The idea that socialism could be established in a single country was adopted as an official doctrine by the Soviet Union in 1925, led by Stalin and Bukharin. Before this many had thought that socialism could only be secured on a wider scale, across all Europe or wider still. The book traces the debate from Plato onwards, arguing that although the prevailing view is that socialism was only considered possible if it was universal, in fact "socialism in one country" also had long roots.