Book Review: “Revolutionary Monsters: Five Men Who Turned Liberation Into Tyranny”

Author Donald Critchlow proves tyranny knows no bounds

Historian Donald T. Critchlow's book is targeted for students, but it's a must-read for all.

Donald T. Critchlow has written an important book in a time when it seems to be most needed. The Katzin Family Professor at Arizona State University (ASU) has constructed a very readable and relatively short book on the danger of tyranny arising under the promise of liberty. 

The 177 pages of “Revolutionary Monsters,” which excludes the index, is notably short considering that Critchlow covers the rise of five national leaders who, over the past century, repressively dominated their countries through lies, intimidation, corruption, and extreme violence.

Targeted Subjects, Targeted Audience

The lives of Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro, Robert Mugabe, and Sayyid Ruhollah Khomeini make up five of the seven chapters in the book. Critchlow does not get bogged down with extreme details, but he does provide enough in covering the individual’s life before and during his role as dictator, to connect the similarities among the five. In a sense, Critchlow utilizes the 30,000-foot view with each and swoops down only when necessary to provide a closer perspective.