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This article comments on several articles about the phenomena of war and peace in relation to sociology. Several authors recognize the threat posed to Marxism by the phenomenon of war. Weaker sociologists will take refuge in useful phrases, such as relative autonomy, uneven development and determination in the last instance. One of the legacies of Marxism is the division between base and superstructure, and its idea that political decisions are the effects, but not the causes of economic change. Class analysis comes to the fore only in two papers, one by John Mattausch, the other by Graham Day. Mattauch's unconcealed nostalgia for mass working class support sits unhappily with the fact that the majority of activists are state class radicals. Other papers are more interested in peace movements than in peace. They make no reference to the actual effect of such movements, for example, in contributing to the pre-war strategy of Adolph Hitler. Only one paper offers a definition of war. This occurs as a prelude to David Riches' discussion of the peaceful Eskimos. War, according to Riches, is the authorized employment of physical force against other persons, as means by which groups competing for control of public resources and benefits attempt to influence the outcome of the competition in their favor.

The article reviews the book "The Greening of Marxism," edited by Ted Benton.

The article reviews the book "Life in a Muslim Uzbek Village: Cotton Farming After Communism," by Russell Zanca.

Reviews the book "Marxism and the Interpretation of Culture," edited by Cary Nelson and Lawrence Grossberg.

Reviews the book "The Poverty of Communism," by Nick Eberstadt.

Reviews the book "The Organizational Weapon: A Study of Bolshevik Strategy and Tactics," by Philip Selznick.

Reviews the book " Le régime et les institutions de la république populaire chinoise."

Reviews the book "History, Economic History and the Future of Marxism: Essays in Memory of Tom Kemp (1921-1993)," edited by Terry Brotherstone and Geoff Pilling.

Reviews the book "Main Currents of Marxism. Its Rise, Growth and Dissolution," by L. Kolakowski and translated by P.S. Falla.

Reviews the book "Recapturing Marxism: An Appraisal of Recent Trends in Sociological Theory," edited by Rhonda F. Levine and Jerry Lembcke.

Reviews the book "Two Generations of Soviet Man," by John Kosa.

Reviews the book "Highway and Byways: Studies on Reform and Post-Communist Transition," by J. Kornai.