Books

In the autumn of 1959 Isaac Deutscher delivered the Dafoe Foundation Lectures in Montreal, Toronto and Winniped. They roused tremendous interest, and drew front-page reports and leading articles from Canada’s national newspapers. Their remarkable impact at the time made it clear that publication in book form would be imperative, and with the addition of a brief foreword and an index, they were made available to a wider public.

The lectures survey from different but complementary angles the changes that have occurred in the Soviet Union, and in its policies, since Stalin’s death. Mr Deutscher analyses the evolution of Soviet society, the dynamics of its growth, the nature of the Khruschev regime, and the implications of ‘peaceful coexistence and competition’ between East and West.