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Politics & Society » Political Ideologies

Most Recommended Books

The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright

“Reading this one book gives you an excellent grasp of the human story and the context from which al-Qaeda emerged.”

Audrey Kurth Cronin, Political Scientist

Read more

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

“Most fundamentally, Rand was a militant atheist and rejected conservatism’s attempt to ground free society in religious principles.”

Brink Lindsey, Political Commentator

Read more

On Liberty by John Stuart Mill

“Mill points out that very often, throughout history, people have thought that they were certainly right, and then turned out to be quite wrong.”

Peter Singer, Philosopher

Read more

Free to Choose by Milton Friedman

“I chose this book because it expressed best to me the moral underpinnings of free economics, if one starts from the premise that the highest value is the autonomy and dignity and freedom of the individual.”

Mitch Daniels, Politician

Read more

Browse book recommendations:

Politics & Society

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  • Terrorism

    The best books on Anarchism, recommended by Ruth Kinna

  • Read

    1

    'Anarchism', in the Encyclopaedia Britannica
    by Peter Kropotkin

  • Read

    2

    Gates of Freedom: Voltairine de Cleyre and the Revolution of the Mind
    by Eugenia C. DeLamotte

  • Read

    3

    The Slavery of Our Times
    by Leo Tolstoy

  • Read

    4

    Autonomy, Solidarity, Possibility: The Colin Ward Reader
    by Chris Wilbert, Colin Ward & Damian F. White

  • Read

    5

    Anarchism and Syndicalism in the Colonial and Postcolonial World, 1870-1940
    by Lucien van der Walt & Steven Hirsch

The best books on Anarchism, recommended by Ruth Kinna

Sometimes vilified, often misunderstood, rarely taught in universities, anarchism is a political philosophy and social movement that’s far removed from today’s mainstream politics. But it was and remains a powerful motivator. Political theorist Ruth Kinna talks us through the best books to read to get a better understanding of anarchism.

    The best books on The French Revolution, recommended by Lynn Hunt

  • Read

    1

    The Ancien Régime and the Revolution
    by Alexis de Tocqueville

  • Read

    2

    Interpreting the French Revolution
    by François Furet

  • Read

    3

    Citizens
    by Simon Schama

  • Read

    4

    Twelve Who Ruled
    by RR Palmer

  • Read

    5

    The New Regime
    by Isser Woloch

The best books on The French Revolution, recommended by Lynn Hunt

It’s a revolution that still resonates and yet it resists easy interpretation. Lynn Hunt, a leading historian of the French Revolution, tells us what the events of 1789 and later years really meant, and what relevance they have for us today.

    The best books on British Conservatism, recommended by Daniel Finkelstein

  • Read

    1

    An Appetite for Power
    by John Ramsden

  • Read

    2

    The Great Melody
    by Conor Cruise O’Brien

  • Read

    3

    Reggie
    by Lewis Baston

  • Read

    4

    The Pinch
    by David Willetts

  • Read

    5

    Tory Radical
    by Cecil Herbert Driver

The best books on British Conservatism, recommended by Daniel Finkelstein

Conservatism is different around the world because what it’s trying to preserve, the ‘essence of a nation,’ inevitably varies by country, says British journalist and politician Daniel Finkelstein. And yet, the UK’s Tory party has always been quick to adapt to whatever would get it into power.

    The best books on Terrorism, recommended by Audrey Kurth Cronin

  • Read

    1

    Every War Must End
    by Fred Charles Iklé

  • Read

    2

    A Savage War of Peace
    by Alistair Horne

  • Read

    3

    The Looming Tower
    by Lawrence Wright

  • Read

    4

    The ISIS Apocalypse: The History, Strategy, and Doomsday Vision of the Islamic State
    by William McCants

  • Read

    5

    Deciphering Sun Tzu: How to Read The Art of War
    by Derek M. C. Yuen

The best books on Terrorism, recommended by Audrey Kurth Cronin

It’s hard to remember when in the midst of one, but terrorism campaigns do always end. Audrey Kurth Cronin, author of How Terrorism Ends, recommends the best books on terrorism.

