A subsequent chapter on the dissolution of the Comintern notes that Stalin began to talk about disbanding the organization as early as 1940, when the Soviet Union annexed the Baltic states, but deferred action to avoid the impression that it was being taken under pressure from Germany. Stalin raised the issue again in April 1941, suggesting that the Comintern had become an obstacle to the critical task of building strong national communist parties. The Nazi invasion two months later again derailed any moves in this direction, and it was not until May 1943 that Molotov informed Dimitrov that the final decision to dissolve the Comintern had been made. Dimitrov did not display obvious qualms as he drew up the resolution that would end the organization to which he had devoted twenty years of his life. That was our error.
Additional chapters examine specific episodes in detail.
Specialists on Spain, China, and Yugoslavia will find material of interest in these chapters, not just in the documents but also in the text, which summarizes many documents that were not reproduced due to space limitations. It is less clear that the volume will be of interest to a broader audience. Inevitably in a volume that covers ten years in the life of an organization with global reach, a vast amount of Comintern history is left out. The documents provide in-depth glimpses into some key moments and policy areas, but the significance of many documents will not be obvious to a reader who does not already have a comprehensive knowledge of Comintern activities. Unlike some of the earlier volumes in the Annals series that are now essential reading in the field of Soviet history, this volume tends more toward the illumination of narrow issues and less toward providing insights on fundamental issues of Soviet governance.