7The Cambridge History of Communism is an unprecedented global history of communism in the twentieth century. With contributions from a team of leading historians, economists, political scientists and sociologists, the three volumes examine communism in the context of wider political, social, cultural, and economic processes, while at the same time revealing how it contributed to shaping them. Volume One deals with the roots, impact, and development of communism, analysing the tumultuous events from the Russian Revolution of 1917 to the Second World War, and historical personalities such as Lenin, Stalin, and Trotsky. Volumes Two and Three then review the global impact of communism, focusing on the Cold War, the Chinese Revolution, the Vietnam War and the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union. Together, the volumes explain why a movement that sought to bring revolution on a global scale, overthrowing capitalism and parliamentary democracy, acquired such force and influence.