Sosyalizm 101 : Bolşevikler ve Karl Marx’tan Demokratik Sosyalistlere Kadar Sosyalizm Hakkında Bilmeniz Gereken Her Şey

Adams 101

by Kathleen Sears, Arzu Büşra Kumbaroğlu (Translator)

Sosyalizmin tarihiyle ilgili merak ettiğiniz her şey bu kitapta!

Bir zamanlar “baskı” ile ilişkilendirilen sosyalizm, bugünlerde herkesin gözünün üstünde olduğu, insanların günlük hayatlarında vergilendirme, sağlık hizmetleri ve eğitim sistemleri gibi önemli meselelerle yer etmiş bir konudur. Üstelik günümüzün karmaşık siyasi ikliminde, giderek daha fazla sayıda siyasi aday sosyalist veya demokratik sosyalist politikaları savunmaktadır.

Peki ama sosyalizm nedir? Sosyalist düşüncenin kökleri nereye uzanır? Totaliter rejimlerin sosyalizmle mücadelesi tarihin hangi dönemlerinde ortaya çıkmıştır? İşçi sınıfının yükselmesi günümüzde mümkün müdür? Bugün sosyalizm nerede durmaktadır?

Sosyalizm 101, sosyalizmin neredeyse üç yüzyıllık kökenlerine, karmaşık tarihine, temel taşlarına, gelişimindeki kilit isimlere ve güncel kavramlara açıklık getirerek tüm bu soruları cevaplandırıyor. Marx ve Engels’ten Marcuse’a, Sanayi Devrimi’nden Küba Devrimi’ne, diktatörlerden bağımsızlık mücadelelerine, dünya savaşları ve devrimler eşliğinde dünyanın siyasi dönüşümünü anlatıyor.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction, Economics, Philosophy, Reference, Education

240 pages, Paperback

Published June 11, 2020

Reviews

[Gabriella · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would like to start this review with a visual summary (meme is linked to my Dropbox, because I can't figure out how to image hyperlink!)

I was not expecting this book to cover EVERYTHING (as noted, it is a crash course.) It was very helpful in summarizing some of the high-level theorists and principles of communism, democratic socialism, anarchism, and green socialism. I thought the history was well-paced until the last 50 pages. And, I definitely learned a bunch about Europe.

The main problem: coverage of everywhere else on the globe!!! This begins in the first section: Kathleen Sears begins the "origins of socialist thought" with Thomas More's socialist utopia, and brings no discussion of the natural practice of collective and cooperative societies that can be seen in many Indigenous communities.

There is a hasty section on "socialism in the developing world", but it didn't mention figures like Thomas Sankara, and did not discuss third worldism as a major part of the "third way" between the US and USSR. I was also hoping to learn more about more recent practices of socialism in Latin America (such as the origins of the solidarity economy), but it seems the crash course ran out of time for this--after all, they had to have significant sections on Reagan and Thatcher!

One last complaint about that developing world section: Kathleen Sears spends a confounding amount of time talking about "Zionist forms of socialism", but there is no mention of the Palestine Communist Party, which was a socialist group resisting the occupation of their homeland. Sears' coverage of the "cooperative settlements" of kibbutzes seems in direct opposition to the National Charter of Arab socialism she mentions two pages down, which calls for an end to imperialism, amongst other systems of racial capitalism.

I am not saying this wasn't helpful, but I think it could've been much more so. In 2021, I am looking forward to working my way through the Black Socialists of America reading guide, which I'm sure will fill in many of these gaps.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

In clear, simple language, this book explains the origins of socialism, how it’s changed over the years, and what it means today. The chapters are short, giving informative history to the point; clearly laying progression of different countries and their thinkers/philosophers forging proposals for socialism, and later leading to more progressive actions with working class.

Utopia written by Sir Thomas More in the early 16th century inspired many future socialist thinkers.

Then came the Industrial Revolution of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, expending the production of goods and at the same time leading the industrial working class to unhealthy urban slums where they suffered from disease and malnutrition. The progression of Industrial Revolution was parallel with agricultural revolution. And this is where the roots of socialism started in the mills and slums.

German philosopher Karl Marx, together with his colleague and friend Friedrich Engels, created modern scientific socialism. They were the first socialist thinkers to present the possibility of a socialist state as a realizable goal rather than a utopian dream. Their ideas intended to mobilize the industrial working class of Europe.

