Ideologies Books - Page 5

La ficcion Fidel (Spanish Edition)

Zoe Valdes

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Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Zoé Valdés, La reconocida escritora cubana, traza una apasionada declaración contra el régimen comunista cubano . . . Un retrato de Fidel Castro contado desde su punto de vista desenfrenado y tenaz

"A veces pienso que todo esto ha sido una pesadilla, o una película mala, o una novela mediocre, o una pésima telenovela, un chiste pesado". Así comienza La ficción Fidel, el libro en el que la escritora exiliada expresa su rechazo al régimen de Fidel Castro, quien nos dice ha logrado hipnotizar tanto a amigos como a enemigos del régimen, manipulando y distorsionando la realidad. "Fidel Castro ha sido el más grande especialista de marketing que ha dado la historia contemporánea. Creó un producto—la revolución—y todo el mundo se lo compró".

Zoé Valdés es reconocida por su ficción, la cual la ha consagrado internacionalmente. Sin embargo, en este nuevo libro la autora deja de lado todo componente ficticio para expresar fervientemente su repudio al régimen de Fidel Castro, combinando fluidamente diferentes géneros (ensayo, historia, memoria) dentro de una obra totalmente original.

Con entrevistas secretas, documentos ocultos y su propia experiencia profesional, Valdés devela un gobierno turbio, lleno de contradicciones, guiado por uno de los hombres más manipuladores y carismáticos del mundo.

The Communist Manifesto

Karl Marx

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

book-the communist manifesto 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I ordered this book for my son, a college student who needed it as a'supplemet' for his course on Sociology.

Never have so many extrapolated so much out of so little. 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

A concept born in a simpler time used as an excuse for many things from Socialism to controlled capitalism. As with any pivotal work one should read it for his/her self. There is always the chance of misinterpretation by an individual, but if you do not read this then you are just accepting someone's word anyway.
This is more than an economics book it is a way of life. It sounds good on paper but makes a lot of assumptions. Instead of worrying about workability, look at the logic that is built on assumptions of that time (written, in 1848). Add this to your library.

You can pick a side (pro or con) and make a stand if you like; but look at the size of this book and realize that many people will just use the title and build their own case. You will have read the real thing. And be sure to balance it with. "The Capitalist Manifesto" by Louis O. Kelso

The Capitalist Manifesto

Editorial Review:

The Communist Manifesto is the classic work by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels that founded the idea of a communist type government. This publication has been used widely in political science courses and by individuals studying comparative government and various forms of political movements. The Communist Manifesto is highly recommended for those interested in learning about communism and those who are fans of the writings of Karl Marx and Frederick Engels.

Karl Marx: Selected Writings

Karl Marx

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Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Excellent Selection of Marx's Writings. 5 out of 5 stars.
17 of 19 people found this review helpful.

This is an excellent selection of the writings of Karl Marx. This includes many writings which do not make it into the usual Marx/Engels Readers; Writings including Marx's Letters, his criticism of Bakunin, more writings on economics than in the usual Reader, and so on. One flaw of it, though, is that it does not contain the later writings of Engels writen after Marx's death. I suppose this is to be expected; It is after all *Marx's* writings, not Engels. However, the loss does not affect it much, and the book is still one of the most valuable tomes of Marxism I've bought. I'd recommend anyone interested in the thought of Karl Marx to get this book; If one is interested in both the writings of Marx and Engels, I'd recommend they get this book and the Marx/Engels Reader to supplement it. I have both, and both are fascinating.

Editorial Review:

This second edition of McLellan's comprehensive selection of Marx's writings includes carefully selected extracts from the whole range of Marx's political, philosophical, and economic thought. Each section of the book deals with a different period of Marx's life, allowing readers to trace the development of his thought from his early years as a student and political journalist in Germany up through the final letters he wrote in the early 1880s. A fully updated editorial introduction and bibliography has been included for each extract in this new edition.

Das Kapital, Gateway Edition

Karl Marx

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Horrible edition 1 out of 5 stars.
11 of 12 people found this review helpful.

The Gateway Edition of Capital is a great example right-wing capitalist economists distorting Marx for their own purposes. The introduction has a pro-capitalist bias, and substantial portions of the work have been cut out from this edition.

If you want to read Capital, Volume I, get the Penguin or Vintage edition, which is unabridged and has extensive footnotes.

Where Marxist Economics meets Realpolitik. 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 6 people found this review helpful.

