'One of the hallmarks of a great book is that it exposes an area that would benefit from focused future research, laying the foundations for the creation of a complex structure of work on the subject. This book does exactly that. Though Richardson-Little tackles a large and incredibly complex topic in only 250 pages, he does so thoroughly and with a great balance between overarching concepts and definitions, and specific and vivid examples from his source base.' Samantha Clarke, H-Russia
Introduction. The exploitation of man by man has been abolished!; 1. Creating a human rights dictatorship, 1945–1956; 2. Inventing socialist human rights, 1953–1966; 3. Socialist human rights on the world stage, 1966–1978; 4. The ambiguity of human rights from below, 1968–1982; 5. The rise of dissent and the collapse of socialist human rights, 1980–1989; 6. Revolutions won and lost, 1989–1990; Conclusion. Erasures and rediscoveries.