Due to deteriorating economic conditions in Europe throughout the 1840s, middle classes, proletariat, and peasantry united against absolutism and the remains of feudal privilege. Worker and peasant uprisings swept Europe in 1848, beginning on January 12, 1848 with people of Palermo, Sicily, rising up against their ruler, Ferdinand II. It was the first of almost fifty revolutions that rocked Europe.

In 1871, in the wake of France’s defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, soldiers and workers fought against the National Guard for control of the city. For a brief time forming a socialist commune in which the people ruled and the wealthy lost their privileges. Although they were eventually defeated with much bloodshed, the Paris Commune was regarded by socialists as a significant example of the power of a revolutionary uprising.

By the end of the 19th century socialism had split into two camps: the social democrats, who believed in the possibility of reform, and the communists, who still believed in revolution.

The Russian Revolution of 1917 caused the final split between the Social Democratic Party and the Communist Party.

There was a long-term goal of overthrowing capitalism. The first idea of general strike was proposed in 1831 by British radical William Benbow. In 1884 the first trade unions were legalized in France. May 1st, 1906 marks the first nationwide strike.

Thus Eduard Bernstein, called “the father of revisionism,” produced what would become the basic ideology of social democracy.

Today in many countries, particularly in Scandinavia, socialist forms of healthcare are widespread.

There are some pluses and minuses to each system. The key is to understand what democratic socialism means and not to confuse it with communism.

P.S. If you like historical fiction, I highly recommend The Florios of Sicily by Stefania Auci, which involves 1848 revolt of Palermo.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cannot say I'm partial to socialism, but this book dispensed exactly what I yearned for: a focused, substantive, and—most crucially—impartial crash-course into the titular ideology. And while dry, which I would argue is a necessary trade-off for a comprehensive and nuanced subject, it is the best layman's guide I could find that was also an audiobook.

And as a committed believer in adopting as much intellectual honesty as possible, as well as avoiding the dangers of categorical thinking in relation to politics whenever I can, it also felt valuable to sincerely try to understand an argument for something I couldn't fathom adopting. And something that goes beyond the usually cited examples like Fidel Castro's Cuba, Nicolás Maduro's Venezuela, Stalin's Soviet Union plus its collapse, and of course Mao Zedong's China. But those are easy targets, and have been hit many times before. So I'm glad this book attempted to aim a bit higher.

But in conclusion, its not only worth learning about to have an edge when discussing it with friends or relatives—especially during the Holidays—but also to sympathize with reasons why someone might devote themselves to it, and to understand a fascinatingly strange idea and its history, no matter how 'unpalatable'.

[Kubilay K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okuma labirentinin bilinmezliklerinde, çıkışa değil kayboluşlara, yüzeye değil derinliklere gönül vermiş bir okur olarak Marx ve Engels okumalarımı zihnimde tarihsel bağlama oturtmak ve doğru anlamlandırmak için sosyalist düşünce mirasını ana hatlarıyla öğrenmeyi hedefledim ve bu yolculukta kendime bir rehber edindim: Kathleen Sears'tan Sosyalizm 101.