I gave this book five stars,because it shows outright, that Marx had a layman's understanding of everyday economics.When Marx's social political theories needed economic validation,he unleashed the monetary-literary behemoth,"Das Kapital".This book was a successful seller among Wall Street piscivorous investors,selling out thousands of copies the first week of publication.On the back cover,it stated,"This book will make you rich!".It didn't financially help the sucker-fish really,yet the book had tremendous 'psychic revenue' for them.This tome has no real sound economic basis and has been discredited by all leading specialists on monetary matters.Yet,it remains the best insight of the fallacies of "closed economic society".By closing the doors on trade,one destroys life,liberty and the pursuit of happiness.China has a vast ever-growing economy ,yet their personal economic choices are few.Marx's theory of labor-value has not stood the test of time.It was merely used as a 'short-term remedy' by the new Socialist committee,who overthrew the old oppressive militant regime or the vacillatory arrogant king.The English Luddites and the French Saboters were reared docile by their Christian blind instruction,and later agitated by being forced to adept to the new conditions of an advancing technological society,controlled largely by the jewish-class.I would read this economic magnum opus,only if you already had a vast knowledge of monetary axioms and political history .

Editorial Review:

A more comprehensible version of Marx's most famous work for the modern student of socialist and Communist thought.

ANTI-CAPITALISTIC MENTALITY, THE (Lib Works Ludwig Von Mises PB)

LUDWIG VON MISES

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Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Envy or Conceit? 4 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.

The Anti Capitalistic Mentality is Mises' attempt to uncover the driving force behind the socialist movement of the early twentieth century. As such, it should be seen as an alternative to Hayek's `Fatal Conceit/Abuse of Reason' hypothesis. Mises and Hayek agree on some points. Mises claims that "everyone is prone to overate his own worth and deserts" (p10). This is consistent with Hayek's Fatal Conceit hypothesis, but Mises takes the idea that people overate themselves inn a different direction. Hayek thought that intellectuals disdain capitalism because it offends their intellectual pride. Those who see themselves as the best and brightest cannot accept the idea that spontaneously evolved orders outperform any system that they can consciously design.

Mises emphasizes envy and resentment, along with the lack of proper economic education. As Mises puts it on page 36 socialists "are blinded by envy and ignorance. They stubbornly refuse to stuffy economics ... they pretend to trust only in experience. But they also stubbornly refuse to take cognizance of the undeniable facts of experience".

The main problem with this book is that it is too short. Mises did not develop his ideas in this book to the extent he developed other ideas elsewhere. Also, Mises relies too much on the notion that people hate capitalism because the market value of their wage is below their self-evaluation. People do tend to overate their own worth. However, it should be noted that even those who succeed often hate capitalism. Consider the following list of highly successful wealthy capitalism haters: John Lennon, James Cameron, George Soros, Stephen Speilberg, Warren Beatty, Ted Turner, Jane Fonda... These people passed the market test and then some. Yet they hate the system that made them wealthy and famous. Why? Lack of economic education might explain more than does envy. Who would they envy?

The Anti Capitalistic Mentality is still an important book. It explores vital issues that should be sorted out more completely. Since Mises kept this book brief, the task of developing this and Hayek's work on the motivations behind the socialist/interventionist movement will be left to their intellectual heirs.

Editorial Review:

In "The Anti-capitalistic Mentality", the respected economist Ludwig von Mises plainly explains the causes of the irrational fear and hatred many intellectuals and others feel for capitalism. In five concise chapters, he traces the causation of the misunderstandings and resultant fears that cause resistance to economic development and social change. He enumerates and rebuts the economic arguments against and the psychological and social objections to economic freedom in the form of capitalism. Written during the heyday of twentieth-century socialism, this work provides the reader with lucid and compelling insights into human reactions to capitalism.

Plato: The Republic (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought)

Plato

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Total reviews: 92 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The ultimate Socratic dialogue? 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

"The Republic" is Plato's classical utopia, and perhaps one of the most controversial political texts ever written. It's so absurd that some people deny that Plato really meant it! Strange Aristotle never noticed. And yet, those who believe that "The Republic" shouldn't be taken literally probably have a point. Plato himself didn't take "The Republic" absolutely literally either.

"The Republic" describes a hierarchical caste society ruled by a militarized, collectivist elite. The elite itself is divided into different segments, the highest echelon being that of the philosopher-kings, enlightened thinkers who contemplate the heavenly world of Platonic forms, and precisely for that reason are fit to rule society as well. Below the philosopher-kings stand the Guardians, essentially the military caste. Famously, both the philosophers and Guardians live under conditions of total communism. They own no private property, are reared together, and hence don't know their parents or siblings. Strictly speaking, there are philosopher-queens as well, and also female soldiers, since the elite has gender equality (a point that has puzzled modern feminists). Below the elite groups stand merchants, artisans and farmers, but no slaves. The castes are (almost) hereditary, eugenics are used to ensure the fitness of the elite groups, and the population are induced to believe in fantastic, religious myths. The myths are noble lies welding this strange society together. Did I leave something out? Oh, and the poets are banished from the city! In other words, the ideal society described in "The Republic" looks like a curious blend of Sparta, Egypt and India (at least the two former societies would have been known to Plato).

