Canadian Bolsheviks: The Early Years of the Communist Party of Canada

by Ian Angus

Canadian Bolsheviks describes and explains the first attempt to build a Leninist Party on Canadian soil, showing why it succeeded so well at first, and why it ultimately failed.

Genres: History, Canada

354 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Ian Angus is a Canadian independent Marxist writer, educator, and ecosocialist activist.

Reviews

[Scott Neigh]

Reviewed here.

[dell · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

What an enlightening read! Shamefully, as a Canadian, I knew little about the revolutionary past of this country, particularly before WWII, so nearly all the information in this book was new to me. The most illuminating part of the book, for me, was in seeing how the Third Period policies of the Comintern manifested themselves in Canada, since those manifestations helped clarify what the Comintern’s line was to begin with. The Canadian and Soviet party lines and exchanges shed light on both sides, and how particular policies that Comintern under Stalin impacted parties around the world. I did not expect at first a book on Canadian communism to plug gaps in my knowledge on Soviet history, but in hindsight it only makes sense.

One of the biggest downsides is that the communist presence in Quebec both before, during, and after the events of this book are not included (Angus states this clearly in the introduction). The inclusion of that history would make this a 5 star read, but I imagine the subject would need its own book.

Such a wonderful book, rich in history, lessons, tactics, and factional fights. And it’s an honour to be able to continue the work that those early communists set out to do, the work that cost some lost their livelihoods, reputations, and even lives. There’s never been a better time to be a Canadian communist!