Sears bu hızlandırılmış sosyalizm yolculuğunda kronoloji ve konsept çerçevelerinde bölümler halinde okurunu üç yüz yıllık bir mirasla tanıştırıyor. Thomas Moore'un Ütopya'sı Fourier ve Saint-Simon'un ütopik sosyalizmlerine dönüşürken Saint-Simon'cu sosyalistler arasında Nathaniel Hawthorne ve Louisa May Alcott gibi yazarlar olduğunu öğreniyoruz. Ardından Marx ve Engels'le karşılaşıp ilk "proleterya diktatörlüğü" olan Paris Komünü yıllarına uzanıyoruz. Tabii ki takvimler 1917'yi gösterirken sayfalarda Lenin'in çehresi beliriyor, Saint Petersburg'ken Petrograd olmuş o haşmetli şehir Leningrad'a (d)evrilirken bir yanımızda Troçki diğer yanımızda Stalin yükseliyor. Okuduğumuz her satırda Orwell'ı anlamlandıran gerçeklere kulak veriyoruz. Ve o anda, kızıl bir güneş doğudan yükseliyor: Mao Zedong. Yakıyor tarlaları, çekiyor perdeleri. Hayaller hakikate ulaşamazken üçüncü yolların adamı Tito beliriyor Yugoslavya'da. Bir yanda da kültürel Marksizm oluşuyor, kabarık bir liste bu: Gramsci, Adorno, Marcusse, Habermas, Benjamin. İngiltere ne alemde derseniz bizi kendine has William Morris ve "New Age'ci" yazarlar karşılıyor orada: Ezra Pound ile G. K. Chesterton. Ve yol uzar giderken Thatcherizm peydahlanıyor, Gorbaçov sahneye çıkıyor, bir devir kapanırken yenisi açılıyor. Bambaşka mekanlar, yoruma karşı yorumlar: Mısır'ı Cemal Abdünnasır'ı, Hindistan'ın İndira Gandhi'si. Ve modern, ve çağdaş: Büyük Buhran'dan McCarthyciliğe yol alan, oradan komşuya Fidel Castro'ya uğrayan ve yolunu neoliberalizmin harabelerinde sonlandıran yeni soğumuş bir yangının külleri. Nihayet, Yeşiller! Gelecek, hemen, şimdi: Sanders ve Ocasio-Cortez.

Son tahlilde Sears'ın Sosyalizm 101'i vaadini karşılayan, girişlerin sakil kaderine hapsolmamış bir giriş olmayı başarıyor. Labirentte kaybolmamak için çıktığımız yolda yeni kayboluşların eşiğinde soluk soluğa buluyoruz kendimizi. Hayat kısa, sanat uzun, devrimler sonsuz. Okumak tam da bu anda güzel: Kaybolduğunda.

[Willow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, McCarthy was a total asshole!

[Paul]

Sears provides an extensive survey of the international history of people, concepts, and movements of this leftist strain of thought.

The book provides accessibility for highly complex concepts. For example, it does a great job of explaining the difference between socialism, democratic socialism, and communism. It also does a great job at explaining the difference between Marxism, Leninism, Stalinism, and Maoism.

I really appreciated how the author carefully detailed the history and concepts without showing obvious bias. This isn't a love letter to these leftist movements, nor is it a condemnation. In that, I was able to see both shortcomings and areas of socially engineered improvement. I learned about the infighting between Marx and Bakunin, or Stalin and Trotsky. I observed who rejected Marx and who carved out their own path. My personal favorite in this regard was when the book explored the Frankfurt School further, especially Marcuse, who embraced the spirit of Eros and rejected being confined to the roles of worker and consumer, and Andre Gorz, who expanded on ecologism, rejecting traditional socialist industrialization and the idea that humans should be at the center of environmental causes, instead emphasizing that we are part of the ecosystem and that harnessing that focus can create a more sustainable and equitable pathway forward. This book effectively illustrated how countries and various leaders reshaped leftist ideas for their own purposes, showing how these concepts developed new strains or evolved, thereby creating a broader spectrum of ideas within the ideology.

I recommend this book for those interested in the history, concepts, movements, and key figures of this practical and thoughtful ideology. I cannot emphasize enough how much I appreciated the way the author handled this subject. We cannot progress with or without ideas unless they are thoroughly scrutinized, explained, vetted, and documented. Love letters and demonization offer no real clarity on how to move forward.

[Simone Robbennolt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gave me exactly what I wanted a broad overview of socialism. I needed this context for some other "to read books" on my list.

[T.R. Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly detailed and yet gracefully precise. Great book.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dnf because it just isn’t written well at all, even Wikipedia could do better

[Neil Foxman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Considering how rare it is to find unbiased literature about socialism (for or against), I was impressed by how well the author sticks to "just the facts". In this book, the author presents a beginning-to-now crash course history of different prominent socialist thinkers and ways that socialist/communist methods of governing have been implemented. The book also does a good job at highlighting where the different approaches contrast and identifying where they succeed or fail in implementation. Although some bias for socialism does seem to bleed through in specific parts of the book, overall I was happy to read it and would recommend this book for anyone curious in the subject (or anyone tired of just hearing the biased perspectives).

