After listening to a podcast where Michael Malice discussed a portion of this book I decided I wanted to read it. I wanted to see how he examined the history of the Soviet Union. I knew the evils of the Soviet Union so was curious as to how he would present the white pill.
This book spans a long period of time so it is a good introductory book for an overview of life in the Soviet Union and a few major events in American and British history.
Malice stresses that the Soviet Union dissolved without major violence even when the experts never thought it was possible. He writes:
“In politics the argument is that power never cedes power without massive war and bloodshed; except in those cases when it does. In which case those in power never had a choice and the whole thing was inevitable the whole time. But those in power always have some kind of choice. That is the definition of power. Having the ability to make choices. Within 10 years the Soviet Union went from being a perpetual world dominating superpower to literal nonexistence.”
Malice outlines the barbaric nature of the Soviet regime using accounts from Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman including the following passage:
“The Bolsheviks often invoked mercilessness and ruthlessness in furthering their aims and Goldman did not at all hold back when it came to spelling out exactly what she saw and exactly why she so condemned it.”
Malice stressed throughout the book the plight of the average Russian citizen. One example is quoted below:
“The Checka took their work quite seriously working in some ways independently of Lenin but not shying away from shedding blood in achieving its goals. The Checka is not a court the head of the Checka publicly stated in 1918. We stand for organized terror. This should be frankly admitted, the Checka is obligated to defend the revolution and conquer the enemy even if its sword does by chance sometimes fall upon the heads of the innocent.”
The Soviet Union was a brutal dictatorship especially in its early years and Malice provides a glimpse into that life.
Overall this was a good read. At times it seemed slightly tangential. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.
I have enjoyed the previous books I read by Ben Macintyre. I picked this one up not knowing anything about Ursula Kuczynski. She grew up to be a very successful spy for the Soviet Union and received the code name Agent Sonya. I looked forward to reading this. Shortly after I began reading I was hoping I would read about when she would be caught.
Ursula lived a remarkable life. Born in Germany and coming of age in the 1920’s she was exposed to a world of turmoil. She became a committed communist early in life and would not be deterred from her ideology.
She traveled the world first leaving Germany for the United States partially to avoid marriage. She became a member of the Communist Party of the United States. After a stint in the USA she returned to Germany and married the man she had left behind. His career took them to China where her career as a spy began. From there she traveled to the Soviet Union for additional training and continued to work as a spy throughout Europe.
I found it ...
“The truth is sometimes a poor competitor in the market place of ideas – complicated, unsatisfying, full of dilemmas, always vulnerable to misinterpretation and abuse.”
George F. Kennan
