Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Maurice Isserman, Publius Virgilius Rogers Professor of American History at Hamilton College, to discuss his new book, Reds: The Tragedy of American Communism. They chat about the deeply contradictory nature of the history of the Communist Party USA, the history of the American far left, and how the Bolshevik Revolution skewed the American far left. They also discuss CPUSA’s unwavering faith in the Soviet Union, how many American communists became involved in espionage on behalf of the USSR, and the organization’s decline into political irrelevance. Get the book here: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/maurice-isserman/reds/9781541620032/?lens=basic-booksShow Notes:https://prospect.org/culture/books/2024-08-08-red-weather-vanes-isserman-review/The American Prospect: Harold Meyerson – “Red Weather Vanes”https://www.thebulwark.com/p/communism-failed-maurice-isserman-reds-reviewThe Bulwark: Ron Radosh – “How and Why American Communism Failed”https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/07/07/communist-party-america-history-illiberal-democracy/Foreign Policy: Casey Michel: “The Contradictions of America’s Communist Party”

Source: Wall Street Journal October 08, 2024 16:54 UTC