[Hestia Istiviani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read in English but this review is in Bahasa Indonesia

On the island of Utopia everyone performed useful work and everyone had time for approriate leisure

Aku akui, ketika dulu mendengar kata "sosialis" selalu mengarah pada bagaimana negara China. Seiring berjalannya waktu dan juga dengan terpaparnya diriku terhadap beragam informasi, mulailah mengerti bahwa terminologi "sosialis" itu setidaknya belum dikecam keras oleh (netizen) Indonesia. Ya, setidakya demikian. Di satu sisi, aku pun menyadari kalau wawasanku tentang sosialisme ini masihlah sangat dangkal. Aku hanya sekadar tahu beberapa informasi alias belum mencapai tahapan mengerti. Bahkan untuk membaca referensi lain saja, belum aku lakukan. Jangan heran ketika Periplus menasbihkan Socialism 101 sebagai salah satu buku yang masuk jajaran Best of the Week di minggu ketiga Desember, aku langsung menyamber tanpa banyak pikir (karena, diskon 20% kalau kamu adalah Periplus Elite Club).

Nyatanya, aku tidak menyesal telah membeli ini. Socialism 101 layaknya sebuah penjelasan awal yang baik untuk siapapun yang masih has no idea apa itu sosialisme. Disampaikan secara kronologis sehingga memudahkan membaca untuk merunut setiap peristiwa. Sekaligus menunjukkan bahwa dalam perjalanan dan perkembangan sosialisme diterima oleh masyarakat, ada saja konflik-konflik yang menyebabkan aliran sosialisme ini menjadi punya banyak spektrum.

Tidak sekadar itu, untuk beberapa tokoh kunci, Kathleen Sears juga memberikan satu hingga dua halaman untuk biografi singkatnya: nama asli, lahir dimana, hingga jenjang pendidikan terakhirnya apa. Minimal membuat pembaca awam sepertiku tahu kalau ternyata nama-nama tenar seperti Joseph Stalin sebenarnya adalah nama lain.

As a socialist, Morris rejected industrialism and capitalism because they degraded human beings and udervalued craftmanship.

Maka, tidak salah kalau di sampulnya tertulis "crash course in socialist political theory", sebab memang Sears menampilkan yang menjadi poin inti serta kata kunci dalam teori politik sosialisme. Bahasa yang mudah dipahami serta cara penulisan yang terstruktur membuat nyaman pembacanya. Hanya saja, ukuran hurufnya terlalu kecil untuk dapat dinikmati secara santai.

[Julian Worker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This will be a wonderful reference book for me to use in the future. This is a fascinating story and one that interests me greatly.

The scope of the book starts with Aristotle and Plato and finishes with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and goes via the rise of the working class, Saint-Simon, Marx, Engels, Lenin, Gramsci, The Frankfurt School, Stalin, Ho Chi Minh, Mao, Thatcher, Reagan, and Cuba.

The Chartist movement in the UK was named after a document called the People's Charter that dates from 1838. One of the six demands in the charter was for annually elected parliaments, the only one of the six demands that was not subsequently implemented.

I believe this demand for annually elected parliaments was first made by The Levellers towards the end of the 1640s and I was hoping The Levellers would have been mentioned in this book for this reason as I reckon they were socialists along with another group of the time called The Diggers. This is a minor quibble however given the scope of the book.

[Fredrik deBoer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have not had a particularly happy relationship with introductions to Marxism et al in the past. Many of the attempts at beginner's guides to communism (or graphic novel versions of Marxist texts or the like) seem to place emphasis in just entirely the wrong places, forgoing fundamentals like surplus value/the rate of exploitation, internationalism, and the relationship of the communism to the state. I say this all as a somewhat-but-not-very well read Marxist and lifelong socialist. Sears's book was a breath of fresh air for me, engaging and inviting while remaining sufficiently rigorous. I think she is helped immeasurably by (and this is an old saw of mine) the focus on socialist history rather than socialist theory. An historical focus helps make the material more transparent for the reader and helps to demystify where socialist principles come from. I would have liked a more thorough drilling-down into Marxism and, to a lesser extent, syndicalism; I honestly wouldn't have minded another 50 pages. But this is a great introduction, one I'm happy to recommend to people, in a space that sorely needs it.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quick read, and an overview of lefty political history. Socialism is all the political rage these days, with Bernie Sanders and AOC and others. Polls show that young people in this country like socialism much more than the generations before (although I wonder how many of them could define it). Socialism, like capitalism, is a continuum and not just one thing: it runs the range from Soviet Communism to the FDR's New Deal programs. There are significant differences between communists, socialists, and social democrats (and Christian socialists. And Green socialists). It was all very interesting. I found myself nodding along as I read about the benefits of social democracy and the Fabians.

