Issue Date
10-2024
Abstract
Joseph Scalice’s The Drama of Dictatorship: Martial Law and the Communist Parties of the Philippines (2023) offers arguably one of the most definitive Trotskyist critiques of the historical legacy of the Philippine communist movement. Through extensive archival research, Scalice interprets the split between the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP) and the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) as a local expression of the Sino-Soviet split, arguing that both parties acted as class collaborators by aligning with rival factions of the Filipino elite. This review article critically engages with Scalice’s historical claims from an anti-imperialist, Marxist, and non-sectarian perspective. While his Trotskyist approach offers a significant challenge to official state and insurgent narratives, it also skews his historiography, reducing the complex and contested history of revolutionary movements in the Philippines to a narrative centered overwhelmingly on Stalinism.
Source or Periodical Title
UP Los Baños Journal
Volume
22
Issue
2
Page
51-79
Document Type
Article
College
College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)
Recommended Citation
Briones, Jervy C. and Mongaya, Karlo Mikhail I., "Did Stalinism pave the way for the rise of the Marcos dictatorship? a review of Joseph Scalice’s the drama of dictatorship" (2024). Journal Article. 6296.
https://www.ukdr.uplb.edu.ph/journal-articles/6296