In The Specter of Communism: The United States and the Origins of the Cold War, 1917-1953, Melvyn P. Leffler traces the history of U.S. policymakers’ fears of communism from the Russian Revolution of 1917 through the Korean War. He shows “that the lessons of the 1930s cast a huge shadow over postwar foreign policies. These lessons were not simply that appeasement did not work nor that exports were the key to prosperity, but that configurations of power abroad were critical to the maintenance of a free political economy at home. American officials had concluded as early as 1940 that they could not live in a world dominated by totalitarian nations, even if those powers refrained from attacking the United States” (pg. viii). Leffler draws extensively upon newly-declassified or available sources from the time in which he wrote, allowing him to draw conclusions about Stalin and his advisers’ actions.

Leffler writes of the Soviet Union at the end of World War II, “Safeguarding his periphery was critical to Stalin. Peace was desirable in the short run, because his country had been devastated; but war was likely in the long run, so the Soviet Union needed to be prepared for every eventuality” (pg. 39). On the American side, “If victory over the Axis was to usher in a period of peace and stability, Roosevelt believed, Soviet-American amity would need to be a component of that postwar order” (pg. 45) Domestically, “religious ultraconservatives often joined with right-wing extremists and racial segregationists. They equated the struggle against Communism with the eternal battle between Satan and Christ and with the quest to preserve a white-dominated regime in the South” (pg. 60). To this end, “Gradually, between 1947 and 1950, the United States took on the role of hegemon in the international system and in so doing accepted responsibility for revitalizing the international economy, thwarting the spread of Communism, and guaranteeing the security of its partners” (pg. 65). Leffler continues, “A Cold War consensus formed. Truman was willing to fight domestic subversives, as the Republicans demanded, in return for their support of his foreign policy” (pg. 78).

Leffler concludes, “Politicians like Richard M. Nixon initially found anti-Communism an irresistible tool to clobber political foes, win votes, discredit the New Deal, and attack the executive branch. Over time, anti-Communism took on a life of its own. Many Americans found that it helped them make sense of a complex world, a world they knew little about. Its appeal stemmed from the fact that it resonated with their fears or served their interests” (pg. 119). Further, “As the United States became more involved in waging the Cold War and fighting the Korean War, statism, repression, and executive authority appeared to be on the rise rather than free markets and free discourse” (pg. 127).

The Specter of Communism is a useful primer on the early Cold War for both academics and non-academics alike. ( )