<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: READ THIS BOOK
Review: Muravchik does a sensational job of describing the historical facts of the world's greatest menace: socialism. He elegantly and intellectually discusses its origins from Babeuf all the way to Marx, its triumphs beginning with Lenin, Mussolini, and Atlee, and to its "failure" with Gorbachev and Deng. For the avergage reader who has an interest in socialism, this book is a must have, but the only problem the Muravchik doesn't see is that socialism is far from dead. Of course some of its twisted forms, such as Nazism and Fascism, are all but gone, but Communism still lives and socialism is still gaining ever popular influence in Europe, South America, and even here in the States. Hopefully people will open their eyes and realize the most fundamental precept of human nature: that people are not equal; and the only way for the human race to achieve this is through government coercion, which is why socialism has failed in every aspect since its beginning (and yes, even in the Scandanavian countries) and will always continue to fail. Socialists fight with their emotions, individualists fight with their intelligence, which one are you?
Rating:
Summary: Very Helpful
Review: Socialism was a modern attempt to replace traditional religion with a set of beliefs purporting to be a science. Although in the course of about two hundred years, socialism spread far and fast, it did not produce the good life for ordinary people. Muravchik points out that nothing worked. Not communes, revolution, fascism, third world socialism or social democracy. This book in very readable because of its coverage of prominent historical figures who either advanced, impeded or modified socialism out of existence. In the first category are obvious choices such as Robert Owens, Marx, Engels and Clement Atlee. In the middle category is the towering figure of George Meany, a cold warrior of Reaganesque proportion while also a Social Democrat. A delicious quote from Meany is this one, when he was asked to have the American Federation of Labor join some international communist front group after World War II. "What would we talk about? The latest innovation being used by the secret police to ensnare those who think in opposition to the group in power? Or, perhaps, bigger and better concentration camps for political prisoners?" (p. 251-2) Conservatives and other Americans should develop a greater appreciation for George Meany who died in 1980. A very current reason for reading this book should be its description of the life and political evolution of Tony Blair. Blair, who has transformed Socialism and is well known for his spinning and equivocating at home, should also be well appreciated by Americans for his support against terrorism. This book is readable, memorable and on target.
Rating:
Summary: the review before me, I have something to say
Review: Well you said "Upon reading Heaven on Earth, the reader will realize that you can no more build a socialism which works than you can create a human being who will live forever."
On the contrary, the computers of mid 21st century will exceed human intelligence and capacity and humans will be able to upload their brains unto computer databases, and hence, live for ever. So don't go making unvalidated quotes like that.
<< 1 >>
| 
