- by Peter Farmer
- The Guardian
- Issue #2186
(an occasional series for the beginning communist and the communism-curious)
Blackshirts and Reds by Michael Parenti
Michael Parenti passed away in January this year. There was an outpouring of affectionate mourning from socialists, many of whom grew up on Parenti’s books and lectures (the CPA used to have a library of cassette recordings of his talks. See Guardian #2178, 9 February 2026 for more).
Often cited as the best place to begin for people interested in understanding communism, Blackshirts and Reds, by Michael Parenti is a penetrating antidote to conventional understanding of the topic. Parenti shows in detail that communism in Eastern Europe did not simply fall over because “socialism doesn’t work,” but in fact was subjected to constant external pressure. Parenti also looks at what happened next, the horrendous toll taken by the “free market victory” that followed the collapse of the Eastern Bloc states and the Soviet Union.
The book also takes a fresh view of fascism and argues that far from being an aberration, fascism is an outcome of capitalism – it pays service to capitalism in times of crisis.
Blackshirts and Reds is a useful and very readable introduction to the idea of class analysis in understanding the realities of politics as practiced in the USA and western countries in general. Written in Parenti’s usual energetic, lucid and informative style, it’s a good place to start. J
