This collection investigates the official policies, ideological shifts, and strategic directives of the Communist International (Comintern) during its existence from 1919 to 1943. Jane Degras, a noted scholar of Soviet and international communist history, compiles and contextualizes primary source documents to illustrate how the organization functioned as a vehicle for Soviet foreign policy and global revolutionary goals. The work provides a rigorous framework for understanding the internal debates and external pressures that defined the Comintern's influence on global political movements throughout the interwar period.

Historians and political scientists frequently cite this collection as a foundational reference for studying the organizational history of international communism. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which serves as a comprehensive resource for researchers examining the mechanics of 20th-century political movements.