I Saw Democracy Murdered : The Memoir of Sam Russell, Journalist

__I Saw Democracy Murdered__ is the memoir of Sam Russell (1915-2010), a communist journalist and a British volunteer with the anti-fascist Republican forces in the Spanish Civil War. The book covers his experiences during the Spanish Civil War, his time as a journalist at __The Daily Worker__ and __The Morning Star__ newspapers, and his later disillusionment with Stalinism. In his capacity as a journalist, Russell travelled extensively and was frequently a front-row spectator at significant historical events, from the formerly occupied Channel Islands at the end of World War II to the show trials of communists in Eastern Europe in the 1950s. His report as Moscow correspondent on Nikita Khruschev's 'secret speech' condemning the crimes of Stalinism was lacerated by his newspaper's editor, as was his interview with the legendary revolutionary leader, Che Guevara. Sam, whose friends included Donald Maclean, the British diplomat who spied for the Soviet Union during the Cold War, also reported from Budapest in 1956 and Prague in 1968 during the Warsaw Pact invasions of Hungary and Czechoslovakia, and from North Vietnam during the Vietnam War, and in 1973 he witnessed the assault on Chilean President Salvador Allende's palace that signalled the start of the CIA-backed military coup. Sam's story was told to Colin Chambers and Chris Myant and has been edited by Colin Chambers. This autobiographical account of a fascinating life will be essential reading for scholars and activists with an interest in the Spanish Civil War, the history of communism, and British radical history. "I Saw Democracy Murdered is the memoir of Sam Russell (1915-2010), a communist journalist and a British volunteer with the anti-fascist Republican forces in the Spanish Civil War. The book covers his experiences during the Spanish Civil War, his time as a journalist at The Daily Worker and The Morning Star newspapers, and his later disillusionment with Stalinism. In his capacity as a journalist, Russell travelled extensively and was frequently a front-row spectator at significant historical events, from the formerly occupied Channel Islands at the end of World War II to the show trials of communists in Eastern Europe in the 1950s. His report as Moscow correspondent on Nikita Khruschev's 'secret speech' condemning the crimes of Stalinism was lacerated by his newspaper's editor, as was his interview with the legendary revolutionary leader, Che Guevara. Sam, whose friends included Donald MacLean, the British diplomat who spied for the Soviet Union during the Cold War, also reported from Budapest in 1956 and Prague in 1968 during the Warsaw Pact invasions of Hungary and Czechoslovakia, and from North Vietnam during the Vietnam War, and in 1973 he witnessed the assault on Chilean President Salvador Allende's palace that signalled the start of the CIA-backed military coup. Sam's story was told to Colin Chambers and Chris Myant and has been edited by Colin Chambers. This autobiographical account of a fascinating life will be essential reading for scholars and activists with an interest in the Spanish Civil War, the history of communism, and British radical history"-- Provided by publisher I Saw Democracy Murdered is the memoir of Sam Russell (1915–2010), a communist journalist and a British volunteer with the anti-fascist Republican forces in the Spanish Civil War. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Series Page 5 Title Page 6 Copyright Page 7 Dedication 8 Table of Contents 10 List of figures 12 Acknowledgements 14 Preface 16 Introduction 18 1 The Road to Spain 22 2 Fighting Franco 36 3 From Rifle to Typewriter 54 4 Defeat in Spain 79 5 The World Goes to War 99 6 Wartime Britain 116 7 Back at the Worker 127 8 Believing the Unbelievable 143 9 The ‘Secret’ Speech 157 10 Trouble in Moscow 175 11 Farewell to Moscow 187 12 Meeting Che 205 13 Democracy Murdered 227 14 Back in Spain 240 15 Epilogue 259 Appendix: Letters from Abroad 266 Postscript: MI5 and My Family 270 Index 274 Sam,Russell;,Journalist;,Journalism;,Memoir;,Democracy;,Communist;,Communism;,Anti-fascist;,Spanish,Civil,War;,Daily,Worker;,Morning,Star;,Stalinism;,Channel,Islands;,Show,Trials;,Moscow;,Nikita,Khruschev;,Secret,Speech;,Che,Guevara;,Donald,MacLean;,Warsaw,Pact;,Vietnam,War;,Salvador,Allende;,Military,Coup;,Franco;,MI5;,CIA Sam Russell,Journalist,Journalism,Memoir,Democracy,Communist,Communism,Anti-fascist,Spanish Civil War,Daily Worker,Morning Star,Stalinism,Channel Islands,Show Trials,Moscow,Nikita Khruschev,Secret Speech,Che Guevara,Donald MacLean,Warsaw Pact,Vietnam War,Salvador Allende,Military Coup,Franco,MI5,CIA