The Practice and Theory of Bolshevism by Bertrand Russell (PDF)

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The Practice and Theory of Bolshevism is a classic political science essay by Bertrand Russell on the subject of Soviet communism . To understand Bolshevism it is not sufficient to know facts; it is necessary also to enter with sympathy or imagination into a new spirit. The chief thing that the Bolsheviks have done is to create a hope, or at any rate to make strong and widespread a hope which was formerly confined to a few.

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Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) was one of the 20th century’s premiere logicians and philosophers, and, from 1930 until his death, the 3rd Earl Russell (his grandfather was Lord John Russell, the famous Victorian Era politician); despite this upbringing in the highest ranks of the aristocracy, he was also a dedicated socialist and, on embarking on a 1919 tour of the Soviet Union, extremely sympathetic to the Communist cause. His reputation was already eminent, and he was granted wide access, including a sit-down with Lenin himself. This slim volume is the result of Russell’s journey to the revolutionary land.Despite his initial predispositions, Russell’s early impression of the Soviet Union was not a favourable one. “Practice and Theory” (a telling title, as he’s far more interested in the practice than theoretical concerns) is a remarkably prescient work. For those familiar with Russell’s philosphy (for instance, “The Problems of Philosophy”), many of his concerns with Bolshevism as an ideology are similar to why he view philosophy as a valuable thing: namely, philosophy discourages too much certainty, and Russell identifies in Bolshevism an ideological commitment and rigidity similar to the emergence of Islam in the 7th century. Likewise, he is intensely skeptical of the idea of violent revolution.Many left-wing intellectuals would continue to be sympathetic to Russia until the de-Stalinization period in the 1950s (much as many conservative intellectuals in the same period would show fascist leanings), but Russell was among the first to zero in on the flaws of the movement. The book is both an interesting historical curio and a timeless dissection of the problems of political ideology.

⭐Keep in mind that Russell wrote this and declared the USSR a “failure” in 1920, the year after his trip to Russia. His keen eye and intellect shows through here and his own liberal democratic socialist inclinations are in sharp relief against the flat, scenario of Marxist-Leninist communism in Russia. Russell was ostracized by the left for his anti-communism, and equally shunned by the right for his democratic socialism, but this little gem allows his brilliance to shine forth.

⭐Very eye opening and easily understood of a brief theory

⭐Nice clean copy and prompt delivery.

⭐The man is brilliant. He formulates his ideas in such a concise, articulate, yet simple manner. Most of all, he tends to see things as they are, especially with respect to human nature and why political systems do and do not work. Anyone with an interest in learning more about Bolshevism, communism, and the philosophy behind politics in general would do well to pick this book up.

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