The God That Failed

The God That Failed is a classic work and crucial document of the Cold War that brings together essays by six of the most important writers of the twentieth century on their conversion to and subsequent disillusionment with communism. In describing their own experiences, the authors illustrate the fate of leftism around the world. Andr Gide (France), Richard Wright (the United States), Ignazio Silone (Italy), Stephen Spender (England), Arthur Koestler (Germany), and Louis Fischer, an American foreign correspondent, all tell how their search for the betterment of humanity led them to communism, and the personal agony and revulsion which then caused them to reject it. David Engerman's new foreword to this central work of our time recounts the tumultuous events of the era, providing essential background. It also describes the book's origins and impact, the influence of communism in American intellectual life, and how the events described in The God That Failed continue to affect public discourse today.

Author: Richard Crossman
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 10/10/2001
Pages: 272
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.74lbs
Size: 8.25h x 5.29w x 0.68d
ISBN13: 9780231123952
ISBN10: 0231123957
BISAC Categories:
- Political Science | Political Ideologies | Communism, Post-Communism & Socialism
- Political Science | History & Theory | General

About the Author
Richard Crossman (1907-74) was a leader in the British Labour Party, serving in the Cabinet from 1964 until 1970.

David C. Engerman is assistant professor of history at Brandeis University.