The Rise and Demise of World Communism

The rise and demise of world communism was one of the great dramas of the 20th century, born in wars (World War I, World II), offering an alternative modernity to that of the capitalist world, and ultimately succumbing to the pressures of Cold War, capitalist globalization, and popular disaffection. The result was either systemic collapse (the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe) or a fundamental alteration of key features of the communist system (China, Vietnam, Laos). Beyond that, a few hangers-on remain: North Korea and Cuba, while many non-ruling communist parties have transformed themselves in either a more-radical or more social-democratic direction. 

In this course, we will trace communism’s origins in Marxism and Leninism, its victory in the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, its construction of an international sub-system (the “world communist movement”), its spread throughout Europe and Asia (plus Cuba), and its ultimate demise or alteration.

What did communist revolutions, states, and non-ruling communist parties have in common, in both their domestic and international orientations? How did they differ from each other? Why did international communism fracture into competing models of domestic and foreign relations? Why did the Soviet Union and, with it, the world communist system ultimately collapse? How, in retrospect, should we evaluate the century-long experience of communism? And are any of the five communist countries that remain to this day — China, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos, and Cuba — likely to follow European communism into oblivion?

George Breslauer is Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, Emeritus, UC Berkeley. He has published seven books on the Soviet Union and other communist states, most recently The Rise and Demise of World Communism (Oxford University Press, 2021). He has received awards for his teaching and is an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

This is a Livestreamed + Recorded Course

• Classes will stream live on the scheduled day and time.
• Classes will also be recorded. 
• Course materials, including videos, will remain available enjoy in the Member Dashboard through May 31.
• Fee assistance is available if cost is a barrier. Learn more.

Schedule Highlights

• Course starts on Wednesday, April 5 and ends on Wednesday, May 24.
• Classes meet for eight weeks, 1.5 hours per session.

Faculty Interview

• Read an interview with George Breslauer from our archive.