So where do we go from here? The most moderate interpretation is that although Plato did regard "The Republic" as the best society, he didn't really believe that such a society was possible. It was a deliberate utopia. This raises a lot of intriguing questions, such as how Plato imagined the best *possible* society to look like, or what function "The Republic" was supposed to have. The first question is to some extent answered in "The Laws" and the Seventh Epistle, where Plato advocates a mixed constitution. What the answer to the second question might be, I honestly don't know. Perhaps nobody does. A wild guess: the point of Plato's utopia was to explore certain ideas without hindrance, throw certain concepts into as sharp relief as possible, in other words, do exactly what modern utopian novels do, in contrast to political utopias meant to be taken seriously.

I think that Plato clearly saw both the dilemma of democracy, and the dilemmas of tyranny and oligarchy, what we would simply call "dictatorship". Plato saw his teacher Socrates being persecuted by the regime of the Thirty Tyrants, but he also saw him being executed by the demos. The twin dilemmas of both dictatorship and democracy were starkly visible in the life of Socrates. The perennial problem of democracy is: what happens if the people vote the wrong way? (In Athens, the problem was even more pronounced, since many positions were filled by lot!) The perennial problem of dictatorship: how do we stop a ruler from becoming a tyrant, if the people can't even vote? Plato's solution to the problem was to balance the demos and the elite by a mixed constitution. In "The Laws" he took Sparta and the Cretan city-states as his concrete models, but he might just as well have harkened back to the days of Solon, or made use of the systems in Carthage or Republican Rome.

Plato's concrete solutions aren't ours, of course. Even the Athenian democracy he criticized was a far cry from our modern conceptions of democracy. From our vantage point, a mixed constitution on a Spartan or Cretan model actually looks even worse than the Athenian system. Note also the irony that "The Laws" lack the "socialist" and "feminist" traits of the Platonic utopia. Also, there is slavery in Magnesia, the name given by Plato to his realistic Cretan city-state, while there doesn't seem to be any slaves in "The Republic". And yet, despite the obvious differences between Plato's time and ours, the dilemma is still with us! Modern democracies attempt to solve it by combining universal suffrage with a division of powers, by a federal structure, or by a strong constitution guaranteeing basic human rights, a constitution that cannot be changed, at least not by a simple majority. Our methods may be different from the Platonic ones, but we are still trying to solve the same dilemma as he experienced in the aftermath of the Peloponessian War.

It could further be argued that no clever constitutional solution is possible in the long run, if the citizens loose their sense of civic duty. And it further seems that civic duty is possible only in a relatively small state, without too large income or property differentials between the citizens. Indeed, even Plato's moderate city-state in "The Laws" insists on the citizens having roughly equal amounts of landed property, property that can be neither bought nor sold. Of course, our concept of citizenship is much broader than the Platonic one: women and even resident aliens are citizens, and there are no slaves. Yet, Plato's general point seems to be correct.

So far, I have only touched on those points in "The Republic" and "The Laws" that could be creatively developed without offending our modern sensibilities too much. But, of course, "The Republic" also deals with other issues, more disturbing ones to our liberal ears. Are people really born equal? Are there innate differences between individuals? Is it always permissible for the rulers to tell the truth? Do societies need myths and noble lies? Ironically, Plato also asked questions that should disturb some conservatives: Given that innate differences are individual rather than sex-related, does this mean that the sexes are equal? And what's so good about private property and foreign trade anyway?

Perhaps that's the main function played by "The Republic". It's a work of provocation, a work meant to shock us into boldly questioning our preconceptions, a work that's the very opposite of a noble lie. Pace Popper, "The Republic" might actually be Plato's most Socratic work!

[This isn't really a review of this particular edition, but a general comment on Plato's dialogue, and its relation to some other works, but placing it here felt like the most natural option.]

Editorial Review:

This is a completely new translation of one of the great works of Western political thought. In addition to Tom Griffith's vivid, dignified and accurate rendition of Plato's text, this edition is suitable for students at all levels. It contains an introduction that assesses the cultural background to the Republic, its place within political philosophy, and its general argument; succinct notes in the text; an analytical summary of content; a full glossary of proper names; a chronology of important events; and a guide to further reading.

