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.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ; CHAPTER 1: REVOLUTIONS AND INSURGENCIES - A BRIEF HISTORY ; CHAPTER 2: TYPES OF REVOLUTIONS AND THEIR CAUSES ; CHAPTER 3: RADICAL SOCIAL REVOLUTIONS: FRANCE, RUSSIA, CHINA ; CHAPTER 4: REVOLUTIONS FOR INDEPENDENCE: THE AMERICAS, INDIA, ALGERIA ; CHAPTER 5: REVOLUTIONS AGAINST DICTATORS: MEXICO, CUBA, IRAN ; CHAPTER 6: COLOR REVOLUTIONS: CZECHOSLOVAKIA, UKRAINE, GEORGIA ; CHAPTER 7: WHO MAKES REVOLUTIONS? ; CHAPTER 8: INSURGENCY AND COUNTER-INSURGENCY: IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN ; CHAPTER 9: REVOLUTIONARY OUTCOMES: DICTATORSHIP OR DEMOCRACY? ; CHAPTER 10: THE FUTURE OF REVOLUTION: THE END OF HISTORY? ; REFERENCES ; FURTHER READING ; INDEX
<br>Jack Goldstone is Virginia E. and John T. Hazel, Jr. Professor of Public Policy and Eminent Scholar, School of Public Policy, at George Mason University. He is the author of Revolution and Rebellion in the Early Modern World.<br>
Reviews for Revolutions: A Very Short Introduction
Although written for a general audience, Revolutions is an excellent overview of the topic and as such deserves a wide reading. -CHOICE Although written for a general audience, Revolutions is an excellent overview of the topic and as such deserves a wide reading. -CHOICE
