Communism in Decline: From Sputnik to Gorbachev

By: Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius

Communism was more than a new philosophy to Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels when they wrote the Communist Manifesto in 1848. They saw it as a brand-new way of life, a new civilization for the modern man and woman. The communist way of life was to represent a total liberation from all of history, which they saw as nothing more than struggle, exploitation, and suffering. Instead of building upon the past, they proposed that communism would focus only on the future, promising total social equality for all and sharing in a new stage of human societal evolution.

When measured against other social theories throughout world history, communism is more than just another a philosophical thought experiment. The beliefs and practices of communism were institutionalized in Lenin’s Bolshevik state, as experienced within the experimental and unprecedented development of the Soviet Union. For 74 years, the experiment held together. Communist regimes, at their peak, ruled more than one-third of the world’s population.

What happened? What really caused this giant experiment to decline and fall apart?

In Communism in Decline: From Sputnik to Gorbachev, Professor Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius reveals the internal and external forces that ripped apart the grand communist experiment. What were the mistakes made by the Soviet leaders who believed too deeply in their own propaganda? And why were they not able to see the many ironies in their own poor decisions? In 12 fascinating lectures, you will learn how the Soviet Union went from winning the space race against the United States in 1957 to Gorbachev’s resignation and the dissolution of the great experiment in 1991.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2024 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2024 The Great Courses

Not bad

I admit there were some times when my eyes glazes over and it seemed like I was just hearing a litany of names of people or places. I think it's hard to talk about history and avoid that. But the author worked hard to keep matters interesting. He shared a few personal anecdotes. My favorite parts were sharing the jokes from long-ago communist cultures. Not only were they somewhat entertaining in and of themselves, but it provided an interesting window into how people at the time thought and felt.

Excellent slice of recent history

This professor always does a great job. I especially liked this one, because it got into recent history, some of which I remember. Professor L always adds a bit of humor and interesting anecdotes in his lectures. Especially like how he uses jokes that were told as a window into the mindset of people at the time.

I enjoyed all of his series on the history of communism. This installment was particularly interesting, because some of his personal experiences were woven in as well.

Professor L has a great speaking voice and his lectures are always well organized.