This book, while making very little distinction between high culture and popular culture, reflects the extraordinary pace of cultural change in our time. It ties together the highlights of 20th century culture-the key people, works, ideas and movements in the arts and literature of the century from Australia, Austria, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latin American, Poland, Soviet Union, Spain, Sweden, the United States, etc. Categories covered include actors and actresses, architecture, art and artists, art collectors and patrons, art criticism, ballet, cartoonists, illustrators and comic strips, classical music, comedians, comic strips, country music, cultural movements (beat generation, counterculture, Harlem Renaissance, modernism, social realism), dance, design, electronic and experimental music, entertainers, fashion, fictional characters, film, illustrators, jazz, literature, modern dance, music, opera/operetta, painting, philosophy (existentialism), photography, popular music, radio, sculpture, television, and theater.

An encyclopedic guide to 20th-century communism around the world The first book of its kind to appear since the end of the Cold War, this indispensable reference provides encyclopedic coverage of communism and its impact throughout the world in the 20th century. With the opening of archives in former communist states, scholars have found new material that has expanded and sometimes altered the understanding of communism as an ideological and political force. A Dictionary of 20th-Century Communism brings this scholarship to students, teachers, and scholars in related fields. In more than 400 concise entries, the book explains what communism was, the forms it took, and the enormous role it played in world history from the Russian Revolution through the collapse of the Soviet Union and beyond. Examines the political, intellectual, and social influences of communism around the globe Features contributions from an international team of 160 scholars Includes more than 400 entries on major topics, such as: Figures: Lenin, Mao, Stalin, Ho Chi Minh, Pol Pot, Castro, Gorbachev Events: Cold War, Prague Spring, Cultural Revolution, Sandinista Revolution Ideas and concepts: Marxism-Leninism, cult of personality, labor Organizations and movements: KGB, Comintern, Gulag, Khmer Rouge Related topics: totalitarianism, nationalism, antifascism, anticommunism, McCarthyism Guides readers to further research through bibliographies, cross-references, and an index

This authoritative dictionary includes country entries for every country in the world (with maps and historical summaries) as well as coverage of military conflict, major world events, and key political and cultural figures. Essential reading for all with an interest in history and current affairs.