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Written by Al-Akfar
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Comrades Written by Robert Harvey
 Originally published in 2003422 pages
Comrades, by former British Conservative MP Robert Harvey, is the rollicking tale of the rise and fall of world Communism. Harvey traces the history of communism from its genesis in the twisted, vile mind of that perverted Prussian Karl Marx, to its interpretation and initial expression by the thin-lipped, pointy-bearded tyrant1 Ilya Nikolaevich Ulyanov (sometimes referred to as Lenin) and then moves on to track communist takeovers in China, South East Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and Africa. Harvey also briefly notes the development of communist parties in Western Europe, their initial bonds with the Soviet Union and then their gradual drift away from their former patrons in a desperate attempt to restore their credibility in an increasingly prosperous and thus communo-cynical2 capitalist environment. Aside from the notable absence of any treatment of North Korea, Comrades is very thorough and eminently readable. The chapters on the Bolshevic takeover of Czarist Russia, and then on the collapse of the Soviet Union are genuinely exciting. As was pointed out by one of those people that write things on the back of books, only a few years ago, Communism looked like it might conquer the world. Its phenomenal rise and tumour-like spread over so much of the world’s surface, followed by its equally sudden demise make for fascinating reading. Whilst an MP, Harvey was a member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee at the time that Gorbachev was dismantling the old order. Harvey’s views are firm, and he is clearly not any sort of Communist sympathiser, but his arguments and analysis are solid. A little more proof-reading and a chapter on North Korea would not have gone amiss, however.
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1 My adjectives
2 Cynical of Communism
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