{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Ill Literacy: Books with Benson","title":"Reds: The Tragedy of American Communism (Guest: Maurice Isserman)","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3696,"description":"Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Maurice Isserman, Publius Virgilius Rogers Professor of American History at Hamilton College, to discuss his new book, Reds: The Tragedy of American Communism. They chat about the deeply contradictory nature of the history of the Communist Party USA, the history of the American far left, and how the Bolshevik Revolution skewed the American far left. They also discuss CPUSA’s unwavering faith in the Soviet Union, how many American communists became involved in espionage on behalf of the USSR, and the organization’s decline into political irrelevance. \nGet the book here:  https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/maurice-isserman/reds/9781541620032/?lens=basic-books\n\nShow Notes:\n\nThe American Prospect: Harold Meyerson – “Red Weather Vanes”\nhttps://prospect.org/culture/books/2024-08-08-red-weather-vanes-isserman-review/\n\nThe Bulwark: Ron Radosh – “How and Why American Communism Failed”\nhttps://www.thebulwark.com/p/communism-failed-maurice-isserman-reds-review\n\nForeign Policy: Casey Michel: “The Contradictions of America’s Communist Party”\nhttps://foreignpolicy.com/2024/07/07/communist-party-america-history-illiberal-democracy/\n\nThe Wall Street Journal: Joseph Epstein – “‘Reds’ Review: Communism in the U.S.A.”\nhttps://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/reds-review-communism-in-the-u-s-a-1e0b14d7","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/kNYd03PWLsrhW1fapjuL69XCID7ipQAh8UAmtQYE_W0/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzM2NzM4LzE2Njk4/MzU0NzktYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}