Synopses & Reviews
Histories of American radical left groups abound. The Communist party, the tiny Trotskyist movement, and the New Left have all been abundantly chronicled. Very little information has been available, however, about the Radical Left today. Far Left of Center remedies that deficit. Part One deals with the Communist party of the United States, the largest and most influential Marxist-Leninist group in the United States. Part Two deals with Trotskyist, Maoist, the other Marxist-Leninist organizations in the United States. Part Three deals with organizations that eschew formalities to Marxist-Leninist parties and are not under the control of these parties, although they may work with them towards some of the same objectives. The basic premise of this volume is that these far-left groups support and defend oppressive and totalitarian regimes and cooperate with those dedicated to the destruction of democracy and intellectual freedom. The author is careful to distinguish these groups from democratic socialists in the United States, who have vigorously and continuously denounced Marxism-Leninism and those regimes founded on its principles. Klehr has written a sober, well-documented, comprehensive account of the Radical Left in the United States today.