    The best books on Progressivism, recommended by Keith Ellison

  • Read

    1

    Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story
    by Martin Luther King Jr

  • Read

    2

    The Autobiography of Malcolm X
    by Malcolm X

  • Read

    3

    The Two-Income Trap
    by Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Tyagi

  • Read

    4

    Winner-Take-All Politics
    by Jacob S Hacker and Paul Pierson

  • Read

    5

    God’s Politics
    by Jim Wallis

The best books on Progressivism, recommended by Keith Ellison

As American congressman Keith Ellison—the first Muslim elected to Congress—enters the race to chair the Democratic National Committee, reread this interview on the cause he stands for: progressivism — and the best books to read to fully understand it.

    The best books on Compassionate Conservatism, recommended by Karl Rove

  • Read

    1

    The Federalist Papers
    by Alexander Hamilton & John Jay and James Madison

  • Read

    2

    Democracy in America
    by Alexis de Tocqueville

  • Read

    3

    The Conscience of a Conservative
    by Barry Goldwater

  • Read

    4

    Capitalism and Freedom
    by Milton Friedman

  • Read

    5

    The Theory of Moral Sentiments
    by Adam Smith

The best books on Compassionate Conservatism, recommended by Karl Rove

Karl Rove recommends five historical works that define, for him, the essence of American Conservatism.

    The best books on Utopia, recommended by John Quiggin

  • Read

    1

    Brave New World
    by Aldous Huxley

  • Read

    2

    Consider Phlebas
    by Iain M Banks

  • Read

    3

    The Affluent Society
    by John Kenneth Galbraith

  • Read

    4

    Envisioning Real Utopias
    by Erik Olin Wright

  • Read

    5

    Essays in Persuasion
    by John Maynard Keynes

The best books on Utopia, recommended by John Quiggin

The Australian economist and author of Zombie Economics says we need to inspire people with a view of a better society. In short, we need a new utopia.

    The best books on Revolutionary Russia, recommended by Roland Chambers

  • Read

    1

    Six Weeks in Russia in 1919
    by Arthur Ransome

  • Read

    2

    A People’s Tragedy
    by Orlando Figes

  • Read

    3

    The Debate on Soviet Power
    by John LH Keep (editor and translator)

  • Read

    4

    Lenin in Zurich
    by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

  • Read

    5

    History of the Russian Revolution
    by Leon Trotsky

The best books on Revolutionary Russia, recommended by Roland Chambers

The Russian revolution was the beginning of the modern age, says award-winning author Roland Chambers. He tells us what Solzhenitsyn imagined Lenin was like, and about the children’s author who led a double life as a spy in Bolshevik Russia.

    The best books on Memoirs of Communism, recommended by Anne Applebaum

  • Read

    1

    The Captive Mind
    by Czeslaw Milosz

  • Read

    2

    A World Apart
    by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński

  • Read

    3

    Memoir of Hungary
    by Sándor Márai

  • Read

    4

    The Snows of Yesteryear
    by Gregor von Rezzori

  • Read

    5

    Speak, Memory
    by Vladimir Nabokov

The best books on Memoirs of Communism, recommended by Anne Applebaum

The traumas of the 20th century hit Eastern Europe hard – a region of changing borders, uncertain identity, and shattering of moral norms. The journalist and communism expert selects books that capture the spirit of the age.

    The best books on The Roots of the Occupy Movement, recommended by Michael Kazin

  • Read

    1

    The Communist Manifesto
    by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels

  • Read

    2

    A People’s History of the United States
    by Howard Zinn

  • Read

    3

    Democracy Is in the Streets
    by James Miller

  • Read

    4

    Winner-Take-All Politics
    by Jacob S Hacker and Paul Pierson

  • Read

    5

    Waging Nonviolent Struggle
    by Gene Sharp

The best books on The Roots of the Occupy Movement, recommended by Michael Kazin

History professor and co-editor of Dissent magazine, Michael Kazin, looks back at US leftist movements from abolitionism to Vietnam to see where OWS came from and what it can learn from the past.