Utopia (Norton Critical Editions)

Thomas More

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Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A great translation of a timeless classic 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

This edition of Thomas More's Utopia is expertly translated by Adams from the Latin and easy to read. Adams' footnotes are informative and often times a hilarious addition to More's work.

Taking a more modern approach to More, Adam's footnotes suggest that perhaps More does not take his perfect society literally, and expects the reader to read between the lines and see that such a society is obviously not possible. This is a theory of More's thought processes that I agree with, so I found this translation and Adam's thoughts quite welcome and agreeable.

However, there are many schools of thought on the issue as to whether More was completely serious about the suggested society in Utopia, although a knowledge of More as a person would suggest that he employed a subtle sarcasm throughout his life, and therefore it is not a stretch to suggest that Utopia was laced with this same humor and etched with ironic impossibilities that More hoped an educated person would be able to see.

Additionally, the fact that More places himself as a character in the book, and narrates through the use of a man whose name literally translated means "nonsense-peddler" leaves little doubt in my mind that to take More's Utopia at face-value is to do a disservice to More, the intellectual scholar that he was, and Utopia itself.

Editorial Review:

This edition has been revised with new annotations, including a criticism section which contains essays and selections from two modern Utopias - Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" and B.F. Skinner's "Walden Two" - plus extracts from Edward Bellamy's futuristic "Looking Backward".

Weavers of Revolution: The Yarur Workers and Chile's Road to Socialism

Peter Winn

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Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

In this compelling narrative history, Peter Winn tells the story of the Chilean revolution as it was seen through the eyes of the participants. Winn focuses on workers at the Yarur plant, Chile's largest cotton mill, who seized control of their factory and began to socialize its operations. Allende's plans were less radical than their own and the workers found themselves on a collision course with the government. Winn, who interviewed both the workers and Allende while many of these events were taking place, captures the turning point in Chile's "democratic road to socialism"--in both the presidential palace and the Yarur mill. He demonstrates how the revolution was "forged from below" and explains political complexities that arose from the workers' confrontation with Allende, complexities that have both eluded American understanding and frustrated U.S. foreign policy. Integrating oral history and penetrating analysis, the book offers a striking new explanation of how revolutions are radicalized. A major reinterpretation of the Allende era in Chile, this book is also a human drama that exemplifies "the new narrative history" at its best.

The Communist Manifesto: With Related Documents (The Bedford Series in History and Culture)

Karl Marx, Frederick Engels, John E. Toews

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Editorial Review:

This is an edition of "The Communist Manifesto" with related documents. A 30-page introduction traces the trajectory of Marx's thought from the 1840s onward and provides background on the political, social and intellectual contexts of which the manifesto was an historical product. Accompanying the manifesto are eight additional documents that show the evolution of and influences on Marx's thought over time. A Marx-Engels chronology and questions for consideration are included.

The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression

Stéphane Courtois, Nicolas Werth, Jean-Louis Panné, Andrzej Paczkowski, Karel Bartosek, Jean-Louis Margolin, Stephane Courtois, Jean-Louis Panne

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Total reviews: 108 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

When it was first published in France in 1997, Le livre noir du Communisme touched off a storm of controversy that continues to rage today. Even some of his contributors shied away from chief editor Stéphane Courtois's conclusion that Communism, in all its many forms, was morally no better than Nazism; the two totalitarian systems, Courtois argued, were far better at killing than at governing, as the world learned to its sorrow.

Communism did kill, Courtois and his fellow historians demonstrate, with ruthless efficiency: 25 million in Russia during the Bolshevik and Stalinist eras, perhaps 65 million in China under the eyes of Mao Zedong, 2 million in Cambodia, millions more Africa, Eastern Europe, and Latin America--an astonishingly high toll of victims. This freely expressed penchant for homicide, Courtois maintains, was no accident, but an integral trait of a philosophy, and a practical politics, that promised to erase class distinctions by erasing classes and the living humans that populated them. Courtois and his contributors document Communism's crimes in numbing detail, moving from country to country, revolution to revolution. The figures they offer will likely provoke argument, if not among cliometricians then among the ideologically inclined. So, too, will Courtois's suggestion that those who hold Lenin, Trotsky, and Ho Chi Minh in anything other than contempt are dupes, witting or not, of a murderous school of thought--one that, while in retreat around the world, still has many adherents. A thought-provoking work of history and social criticism, The Black Book of Communism fully merits the broadest possible readership and discussion. --Gregory McNamee