MixedThe Irish Times\"Mason is not writing a critique of communism from the right...But, aside from asserting that historically \'it was anarcho-syndicalism and left social democracy, not Bolshevism, that expressed working-class consciousness in its most authentic form,\' he is vague about what a transformative project would entail ... While this book should provoke discussion, some of Mason’s potential audience may also be inured to his opinions ... He writes well, despite occasional anachronisms and lapses into journalese, and his very readable narrative raises important questions ... He might have added that the hypocrisy of governments arresting pensioners for protesting against genocide, while facilitating that very genocide, makes some question as to whether any moral difference exists between liberal democracy and its supposed enemies.\
PositiveIrish Times (IRE)Clear, comprehensive, and nuanced ... A welcome attempt to offer some clarity ... Mazower provides a fast-paced and comprehensive summary of developments across Europe until 1914 ... Mazower’s final chapters focus on debates in Israel and the United States. The narrative here is more polemical and focused on cultural and identity politics, while also perhaps less relevant to debates elsewhere ... Books like this can hopefully contribute to the honest discussions that are desperately needed in a new age of racism, war and genocide.
