Comrades

An acclaimed examination of the global history of communism, from one of the finest historians of modern Russia.‘One of the best-ever studies of the subject . . . a remarkable accomplishment.’ – The EconomistDecades after the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and the USSR, Robert Service sets out to trace its origins, tracking its spread across the globe throughout the twentieth century. From the USSR to Yugoslavia, Cuba to Western Europe, he chronicles the history of communist theory, spotlighting major events and individuals, and discussing the ideas right at its very heart.From pre-Marxist thought to modern China, Service paints an authoritative portrait of communism and examines its place in the world in the twenty-first century. Unsettling, engaging and brilliantly argued, Comrades is a superb work of history and one that demands to be read.‘An outstanding book, written with grace and style.’ – Victor Sebestyen, The Daily Telegraph‘Bears all the hallmarks of a classic work of historical literature . . . the true international legacy of communism [is] analysed to magisterial effect in this exhilarating work.’ – Hwyel Williams, The New Statesman

Robert Service is a Fellow of the British Academy and of St Antony's College, Oxford. He has written several books, including the highly acclaimed Lenin: A Biography, Blood on the Snow, Stalin: A Biography and Comrades: A History of World Communism, as well as many other books on Russia's past and present. Trotsky: A Biography was awarded the Duff Cooper Prize. Married with four children, he lives in London.