Maurice Isserman

A new book tells the story of American communism as an integral part of 20th-century US history, with Communists “as social critics and social change agents.”

Maurice Isserman’s history of American communism documents both its achievements and its fatal obeisance to Soviet doctrines.

Plus: One historian’s about-face on the Communist record.

But they also find key differences.

In 1950s America, the Cold War was raging, but socialists were playing key roles in the early civil rights movement.

A scholar wrestles with the legacy of her grandfather, onetime leader of America’s Communist Party.