Review

General Books

Robert Conquest is one of the West's most eminent, and often controversial, historians. His life work includes over two dozen volumes of history, politics, poetry, literary criticism, and fiction, including his widely read and acclaimed studies of the Stalinist period: The Great Terror and Harvest of Sorrow. Conquest's most recent volume, Reflections on a Ravaged Century, is an erudite, idiosyncratic, and unapologetically conservative attempt to explain the myriad tragedies that have so bloodied the history of the twentieth century. Conquest, now in his 80s, reflects on a lifetime of scholarship and experience as he argues "that the main responsibility for the century's disasters lies...not in impersonal forces but in human beings, thinking certain thoughts and as a result performing certain actions." And, says Conquest, we must learn the lessons of the twentieth century if we are to survive the twenty-first. He points to Ideas, (with a capital I) as the root cause of the catastrophes of the twentieth century—"Ideas that claimed to transcend all problems, but were defective or delusive, devastated minds, and movements, and whole countries." In the last century, he argues, "humanity has been savaged and trampled by rogue ideologies," especially Communism, fascism, and extreme forms of nationalism. The stated purpose of the book is to discover "how and why [these Ideas] came to motivate movements, parties and states," and to expose variants of these sinister ideologies still lurking in contemporary society.	1
In the first half of the book, titled "Mindslaughter," Conquest contrasts those states based on the rule of law and political liberty—"the culture of sanity,"—with utopian and totalitarian systems, which, in their attempt to mold "new men" and achieve ideological purity, have been responsible for immeasurable human suffering in the twentieth century. The aberrations of the right—nationalism, Fascism, National Socialism—make their appearance briefly. But the bulk of this section is devoted to a discussion of Marxism, Communism, and, finally, the history of the Soviet Union, which, for Conquest, is the prime example of a major country victimized by a utopian and totalitarian Idea. Clearly, Conquest considers totalitarian ideologues (especially Marxists) the chief enemies of law and liberty, but, running a close second, are western journalists and intellectuals who "became firm believers in a large array of falsehoods about the Marxist states, in particular the Soviet Union." In denouncing the "delusions" of scholars like Sidney and Beatrice Webb, Harold Laski, Bernard Pares, and Eric Hobsbawm, (and, admittedly, overlooking their manifest contributions), Conquest spares no contempt for left-leaning academics who sank into what he labels "the mental idiocy of pure Sovietophilia." It is almost as if Conquest were saying, "I told you so" (perhaps justifiably) to all those critics.	2
In Part II, "Facing the Consequences," Conquest takes a look at the contemporary scene in the West. He argues that our present problems "arise from, or are greatly worsened by, mental attitudes" that "show a family resemblance" to the totalitarian ideologies he dissected in Part I. This is the weakest part of the book, for these chapters come awfully close to being a culture-wars rant against everything Conquest disdains about the modern world—environmentalism, feminism, political correctness, and the European idea, to name a few. He plays fast and loose with his opinions, often offering little or no supporting evidence. Yet, even with these caveats, readers will find Conquest's opinions thought provoking and worth the effort of reading.	3
Using the book in an undergraduate setting will be a challenge. Since the book is not a history of the twentieth century, but a commentary on that history, only students with a working knowledge of the subject would benefit. In addition, the book presents less an integrated analysis than a set of loosely-related essays, some of which have appeared previously in other publications. However, instructors, and students who have the appropriate background, will certainly find a wealth of material to discuss in graduate classes or select undergraduate seminars. Regrettably, there are no source references other than internal mentions of authors or books, but the bibliography is a wonderfully eclectic list that testifies to the breadth of Conquest's learning. It is a list that could be given to students to serve as a basis for a lifetime's study in the humanities. In sum, this is a book worth reading, but it will pay the largest dividends to those who already know a great deal about the topics Conquest discusses.	4
Webster University, St. Louis Missouri Michael J. Salevouris

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