A superb account of the rise and fall of communism and the communist states. Written in a direct, simple style, eschewing philosophical and existential jargon, it presents all sides of the phenomenon in a sober and factual manner. While the earlier chapters cover ground that is probably already to the keen reader, although they contain a valuable summary of Stalin's excesses and the sufferings of the people, it is the latter part that is of most interest, as it recounts the growth of glasnost and perestroika, the struggles of Gorbachev and Yeltsin, and the dominoes effect of the breakup of the Soviet Union on the erstwhile 'people's democracies' of Eastern Europe. Of absorbing interest are also the author's discussion of the remaining communist states, especially China and Cuba, which have struck out in different ways from the Soviet model. ( )

Disclaimer: This is a personal review and should not be taken into consideration before taking up this book

Pros:
1. A comprehensive history of the vast vast and complex Communism , cold war and its fall.
2. Very neutral . He seems to have no emotions into it and is just recording the happening with a little insight (that history always provides).
3. Very well defined scope of what he is going to deal with.
4. The writer has included everything , even small incidences of communist rising.
5. Loved certain moments as it provided a kind of simplicity and happiness that makes me like a book. Basically loved the Rise and Fall of Berlin Wall , the naivety or simplicity of Che Guevera made my day and made me believe in goodness for sometime. As a whole , I love Cold War politics and this book didnot disappoint me in it .

Cons:
1. For non native speaker , it is a super tough read. The language does not follow a free simple flow.
2. Very Western world centric. I don't buy his proclamation that Communism has ended whereas there is A huge China to prove otherwise. Though he justifies his thoughts , stating that China is at best a hybrid Communist state is a faulty one; if you look at it every Communist country molded Marx-Engels idea to suit their concept of power.
3. Pt.[2] brings to this , he seemed to treat Non European or Western countries/entites to be third class citizen who has no contribution to the world politics and all ideas have originated from the West, to be later used by them.
4. The writer has not dwelled upon the reasons behind such drastic change in the ideologies of USSR leaders. This was a personal peeve for me , as it seemed very astonishing to see the U turns taken by Krushchev or Gorbachev , without understanding where it came from . Though Gorbachev was a little explained towards the end but Khrushchev remained a mystery.
5. He seemed to be very harsh towards the strong leaders and to the idea as a whole right from the beginning. I personally would have liked a gradual change in tone as the novel proceeded.

Loved and hated the book equally. Will 3 star it till I don't find a book that will either make this book stand's better or worse. ( )

Como seria de esperar numa obra tão extensa, há partes mais interessantes do que outras.
O autor tem amplo conhecimento do tema, razão pela qual, por vezes, se perde em pormenores irrelevantes.
A parte da “ascensão” pareceu-me mais dinâmica do que a parte da “queda”, talvez porque a primeira foi um fenómeno quase universal e a segunda um fenómeno local com consequências globais.
Realmente interessante é a definição de Estado Comunista apresentada no capítulo 6. ( )

This book is the product of decades of scholarship, and it shows in the clarity and precision of its analysis. Brown defines his object from the start and gives satisfying, digestible explanations of what kept Communism alive and what killed it. That clarity comes at a cost of breadth and life. Many topics (such as Africa and Latin America) are omitted, and the book is often EXTREMELY boring. As with Priestland this book made me wonder if "Communism" is really an ideal historical topic, or whether the author really should have written a more focused book about what he knows best, which seems to be the postwar Soviet Union. ( )

An examination of the emergence, rule, and downfall of Communist systems around the world.