    The best books on The Leaderless Revolution, recommended by Carne Ross

  • Read

    1

    Common Sense
    by Thomas Paine

  • Read

    2

    The Proper Study of Mankind
    by Isaiah Berlin

  • Read

    3

    Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus
    by Ludwig Wittgenstein

  • Read

    4

    Homage to Catalonia
    by George Orwell

  • Read

    5

    Letters to a Young Contrarian
    by Christopher Hitchens

The best books on The Leaderless Revolution, recommended by Carne Ross

Our political and economic systems are inadequate and failing. But what can we do? The author of a new book on the subject tells us what inspired his involvement in the Occupy movement and how a leaderless revolution could work

    The best books on Progressive America, recommended by Antonio Villaraigosa

  • Read

    1

    The Grapes of Wrath
    by John Steinbeck

  • Read

    2

    A Tale of Two Cities
    by Charles Dickens

  • Read

    3

    To Kill a Mockingbird
    by Harper Lee

  • Read

    4

    Team of Rivals
    by Doris Kearns Goodwin

  • Read

    5

    John Adams
    by David McCullough

The best books on Progressive America, recommended by Antonio Villaraigosa

In the last of our series of interviews on American progressivism, the mayor of Los Angeles chooses five novels and biographies that provide lessons from the past and show what a democratic society should aspire to be

    The best books on Progressivism, recommended by John Kerry

  • Read

    1

    Silent Spring
    by Rachel Carson

  • Read

    2

    The Grapes of Wrath
    by John Steinbeck

  • Read

    3

    Letter from the Birmingham Jail
    by Martin Luther King Jr

  • Read

    4

    The Conscience of a Liberal
    by Paul Wellstone

  • Read

    5

    The Other America
    by Michael Harrington

The best books on Progressivism, recommended by John Kerry

John Kerry, the 68th United States Secretary of State, picks five books that every progressive should read, and discusses the divide in America between the haves and have-nots

    The best books on The Roots of Liberalism, recommended by Franklin Foer

  • Read

    1

    The State
    by Woodrow Wilson

  • Read

    2

    The Metaphysical Club
    by Louis Menand

  • Read

    3

    The Promise of American Life
    by Herbert Croly

  • Read

    4

    The Age of Reform
    by Richard Hofstadter

  • Read

    5

    The Paradox of American Democracy
    by John Judis

The best books on The Roots of Liberalism, recommended by Franklin Foer

Our weekly series on American progressivism continues with the journalist and author discussing the genesis of liberalism – and how the Civil War remade politics

    The best books on Change in America, recommended by Van Jones

  • Read

    1

    The Bridge
    by David Remnick

  • Read

    2

    Means of Ascent
    by Robert A Caro

  • Read

    3

    In Struggle
    by Clayborne Carson

  • Read

    4

    A Poetics of Resistance
    by Jeff Conant

  • Read

    5

    Natural Capitalism
    by Amory Lovins, L. Hunter Lovins & Paul Hawken

The best books on Change in America, recommended by Van Jones

In the latest instalment of our series on American progressivism, the environmental advocate and human rights activist tells us why the age of Obama will really only begin after the president has left office

    The best books on Communism, recommended by Robert Conquest

  • Read

    1

    One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich
    by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

  • Read

    2

    Galina
    by Galina Vishnevskaya

  • Read

    3

    The New Class
    by Milovan Djilas

  • Read

    4

    Between East And West
    by Anne Applebaum

  • Read

    5

    The Russian Mind
    by Ronald Hingley

The best books on Communism, recommended by Robert Conquest

Esteemed historian of the Soviet Union recommends five books on Communism, from novels and personal narratives to theoretical works.

    The best books on Progress, recommended by Matthew Taylor

  • Read

    1

    The Progressive Dilemma
    by David Marquand

  • Read

    2

    Stumbling on Happiness
    by Daniel Gilbert

  • Read

    3

    The Hidden Wealth of Nations
    by David Halpern

  • Read

    4

    Oryx and Crake
    by Margaret Atwood

  • Read

    5

    Great Expectations
    by Charles Dickens

The best books on Progress, recommended by Matthew Taylor

What makes the most successful societies tick? The RSA’s Matthew Taylor says we should recognise that relationships and values are more important than scientific or economic advances

    The best books on Who Terrorists Are, recommended by Jessica Stern

  • Read

    1

    War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning
    by Chris Hedges

  • Read

    2

    The Secret Agent
    by Joseph Conrad

  • Read

    3

    What Terrorists Want
    by Louise Richardson

  • Read

    4

    A Human Being Died That Night
    by Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela

  • Read

    5

    The True Believer
    by Eric Hoffer

The best books on Who Terrorists Are, recommended by Jessica Stern

International terror expert Jessica Stern believes terror is addictive. When they begin their careers terrorists often believe that they are making the world a better place

    Peter Hitchens on Anti-Communist Thrillers

  • Read

    1

    Judgment on Deltchev
    by Eric Ambler

  • Read

    2

    The Night of Wenceslas
    by Lionel Davidson

  • Read

    3

    In the Wet
    by Nevil Shute

  • Read

    4

    Advise and Consent
    by Allen Drury

  • Read

    5

    When the Kissing Had to Stop
    by Constantine FitzGibbon

Peter Hitchens on Anti-Communist Thrillers

The right-wing journalist says the Left has been liberated by the fall of the Berlin Wall and that speech is probably freer in modern Russia than it is in Britain. Peter Hitchens recommends some great anti-Communist thrillers.