Four out of five stars because I felt that the author spent a little too much time describing the theorists and not the theories. Also, I didn't need to know quite so much detail about the European revolutions of the 19th century. There was more history here than philosophy.

[Lily · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was more of a history of "socialism" rather than Socialism 101. My main problem with this book was that the author labelled authoritarian regimes as socialist and she also labelled Bernie Sanders as socialist, without providing much clarification about the difference between the two. Wouldn't recommend to someone who is looking to understand what socialism actually means.

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writing style was not that engaging. Topic was interesting

[Martin Humphreys · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. It had a lefty lean but was mostly impartial. It was also very interesting! I definitely learned a lot. It does seem to require some knowledge beforehand, though.

[Claudio Di Pizzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

really easy introduction. good start for someone who does not know a lot about the topic. The theories are discussed pretty shallow though.

[Jake Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 stars. Good introduction. Pointed me in the direction of readings that will expand my learning. Very worth it for people who had an American anti-leftist education.

[Thomas Beard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clear and well-written history. Does a good job looking at the wide variety of ideas under socialism, their strengths and weaknesses, and their conflicts with each other.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent summary of socialism, I wish, however, it was a bit more detailed.

I learned quite a bit and it refreshed my memory on some things I learned at school (around 30 years ago) and since.

It was interesting to read about the struggles that socialists faced in the past and still do face.

Capitalism thinks if is the only acceptable political and economic system, constantly stating socialism is bad, evil, etc, but surely a system that is designed to create extreme poverty at one end and grossly offensive wealth at the opposite end of the economy is the wrong political and economic ideology.

This is certainly a book that I will return to again in the future. Anyone who wants to develop an understanding of socialism should read this book.

[Fran · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's intentionally a primer, so of necessity is selective and sometime simplistic. It's also rather politically West-centric. The better sections are the first half of the book. which largely describes the western european conditions under capitalism, and the many strands of resistance to those conditions, including socialist ideas and organizations that both complemented and conflicted with one another.
Later sections covering more recent developments are far less useful. More about politics than socialism, the author not only skims but largely uses the establishment shorthand for many events, from the Vietnam War to Reagan, Thatcher.

[Shannyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is much more of a history book than one about political science or a crash course of socialism. Also a bit biased and a bit too focused on the west. Sub par writing style as well. Other books I’ve read from this series have been better.

[Tanner · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely readable basic overview of the history of socialist thought, predominantly in the West (hence the deduction of a star). Very helpful to all those who are interested in but unfamiliar with leftist thought. Quite entertaining and well-structured, save for the last few sections which seemed to jump around quite a bit chronologically/globally with no discernible rhyme or reason. The author has a typically impartial but concise writing style. She is, however, openly a bit critical of those on the right, like Reagan, Thatcher, and McCarthy, and also critical of leftists who drift too far into authoritarianism/totalitarianism, i.e. Stalin and Mao. While she is critical of their actions, she still recognizes the valuable contributions they made to the development of socialist thought, and she is never critical of communism or any left ideology as a whole. Though the book certainly leaves enough room for readers to decide which leftist ideology they most align with (or none at all), I think it seems like the author herself may favor Green socialism/ecosocialism.

My biggest issue with this book is that, as others as have mentioned, it focuses too little on socialism outside of predominantly white countries. There are chapters on China, Cuba, Vietnam, and one chapter titled “Socialism in the Developing World” that provides a cursory glance at socialism in Israel, Egypt, and India, but features no South American or Sub-Saharan examples of socialism or Pan-Africanism and its ties to socialism. I particularly found the section on Israel, which makes no mention of the sinister settler-colonial nature of Zionism, very disappointing. And the lack of any citations is particularly troublesome in a book that aims to introduce people to socialism. Where are people supposed to turn for further reading? These simple additions could have elevated this book into something truly special and universal.

Overall, I would still recommend this book to others, particularly those who are overwhelmed by the scope of leftist thought/literature and are looking for a little context to help them determine what they’d like to read next. Imperfect on its own, it would pair well with some supplemental readings from socialists of the Global South.

