Originally published in 1978 Richard Gombinâs book traces the recurrent attitudes in the history of the European revolutionary movement which have criticized socialist and communist parties for their authoritarian and bureaucratic tendencies and which have stressed spontaneity and decentralization as the correct basis from which to change society. From a critique of Marx through to an examination of Soviet practice under Lenin Trotsky and Stalin as a factor in the disillusionment of the left with the methods of the Russian Revolution Gombinâs study examines the concepts of âworkersâ councilsâ as they emerged in several countries after the First World War. This comparative study develops the idea of a âcouncil communismâ as opposed to a âparty communismâ which he suggests is the fundamental concept in the criticism of orthodox Communism from the left. . Language: English