Reds
A Global History of Communism
- Author: Paul Mason (England)
- Book type: history book
- Publisher: Apollo Books
- To be released: August 27, 2026
- Length: 592 pages
- Sizes: 23,4 x 15,3 cm
- Format: hardback / ebook / audiobook
- Prize: £ 30.00 / £ 21.00 / £ 18.00
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Paul Mason Reds reviews and information
Whenever a review of Reds, a global history of communism, the history book written by Paul Mason, appears in the media, we’ll highlight it on this page.
- “Gripping, exuberant and epic, Paul Mason delivers a fascinating, accessible and unsparing history of the experiment of Communism from Marx in the 19th Century through Stalin, Mao, Brezhnev, Pol Pot and Deng in the 20th century to the 21st century when as contradictions abound, the Communist China of President Xi is a capitalist megapower and Stalinist North Korea is a hereditary nuclear monarchy and, confronting the recent fashion for whitewashing these crimes, answers the big question of how to end inequality and hierarchy in the digital age with this conclusion: “not like this!” Essential reading for these times.” (Simon Sebag Montefiore, historian)
- “Essential reading for anyone wanting to understand the forces and ideas that have made our modern world. With a dazzling cast of characters from the French and Russian revolutions, through the Comintern, the Cold War and present-day China Paul Mason brings alive both the key players and the historical forces that they set in motion.” (Adam LeBor, author)
- “Reds is a serious reminder of the horror that results when ideas that seem “fair” and “just” are violently mobilised.” (The Telegraph)
Blurb of the book by Paul Mason on the history of communism
Reds tells the global history of communism, going beyond the turmoil of the 20th century, and exploring communist ideas, movements, and regimes.
It starts in antiquity, not in 1917. It centres not just on the obvious leaders and thinkers but asks how the idealism of millions of working-class activists could lead to their acquiescence in mass murder, repression and social atomisation. A fact whose legacy – unfortunately – is alive and kicking in both Russia and China today.
Paul Mason’s startling new book will argue that the desire to live without hierarchy and property is an impulse deeply rooted in our human nature. Reds traces the history of communist ideas through revolts in the ancient and medieval worlds, and chronicles the rise of 19th century anti-capitalist movements. Using first hand testimonies of both the perpetrators and the victims, Mason gives a new and terrifying account of how the 20th century experiment in communism turned into a totalitarian nightmare. But, he argues, the story is not over. Western democracies are stagnant and lacking self-belief. Looming climate chaos demands radical economic answers. Millions of people in the global south see China’s offer of authoritarian, state-led development model as a viable alternative. And among the Western left, new forms of techno-egalitarianism vie with right-wing libertarianism in the battle over the digital future.
Reds will be a major analysis as we head into a dangerous new world order where China and Russia threaten major change to the world’s democracies.
Paul Mason is an award-winning journalist and labor movement activist living in London. Previously the economics editor at both BBC Newsnight and Channel 4 News, he is now a columnist at The New World and is adjunct fellow at the Council on Geostrategy. He is the author of seven books, including PostCapitalism, Rare Earth, and How to Stop Fascism.