“There is to-day an immense amount of nonsense talked about both Bolshevism and Fascism. It is not really necessary, in order to condemn Fascism, to become an apologist for the Russians; nor is it required that those who hate Bolshevism, as every intelligent Christian must, should cry out that Fascism is our only salvation therefrom . . . It is foolish to deny the enemy’s strength, or to blink at one’s own weakness.—Bernard Iddings Bell, A Catholic Looks at his World.”

With this text Mr. Attwater begins his enquiry into Why Communism Gets Away with It, why it is vital that Communism should not get away with it, and the only way to prevent it. As the text might suggest, his bird’s-eye-view of the general situation is balanced and common-sense. He shows that the purely economic proposals of Communism are “eminently calculated to appeal to men suffering under poverty, distress and injustice,” and further that this part of the Communist programme is not by itself morally objectionable. But he goes on to point out that Communism is not only an economic policy; it is also a quasi-philosophy, taught and held with the fervour of a religion. “And that philosophy is false; it is dialectical and materialist, whereas the truth is metaphysical and spiritualist.” It is not easy to convince the working-man of the terrible importance of this statement. Mr. Attwater endeavours, not without a real measure of success, to reduce the issue to concrete terms.