    The best books on Why Russia isn’t a Democracy, recommended by Martin Sixsmith

  • Read

    1

    The Russian Tradition
    by Tibor Szamuely

  • Read

    2

    War and Peace
    by Leo Tolstoy

  • Read

    3

    August 1914
    by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

  • Read

    4

    Ten Days that Shook the World
    by John Reed

  • Read

    5

    V D Nabokov and the Russian Provisional Government, 1917
    by V D Nabokov

The best books on Why Russia isn’t a Democracy, recommended by Martin Sixsmith

Former BBC Moscow correspondent Martin Sixsmith chooses five great works on Russia’s doomed democracies

    The best books on The Appeal of Conservatism, recommended by E J Dionne

  • Read

    1

    The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America since 1945
    by George H Nash

  • Read

    2

    American Conservatism in the Age of Enterprise 1865-1910
    by Robert Green McCloskey

  • Read

    3

    Invisible Hands
    by Kim Phillips-Fein

  • Read

    4

    The Neoconservatives
    by Peter Steinfels

  • Read

    5

    The Redhunter
    by William F Buckley Jr

The best books on The Appeal of Conservatism, recommended by E J Dionne

The Washington Post columnist and senior fellow at Brookings questions what has happened to the intellectual humility that led to the growth of American Conservatism

    The best books on Traditional and Liberal Conservatism, recommended by Brink Lindsey

  • Read

    1

    On Liberty
    by John Stuart Mill

  • Read

    2

    Planet of the Durkheimians
    by Jonathan Haidt and Jesse Graham

  • Read

    3

    Modernization and Postmodernization
    by Ronald Inglehart

  • Read

    4

    The Constitution of Liberty
    by Friedrich A von Hayek

  • Read

    5

    Atlas Shrugged
    by Ayn Rand

The best books on Traditional and Liberal Conservatism, recommended by Brink Lindsey

Modern conservatism is being driven by an historically unlikely coalition of libertarians and traditionalists, says the vice-president for research at the Cato Institute.

    David Frum recommends five Pioneering Conservative Books

  • Read

    1

    A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960
    by Milton Friedman and Anna Schwartz

  • Read

    2

    Thinking About Crime
    by James Q Wilson

  • Read

    3

    The State of Humanity
    by Julian L Simon

  • Read

    4

    Losing Ground
    by Charles Murray

  • Read

    5

    The Other Path
    by Hernando De Soto

David Frum recommends five Pioneering Conservative Books

The CNN columnist and former speechwriter for George W Bush, David Frum, recommends five conservative books that transformed the way we think about fundamental problems.

    The best books on Tea Party Conservatism, recommended by Grover Norquist

  • Read

    1

    The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
    by Robert A Heinlein

  • Read

    2

    Witness
    by Whittaker Chambers

  • Read

    3

    I Led 3 Lives
    by Herbert A Philbrick

  • Read

    4

    Free to Choose
    by Milton Friedman

  • Read

    5

    The Way the World Works
    by Jude Wanniski

The best books on Tea Party Conservatism, recommended by Grover Norquist

The leading Conservative strategist and Head of Americans for Tax Reform argues that liberals actively undermine what makes America great. He chooses five books to better understand conservative America

    The best books on Libertarianism, recommended by Anne Heller

  • Read

    1

    Atlas Shrugged
    by Ayn Rand

  • Read

    2

    On Liberty
    by John Stuart Mill

  • Read

    3

    Our Enemy the State
    by Albert Jay Nock

  • Read

    4

    The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America since 1945
    by George H Nash

  • Read

    5

    Radicals for Capitalism
    by Brian Doherty

The best books on Libertarianism, recommended by Anne Heller

The magazine editor, journalist and biographer of Ayn Rand selects five books that define the essence of libertarianism. Atlas Shrugged is first on her list.

