I thought that this was a very informative book on the history of communism. The author carefully explained how communism started with Karl Marx and how that was promoted in Europe. Communism was tried in some countries such as England and Germany but ultimately succeeded in Russia. The book articulately explained the characteristics of communism and why this ideology is so deadly. It promises peace and prosperity, which is nothing like communism with revolt and people forking over everything to the government.

It is scary to see the elements of communism creeping into the United States. The indoctrination most certainly starts within the schools so that children and young adults think that these communist ideas are the norm. The book outlined this pretty good.

The book was a bit dry in its reading, especially when discussing the historical aspects of it. But then again, this is more of a history book than a novel. I would have liked to see the author expand a bit more on the examples creeping into the United States.

Other than these 2 issues, I thought this was a very informative book that I think everyone should read.

Rating: 5 out of 5

This book was provided by NetGalley and Izzard Ink Publishing Company in exchange for a review.

W. Cleon Skousen was a far-right Mormon Bircher Cold Warrior and so everything he says must be taken with a grain of salt. I'm not really sure why the book was updated and republished, maybe it was publicity or profit for his son Paul? But I can see why Glenn Beck likes him.

Funny how we fight the same battles again and again and THAT KIDS is why history, like it or hate it is so relevant.

Read and heed.

This is a throwback to the 1950s, and I did not finish reading it. It appears to be a work of propaganda.

Wow. This is an interesting way to learn about communism. As someone who was a kid during the cold war, the world has seen many changes and many of them not good. I would recommend this read to anyone concerned about the worl and the direction we are in.

W. Cleon Skousen’s book on the ideas that changed one-third of the world preceded by an elegant introduction by Paul Skousen reads like a novel. His exposition of the Kremlin’s holy trinity: Marx, Engels and Lenin is packed with facts that elsewhere omitted but without which understanding of what happened behind the Iron Curtain is impossible. He points at the falsities of the assumptions that led Communist ideologues to horribly wrong conclusions.

Thus a reflection on this insightful and revealing study of the distorted worldview, which underlies the Communist system, including the confusing and contradictory ideology of Putin’s Russia and Red China, should be ambition of everyone, who aspires to be informed and responsible citizen.
Those in the West, who call Russia and China an authoritarian regime closed eyes on the fact that whether KGB in Moscow or the Communist Party (sic!) in Beijing never rejected Leninist ideologies. (excerpt)

Consider that most people living in 2061 will have been born after 9/11/01. While they will be able to read about what happened that day, they will never be able to fully experience what it was like to live through it. Many readers today were not alive during the Cold War, and thus will probably not have the same perspective as those who had, which would include the author. However, even though this book was first published 60 years ago, the facts the author shares still hold weight today.

Mr. Skousen walks the reader through the history of Communism, from the 19th century with Marx and Engel on up to publication of the book in 1961. This is a comprehensive walkthrough of how Communism came about, what it is, the tenets it is based upon, and the men who embraced it and how they affected their countries and the world. At the same time, the author exposes the underbelly of Communism, beginning with what he calls the fallacies of basic Marxist thought.

The book is also a warning, and many examples of Communist infiltrators and spies within the U.S. government are written about, explaining the manipulation of these Americans. In 1961, this book probably read more like an expose as many of those readers had lived through one or two world wars and had witnessed much of this history as it unfolded. For me, this book filled in many of the blanks in my knowledge of history as well as enhanced some of the facts I already knew.

After educating the reader on Communism’s history, Mr. Skousen proceeds to put the all the information to work, examining Communism in both essay form as well as allowing the creators and supporters to explain Communism in their own words. I found the chapter titled The 45 Goals of Communism Today extremely informative. Read into the Congressional Record in 1963, it was sobering to realize how many of these had already been achieved. This 2017 edition examines each in detail.

This is a book that should be read by all Americans. Its validity and worth can be found in the words of Dr. Ben Carson: “You would think by reading it that it was written last year.” Five stars.