Moscow and the New Left - by Klaus Mehnert (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Moscow and the New Left is a detailed exploration of the Soviet Union's reaction to the emergence of the New Left movement in the West during the 1960s and early 1970s. This sequel to Peking and the New Left shifts focus from China's domestic radicalism to Moscow's interpretation of revolutionary leftist movements outside its sphere of influence. These movements, including Paris's student uprisings, the American and German SDS, and other Trotskyist, Maoist, and anarchist groups, posed ideological challenges to the USSR's dogmatic stance on socialism. The book scrutinizes whether the Soviet leadership viewed these groups as allies, rivals, or threats and examines their responses to these unorthodox leftist ideologies, which often rejected Moscow's claim to define socialism.

Drawing on a meticulous analysis of Soviet publications, including over 3,000 pages of articles from 25 Moscow-based periodicals, the author dissects how the USSR's ideological apparatus grappled with the New Left's critique of its policies. The study reveals the evolving Soviet attitude, initially marked by ignorance and later by cautious acknowledgment following events like the Paris revolt of 1968. By presenting excerpts from Soviet documents and contextualizing them within a broader ideological struggle, the book provides a nuanced understanding of the USSR's intellectual and political engagement with global leftist movements. This work offers an indispensable lens for scholars of Cold War history, socialism, and ideological conflicts during a transformative era.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1975.