Busky explores the history of European communist parties and governments, the neo-Marxist philosophers, and why Marxism ultimately fails to explain history. He presents a pluralist alternative to Marxism, the democratic philosophy of history, and goes farther than many in applying developmental psychology for an understanding of human history.

Busky begins with a thorough exploration of the history of Eastern and Western European Marxist-Leninist parties and governments from their beginnings to the present. He also explores the largely European neo-Marxist philosophers and their theories. Then he demonstrates why Marxism ultimately fails as a theroy to explain history due to its monist emphasis on economic determinism.

The volume presents an alternative, pluralist conception of history, and he goes further than most analysts in using insights from the field of developmental psychology to explain, by analogy, human political-economic change. A thorough synthesis that will be of interest to scholars, students, and the general reading public interested in Marxism and modern European history.