    The best books on Conservatism and Culture, recommended by Sam Tanenhaus

  • Read

    1

    God and Man at Yale
    by William F Buckley Jr

  • Read

    2

    Mr Sammler’s Planet
    by Saul Bellow

  • Read

    3

    Rabbit Redux
    by John Updike

  • Read

    4

    Nixon Agonistes
    by Garry Wills

  • Read

    5

    Confessions of a Conservative
    by Garry Wills

The best books on Conservatism and Culture, recommended by Sam Tanenhaus

Editor of The New York Times Book Review explains how the American right reinvented itself as a cultural counter-revolution and selects five books as backgrounders to Conservatism, including Updike and and Bellow

    The best books on How Libertarians Can Govern, recommended by Mitch Daniels

  • Read

    1

    The Road to Serfdom
    by Friedrich A Hayek

  • Read

    2

    Free to Choose
    by Milton Friedman

  • Read

    3

    What It Means to Be a Libertarian
    by Charles Murray

  • Read

    4

    The Rise and Decline of Nations
    by Mancur Olson

  • Read

    5

    The Future and Its Enemies
    by Virginia Postrel

The best books on How Libertarians Can Govern, recommended by Mitch Daniels

The Governor of Indiana promotes a new philosophy of libertarianism and selects the books that have influenced him most.

    The best books on The Chinese Communist Party, recommended by Richard McGregor

  • Read

    1

    Chinese Shadows
    by Simon Leys

  • Read

    2

    Chinese Lessons
    by John Pomfret

  • Read

    3

    Operation Yao Ming
    by Brook Larmer

  • Read

    4

    The Enigma of Japanese Power
    by Karel van Wolferen

  • Read

    5

    A Case of Two Cities
    by Qiu Xiaolong

The best books on The Chinese Communist Party, recommended by Richard McGregor

Former Beijing bureau chief of the Financial Times shares his insights on the Chinese Communist Party – from the absolute horror at the destruction of Maoist times, to Yao Ming, to political power structures and more

    The best books on Crime and Terror, recommended by Simon Conway

  • Read

    1

    Reaping the Whirlwind
    by Michael Griffin

  • Read

    2

    Blood Diamonds
    by Greg Campbell

  • Read

    3

    The Looming Tower
    by Lawrence Wright

  • Read

    4

    McMafia
    by Misha Glenny

  • Read

    5

    Brave New War
    by John Robb

The best books on Crime and Terror, recommended by Simon Conway

Director of Landmine Action who served in British army with the Black Watch, talks crime and terror and explores the extent to which al Qaeda is the creation of the Pakistani Intelligence Services backed by Saudi money

    The best books on Terrorism, recommended by Mary Habeck

  • Read

    1

    Inside Terrorism
    by Bruce Hoffman

  • Read

    2

    Understanding Terror Networks
    by Marc Sageman

  • Read

    3

    The Looming Tower
    by Lawrence Wright

  • Read

    4

    The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One
    by David Kilcullen

  • Read

    5

    The Great Theft
    by Khaled Abou El Fadl

The best books on Terrorism, recommended by Mary Habeck

The Professor of Strategic Studies at Johns Hopkins University picks five books you must read to understand the War on Terror, starting with one that tries to define what terrorism is.

    The best books on Power and Ideas, recommended by James Purnell

  • Read

    1

    The Idea of Justice
    by Amartya Sen

  • Read

    2

    Unnecessary Suffering
    by Maurice Glasman

  • Read

    3

    Peacemakers
    by Margaret Macmillan

  • Read

    4

    The Attack and Other Papers
    by R H Tawney

  • Read

    5

    Master of the Senate
    by Robert A Caro

The best books on Power and Ideas, recommended by James Purnell

Labour politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Stalybridge and Hyde from 2001 to 2010, says power with no ideas is hollow and chooses his five books on political ideology

    The best books on British Democracy, recommended by Peter Kellner

  • Read

    1

    The Penguin Essays of George Orwell
    by George Orwell

  • Read

    2

    The British General Election of. . .(Nuffield Series)
    by Various authors

  • Read

    3

    Essays in Persuasion
    by John Maynard Keynes

  • Read

    4

    Microcosmographia Academica
    by F M Cornford

  • Read

    5

    Our Nation’s Archive
    by Edited by Erik Bruun and Jay Crosby

The best books on British Democracy, recommended by Peter Kellner

Political commentator and President of YouGov.com chooses older books from both sides of the Atlantic to show what really matters in politics.

