The Church and the Left
The Polish dissident's argument that the secular left and the Catholic Church needed each other against the communist state.
Written by a secular Jewish dissident who spent years in Polish prisons, arguing that the anticlerical left had to make its peace with the Catholic Church because both were up against the same state. The book helped make Solidarity possible by describing an alliance nobody on either side had wanted.
Recommended by 1 Person
Timothy Snyder
What I find interesting here is the recognition of unpredictability. On the left you tend to think your allies will be the world left, the working class or the welfare state. But Michnik says you have to be observant about what history offers up for you, such as a Church which is reforming itself, which is sympathetic to many of their goals, and might be a bastion of human rights.
As an Amazon Associate, bookstoread.org earns from qualifying purchases. Links to Amazon on this page may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Spotted an error on this page? Tell us and we will fix it.