Goldstone, Jack A.
Oxford New York : Oxford University Press, [2014];©2014
Added to CLICnet on 04/13/2015

Check CLICnet for availability
Part of the series Very short introductions;Very short introductions.
Notes:

• Includes bibliographical references (pages 135-137) and index.
• This volume places recent events in Iraq and Afghanistan to Tunisia and Egypt in historical context. It provides a history of revolutions and insurgencies, an introduction to the way social scientists think about the causes and outcomes of revolutions, and an explanation of their significance in historical and political change. Jack A. Goldstone begins with a brief history of revolutions and insurgencies, from the revolutions that brought democracy to Greek city-states and led to the founding of Rome through the major peasant revolts of the Middle Ages in Europe and China, and the Independence revolts in the Americas. He also touches upon the insurgencies in Latin America (Zapatistas and FARC) and Asia (in Malaysia and the Philippines), whose failure is instructive in understanding why revolts succeed or fail. The book then discusses types of revolutions and their causes the radical social revolutions in France, Russia, and China the revolutions for independence in India and Algeria revolutions against dictators in Mexico, Cuba, and Iran and the so-called color revolutions in Czechoslovakia, Ukraine, and Georgia. Goldstone considers some of the key revolutionary leaders of history where they came from, what inspired them, and how they changed their societies. A chapter on insurgency and counter-insurgency covers Iraq and Afghanistan. Finally, Goldstone grapples with the outcomes of revolutions: whether they are associated with the rise of freedom and democracy, devastating ideological dictatorships, or something inconclusive. He examines the historical legacies of revolutions, in the areas of freedom, economic growth, women’s rights, and minority rights. Revolutions have succeeded enough to feed dreams of freedom, but failed often enough to prompt caution — Provided by publisher.
• From 1789 in France to 2011 in Cairo, revolutions have shaken the world. In their pursuit of social justice, revolutionaries have taken on the assembled might of monarchies, empires, and dictatorships. They have often, though not always, sparked cataclysmic violence, and have at times won miraculous victories, though at other times suffered devastating defeat. This Very Short Introduction illuminates the revolutionaries, their strategies, their successes and failures, and the ways in which revolutions continue to dominate world events and the popular imagination. Starting with the city-states of ancient Greece and Rome, Jack Goldstone traces the development of revolutions through the Renaissance and Reformation, the Enlightenment and liberal constitutional revolutions such as in America, and their opposite–the communist revolutions of the 20th century. He shows how revolutions overturned dictators in Nicaragua and Iran and brought the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, and examines the new wave of non-violent color revolutions-the Philippines’ Yellow Revolution, Ukraine’s Orange Revolution–and the Arab Uprisings of 2011-12 that rocked the Middle East. Goldstone also sheds light on the major theories of revolution, exploring the causes of revolutionary waves, the role of revolutionary leaders, the strategies and processes of revolutionary change, and the intersection between revolutions and shifting patterns of global power. Finally, the author examines the reasons for diverse revolutionary outcomes, from democracy to civil war and authoritarian rule, and the likely future of revolution in years to come. About the Series: Oxford’s Very Short Introductions series offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects–from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, Literary Theory to History, and Archaeology to the Bible. Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume in this series provides trenchant and provocative–yet always balanced and complete–discussions of
• What is a revolution? — What causes revolutions? — Revolutionary processes, leadership, and outcomes — Revolutions in the ancient world — Revolutions of the Renaissance and Reformation — Constitutional revolutions : America, France, Europe (1830 and 1848), and Meiji Japan — Communist revolutions : Russia, China, and Cuba — Revolutions against dictators : Mexico, Nicaragua, and Iran — Color revolutions : The Philippines, Eastern Europe and the USSR, and Ukraine — The Arab revolutions of 2011 : Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Syria — The future of revolutions.

Subjects:

• Revolutions — History.
• Revolution. (DE-588)4049680-6 gnd
• Revolutions. fast (OCoLC)fst01096737
• History. fast (OCoLC)fst01411628

Requested by Kurpiers, R