    The best books on Communism in America, recommended by Harvey Klehr

  • Read

    1

    American Communism and Soviet Russia
    by Theodore Draper

  • Read

    2

    The Rosenberg File
    by Harvey Klehr & Ronald Radosh and Joyce Milton

  • Read

    3

    Whittaker Chambers
    by Sam Tanenhaus

  • Read

    4

    The Forsaken
    by Tim Tzouliadis

  • Read

    5

    Engineering Communism
    by Steven T Usdin

The best books on Communism in America, recommended by Harvey Klehr

Professor of politics and history at Emory University chooses five books on the American Communist movement and Soviet espionage in America – and argues that American spies did pose a genuine threat to national security

    The best books on Democracy in Iraq, recommended by Nabeel Yasin

  • Read

    1

    The Civic Culture
    by Gabriel A Almond and Sidney Verba

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    2

    Inventing Human Rights
    by Lynn Hunt

  • Read

    3

    A Brief History of Citizenship
    by Derek Heater

  • Read

    4

    The Garden of Eden and Its Restoration
    by Sir William Wilcocks

  • Read

    5

    Towards the Light
    by A C Grayling

The best books on Democracy in Iraq, recommended by Nabeel Yasin

The Iraqi poet chooses books on civil and human rights. “I want to spread the word. I want people to get more involved in the political process here in Iraq”

    The best books on Maverick Political Thought, recommended by Chibli Mallat

  • Read

    1

    Le Monde au 21ème siècle
    by Robert Fossaert

  • Read

    2

    A Thousand Plateaus
    by Gilles Deleuze, Félix Guattari

  • Read

    3

    I Speak for Lebanon
    by Kamal Joumblatt

  • Read

    4

    Democracy and Distrust
    by John Hart Ely

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    5

    Iqtisaduna
    by Muhammad Baqir Sadr

The best books on Maverick Political Thought, recommended by Chibli Mallat

The lawyer who prosecuted Ariel Sharon discusses the brilliance of maverick political thinkers and says: “It takes at least a generation to establish democracy.” Highlights work of philosopher Gilles Deleuze above all

    The best books on The Fall of Communism, recommended by Nick Thorpe

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    1

    The Patriots’ Revolution
    by Mark Frankland

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    2

    With God for the People
    by David Porter

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    3

    Dostoevsky
    by Nicholas Berdyaev

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    4

    Disturbing the Peace
    by Vaclav Havel

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    5

    Birth Your Way
    by Sheila Kitzinger

The best books on The Fall of Communism, recommended by Nick Thorpe

Five recommendations from the BBC’s Central Europe correspondent, who witnessed the collapse of Yugoslavia, popular uprisings in Bulgaria and Serbia, and the transformation of non-violent to violent resistance in Kosovo

    The best books on China’s Darker Side, recommended by Harry Wu

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    1

    Hungry Ghosts
    by Jasper Becker

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    2

    Mao
    by Jung Chang, Jon Halliday

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    3

    Wild Swans
    by Jung Chang

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    4

    War Trash
    by Ha Jin

  • Read

    5

    China after Deng Xiaoping
    by Willy Wo-Lap Lam

The best books on China’s Darker Side, recommended by Harry Wu

Activist Harry Wu spent 19 years in Mao’s labour camps and devoted years to uncovering what goes on in China’s ‘laogai’ or ‘reform-through-labour’ camps. He picks five books showing China’s darker side.

    The best books on The French Revolution, recommended by Peregrine Worsthorne

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    1

    History of the French Revolution
    by Jules Michelet

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    2

    The French Revolution
    by Hippolyte Taine

  • Read

    3

    Christianity and American Democracy
    by Alexis de Tocqueville

  • Read

    4

    Edmund Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France
    by Edmund Burke

  • Read

    5

    The Complete Essays
    by Michel de Montaigne

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    6

    The Prince
    by Niccolo Machiavelli

The best books on The French Revolution, recommended by Peregrine Worsthorne

The author and broadcaster says that for anybody wanting to go into politics a mastery of the French revolution is an enormous help, and will deepen their understanding of what they ought to be doing today

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