From the Finland Station

The amount of evidence collected here is nothing short of amazing. Hamerow shows how the ideals of the revolutionaries were betrayed. To prove his point he summons hard facts: output of many industries, party membership rosters, and countless others. He describes the phases of a revolution: discredit the old order, overthrow, expulsion of the moderates in the revolutionary coalition, and a resumption of tyranny. This is clearly the work of a master historian. His conclusions are stark, and his proof unassailable. It may be considered (as suggested in the final chapter) the nonfiction companion to George Orwell's Animal Farm.