americas. This coverage is far more spotty, with articles on Japan, China, India, the United States, and Cuba, omitting all of Latin America. Several other important Communist parties are not covered, including South Africa's. |
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