The Specter of Communism presents an exhilarating look into the foundations of the Cold War that took place between a Bolshevik Soviet Union and a Capitalist United States. During this time, much of the world was in total chaos stemming from World War One. In Russian, perhaps the most devastated of these countries, a revolution was taking place in 1917, that established a new government under the influence of Bolshevism. This new set of ideals placed the government in control of every aspect of its citizen’s lives. This warn-torn and suffering nation was the perfect breeding ground for this new philosophy, as was every nation that was experiencing the same economic turmoil. This new way of life differed greatly from that of an entrepreneurial
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Separated into four separate sections, this book begins with the Russian Revolution of 1917. In which, Bolshevik forces under the leadership of Vladimir Lenin overthrew the monarchy to gain power throughout the country. This violent take over alarmed western European nations and the United States; which they tried intervening to stop it, but it had little effect. Fearing that this communist rhetoric would spread elsewhere, American politicians used anti-communism speech to rally their citizens against this new way of thinking. Meanwhile, the Bolsheviks were looking into ways to make their country safer from the outside world by concluding peace with the Germans in 1918 and expanding their influence in other territories, creating a buffer zone. At the conclusion of the Great War, most of the European Nations were destroyed, with their economies in ruins. This turbulent time period led other countries to look at what the …show more content…
Although, a more definitive description of the American policies that were put in place to curb communism would have made it easier to grasp the American political mindset of this time. This book could also have benefited more from a deeper explanation of the new evidence that Leffler claims to have discovered. This new evidence does bring to light a different viewpoint of the Cold War that historians could ponder on why the Soviet Union took the stance they did. Having read this book, the reader will have a wonderful in depth look in the roots of the Cold
Separated into four separate sections, this book begins with the Russian Revolution of 1917. In which, Bolshevik forces under the leadership of Vladimir Lenin overthrew the monarchy to gain power throughout the country. This violent take over alarmed western European nations and the United States; which they tried intervening to stop it, but it had little effect. Fearing that this communist rhetoric would spread elsewhere, American politicians used anti-communism speech to rally their citizens against this new way of thinking. Meanwhile, the Bolsheviks were looking into ways to make their country safer from the outside world by concluding peace with the Germans in 1918 and expanding their influence in other territories, creating a buffer zone. At the conclusion of the Great War, most of the European Nations were destroyed, with their economies in ruins. This turbulent time period led other countries to look at what the …show more content…
Although, a more definitive description of the American policies that were put in place to curb communism would have made it easier to grasp the American political mindset of this time. This book could also have benefited more from a deeper explanation of the new evidence that Leffler claims to have discovered. This new evidence does bring to light a different viewpoint of the Cold War that historians could ponder on why the Soviet Union took the stance they did. Having read this book, the reader will have a wonderful in depth look in the roots of the Cold