[Matt Davenport · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book does the job it sets out to do perfectly: providing a wide-ranging introduction to the basic timeline and tenets of different socialists theories, thoughts, and movements. It's immensely readable, and does a great job being fair with the material. I learned a ton, and now have a lot of different people and ideas to research more now that I know the basics (this is just a 101 after all, as the book advertises).

In particular, the similarities and differences between what ultimately became utopian Communism, then revolutionary Marxism-Leninism-Stalinism communism from reformist socialism and social democracy, anarchism, and syndicalism were the most intriguing parts to learn about. I think this is a great read for anyone who wishes to know more about socialism, or just to understand the history of political thought at large, so that we can move past the ignorant and/or intellectually dishonest lumping of any and all hope of progress as a society as "Marxist" or "Communist".

[Kerry Cutler · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a few interesting anecdotes in this book, but it was difficult for hold on to all the various historical figures, especially with only the name of the book or manuscript to hold onto for reference to differentiate from other . I would have liked to understand better what were the elements of their actual ideas that were new that resulted in their being a part of the evolving history of socialism. This seemed to lean heavier toward the roll call of socialist thinkers, and less to toward the substance and progression of the philosophy.
It may have been better to read the print version than to listen to the audiobook to glean more of that. This book did give reference to a wide bibliography of further treatises to read to further understand the history of this issue. After reading this, I want to head to more primary sources and also to read "Eros and Civilization " by Marcuse, "The Blithedale Romance" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and "The Political thought of Saint Simone".

[Stefan Gugler · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who reads a lot of introduction, I have to say, this was a solid one!

It was all built up through the historical process of pre-Marxist socialist theories, Marx and friends, France and Paris commune, revolutionary Russia, Stalin and USSR, China, and fizzles out into countries around the globe such as Cuba, Vietnam, Korea, Germany, England, and the USA, giving the last word to Bernie Sanders and AOC.

Of course it's not possible to cover all the theoretical details of the many varieties of socialist thought, it felt very encompassing inasmuch most terminology that at least I can think of is mentioned at some point (up to ma boi, Adorno.)

So I guess if you are interested in a (from how I read it) 'quite' objective (neither hiding nor sensationalizing victims and successes of socialism) and history oriented introduction to socialism, it's a good text. Would recommend primary literature soon after though :)

[Iving]

DNF @ 62%

Inner monologue:

-what non fiction should I pick up now
-hmm how about sumn sociology related? you know nothing of the topic
-i know the basics 🙄
-basics ain’t enough
-
-what if a conversation comes up and you know nothing of the topic? 🤨 do you wanna look like a goof?
-no…..
-well then
-
-just pick up the most basic looking book about it, it ain’t have to be deep
-sociology 101?
-
-
-sure why not

*30% into the book and not giving a flying fvck about anything that’s being said*

-im not feeling this
-just keep going
-i just. don’t. care.
-at least get to the halfway point
-am i gonna get a reward for this
-we’ll buy some tacos
-good



60% and 3 tacos in, ive come to the conclusion that im dumb and you’ll never catch me reading any more sociology related books ever again 🥴🌮🤰🏻

[SnappyCappy7 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have given this 4.5, if allowed.

The title did mislead me. When I saw "Socialism 101", I figured it was going to go over why the US needs socialism. However, this book instead goes over the history of socialism (from all over the world, not just the US) and how much its changed starting from the 1600s and ending with the year 2019 (when this book was published).

I thought this was a very informative read; it helps the reader understand what went on in major wars and gives more information on certain political figures that is written in a simplistic way. However, at the same time, because it was too simplistic (it is a crash course book, afterall), I feel if someone were to pick up this book without having too much historical knowledge and/ or knowledge of how politics work, they'd feel lost.

[St_Fish · Rating 4 out of 5]

(note: I listened to the audiobook)

Exactly as advertised, Socialism 101 is a comprehensive yet accessible overview of evolutions in the spectrum of leftist political thought global historical events over the past few hundred years. In terms of balance, I got the impression the author was sympathetic to leftism but didn't neglect to point out some of the struggles and setbacks in real-world applications. You'll definitely notice a focus on the beginnings of socialism in Europe, but it also more briefly touches on movements in the global South and the attempts to develop social democracy in the US. This should appeal to anyone who's looking for a good foundation on this topic before moving on to more specific or more opinionated works.