Maurice Thorez

A Biography

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Government, Communism & Socialism, History, France, Modern, 20th Century
Cover of the book Maurice Thorez by John Bulaitis, Bloomsbury Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: John Bulaitis ISBN: 9781786723680
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Publication: April 30, 2018
Imprint: I.B. Tauris Language: English
Author: John Bulaitis
ISBN: 9781786723680
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication: April 30, 2018
Imprint: I.B. Tauris
Language: English

Maurice Thorez (1900–1964) was a major figure in the history of twentieth-century France and European Communism for over three decades. Under his leadership, the French Communist Party (PCF) became France's largest political party and one of the most important communist parties in the Western world. Born in a mining village and leaving school at the age of 12, Thorez's rapid rise in the PCF paralleled Stalin's consolidation of power in the Soviet Union. After the Second World War, he became a minister and, briefly, deputy prime minister, before the Cold War excluded communists from political power. The PCF became known as 'the party of Maurice Thorez', an expression of the leader cult around Thorez that mirrored the 'cult of personality' around Stalin.
This book, based on a wealth of original source material including Thorez's diaries and notebooks, is the only biography of Thorez available in English. John Bulaitis outlines how Thorez's political life intersected with, and was shaped by, key historical events. Chapters are devoted to the Popular Front, the World War II years (spent in the Soviet Union), the trauma of the 1956 Hungarian Revolt and the crisis prompted by the Algerian War. The book also examines Thorez's role as a leading player within the world communist movement. At its heart, the book explores the paradox of the mass communist movement in France: its ability to fuse attachment to the French nation with fervent loyalty to the Soviet Union and Stalinist practices.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Maurice Thorez (1900–1964) was a major figure in the history of twentieth-century France and European Communism for over three decades. Under his leadership, the French Communist Party (PCF) became France's largest political party and one of the most important communist parties in the Western world. Born in a mining village and leaving school at the age of 12, Thorez's rapid rise in the PCF paralleled Stalin's consolidation of power in the Soviet Union. After the Second World War, he became a minister and, briefly, deputy prime minister, before the Cold War excluded communists from political power. The PCF became known as 'the party of Maurice Thorez', an expression of the leader cult around Thorez that mirrored the 'cult of personality' around Stalin.
This book, based on a wealth of original source material including Thorez's diaries and notebooks, is the only biography of Thorez available in English. John Bulaitis outlines how Thorez's political life intersected with, and was shaped by, key historical events. Chapters are devoted to the Popular Front, the World War II years (spent in the Soviet Union), the trauma of the 1956 Hungarian Revolt and the crisis prompted by the Algerian War. The book also examines Thorez's role as a leading player within the world communist movement. At its heart, the book explores the paradox of the mass communist movement in France: its ability to fuse attachment to the French nation with fervent loyalty to the Soviet Union and Stalinist practices.

More books from Bloomsbury Publishing

Cover of the book After the Stasi by John Bulaitis
Cover of the book The Shoemaker's Holiday by John Bulaitis
Cover of the book Women in Shakespeare by John Bulaitis
Cover of the book When the World Was Waiting for You by John Bulaitis
Cover of the book Challenging the Legal Boundaries of Work Regulation by John Bulaitis
Cover of the book The Victorians and Edwardians at Play by John Bulaitis
Cover of the book Shrewsbury 1403 by John Bulaitis
Cover of the book German Commerce Raiders 1914–18 by John Bulaitis
Cover of the book Mindful Aesthetics by John Bulaitis
Cover of the book Global Punk by John Bulaitis
Cover of the book The Roadhouse Comes to Britain by John Bulaitis
Cover of the book US Navy PBY Catalina Units of the Pacific War by John Bulaitis
Cover of the book The Philippine Sea 1944 by John Bulaitis
Cover of the book The Naming of Names by John Bulaitis
Cover of the book When Light Left Us by John Bulaitis
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy