The Communist Postscript

Boris Groys calls for a philosophical reassessment of the communist period and proposes a new interpretation of the phenomenon of Soviet power.

This book by Boris Groys makes a surprisingly up-to-date and relevant reading, introducing us to a consequent rethinking of the past communist era by drawing parallels between various characteristics of the leading economic models and global elements of the philosophical thought.

This provocative and eloquent essay proposes an original, non-canonical interpretation of the Soviet past: the author provides a convincing discourse on why philosophy as the basis of the communist leadership defined its legitimacy, and why exactly the language as a paradoxical substitute for money was chosen to become the main instrument for social integration and total social control. Thus Boris Groys suggests a brand new approach to how we perceive the Soviet governance, shifting a traditional image to an endeavor to create the state where power would belong entirely to philosophers.