«An illuminating exploration of the power of the concept of socialism, especially in the developing world, that provides clues to today’s challenges—from Xi Jinping’s ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’ to Bernie Sanders’s ‘socialism with American characteristics.’»

Graham Allison, author of <i>Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?</i>

«Impressive…Although the pursuit of socialism in the global South generally ended in failure, Friedman argues that it left lasting legacies across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.»

Maria Lipman, Foreign Affairs

«Impressive…[Ripe for Revolution] reveals much that we did not know—and have been desperate to learn—about Soviet involvement in, and evaluations of, the Third World.»

Tanya Harmer, H-Diplo

«A brilliantly original study of how communism was transformed by its encounter with the postcolonial world, forging a model of socialist development that shapes our world down to the present. In an era overshadowed by talk of a new Cold War, Ripe for Revolution is essential reading.»

Adam Tooze, author of <i>Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World</i>

«An outstanding book. By showing how and why socialism became a preferred model for state building and social transformation in countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, Friedman reestablishes the centrality of non-capitalist models of development and illuminates what made scientific socialism so attractive for so many in the postcolonial world.»

Odd Arne Westad, author of <i>Empire and Righteous Nation: 600 Years of China-Korea Relations</i>

«Original and lucid, Ripe for Revolution confirms Friedman’s standing as one of our foremost practitioners of Cold War international history. His book deepens our understanding of the winding path of Soviet promotion of socialism, incisively revealing strains of pragmatic calculation within ideological parameters. It not only has fresh implications for understanding the postwar communist realm but also illuminates Western Cold War calculations.»

James G. Hershberg, author of <i>Marigold: The Lost Chance for Peace in Vietnam</i>

«Transforming how we see the Cold War and its legacies, Friedman punctuates standard narratives of capitalist diffusion as he tracks the variety of policies and institutions across different socialist states alongside their stubborn independence from patrons in Moscow and Beijing. Anyone interested in understanding political development in the Global South must read this revealing book.»

Jeremi Suri, author of <i>The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America’s Highest Office</

«Friedman strides confidently around the world to the hotspots of late Cold War socialism, from Tanzania to Chile and Angola to Indonesia, to show the many ways in which Marx, Lenin, and Mao were put into practice. With a dazzling array of sources about the local varieties of socialism, Friedman never loses track of geopolitics. The result is a tour de force of Cold War history on a global scale.»

David C. Engerman, author of <i>The Price of Aid: The Economic Cold War in India</i>