Revolutionary groups and movements Books

Book SynopsisAn essay on the nature of human revolt, this book makes a critique of communism, how it had gone wrong behind the Iron Curtain, and the resulting totalitarian regimes. It also questions two events held sacred by the left wing, the French Revolution of 1789 and the Russian Revolution of 1917.

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Book SynopsisUPDATED EDITIONA rousing and full-blooded account of the Spanish Civil War and the rise to prominence of General Franco.No modern conflict has inflamed the passions of both civilians and intellectuals as much as the Spanish Civil War of 193639. Burned into our collective historical consciousness, it not only prefigured the imminent Second World War but also ushered in a new and horrific form of warfare that would come to define the twentieth century. At the same time it echoed the revolutionary aspirations of millions of Europeans and Americans after the painful years of the Great Depression.In this authoritative history, Paul Preston vividly recounts the political ideals and military horrors of the Spanish Civil War including the controversial bombing of Guernica and tracks the emergence of General Franco's brutal but extraordinarily durable fascist dictatorship.Trade Review‘[Preston’s] economical style, together with a telling choice of quotes and mordant use of irony, serve his purpose admirably…it is founded upon a vast knowledge and will not easily be refuted.’ History Today ‘Not just a detailed description of events but a real interpretation of the causes and course of the war. By allowing the actors of the great Spanish drama to speak, he captures the dynamics of the civil war.’ La Stampa ‘Paul Preston’s book throws new, definitive light on the conflict.’ L’Unità

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Book SynopsisIn July 1917, when the Provisional Government issued a warrant for his arrest, Lenin fled from Petrograd; later that year, the October Revolution swept him to supreme power. In the short intervening period he spent in Finland, he wrote his impassioned, never-completed masterwork The State and Revolution. This powerfully argued book offers both the rationale for the new regime and a wealth of insights into Leninist politics. It was here that Lenin justified his personal interpretation of Marxism, savaged his opponents and set out his trenchant views on class conflict, the lessons of earlier revolutions, the dismantling of the bourgeois state and the replacement of capitalism by the dictatorship of the proletariat. As both historical document and political statement, its importance can hardly be exaggerated.Translated and edited with an introduction by Robert ServiceTable of ContentsPart 1 Class society and the state: the state as the product of the irreconcilability of class contradictions; special bodies of armed men, prisons, etc.; the state as an instrument for the exploitation of the oppressed class; the "withering away" of the state and violent revolution. Part 2 The state and revolution - the experience of 1848-51: the eve of the revolution; the revolution in summary; the presentation of the question by Marx in 1852. Part 3 The state and revolution - the experience of the Paris Commune of 1871 - Marx's analysis: what was heroic about the Communards' attempt?; with what is the smashed state machine to be replaced?; the eradication of the parliamentarianism; organization of the unity of the nation; the destruction of the parasite state. Part 4 Continuation - supplementary clarifications by Engels: the housing question; the polemic with the anarchists; letter to Bebel; critique of the draft of the Erfurt Programme; the 1891 Preface to Marx's "The Civil War in France"; Engels on the overcoming of democracy. Part 5 The economic basis for the withering away of the state: the presentation of the question by Marx; the transition from capitalism to Communisim; the first phase of Communist society; the higher phase of Communist society. Part 6 The vulgarization of Marxism by the opportunists: Plekhanov's polemic with the Anarchists; Kautsky's polemic with the opportunists; Kautsky's polemic with Pannekoek. Part 7 The experience of the Russian Revolutions of 1905 and 1917.

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Book SynopsisA not-so-civil war 1947, and the final bloody chapters of the Chinese Civil War unleash a tidal wave of Red across the nation. Qi Jing and his Communist 9th Brigade are given a near-impossible mission: ford the mighty Yellow River and cut a swathe south through the Nationalist-held Dabie mountains, regardless of cost. As the disciplinarian Qi leads his soldiers through wretched conditions, he comes to rely on the enigmatic Wang Keyu to shore up flagging morale through education and propaganda. Amid desolate bluffs and ridges, she proves to be a beacon to the peasant warriors, especially Cao Shui’er, the commander’s bodyguard. As the campaign splinters and the fighting devolves into a hand-to-hand struggle against reluctant countrymen. Cao and an injured Wang find themselves stranded at the entrance to an ethereal network of caves. Can they find their way back through this labyrinth? Or will the walls close in on them?

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Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE 2018 NEW STATESMAN BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2017''The kind of vision the world needs right now...Pankaj Mishra shouldn''t stop thinking'' Christopher de Bellaigue, Financial Times''This is the most astonishing, convincing, and disturbing book I''ve read in years'' Joe Sacco''Urgent, profound and extraordinarily timely'' John BanvilleHow can we explain the origins of the great wave of paranoid hatreds that seem inescapable in our close-knit world - from American ''shooters'' and ISIS to Trump, from a rise in vengeful nationalism across the world to racism and misogyny on social media? In Age of Anger, Pankaj Mishra answers our bewilderment by casting his gaze back to the eighteenth century, before leading us to the present.He shows that as the world became modern those who were unable to fulfil its promises - freedom, stability and prosperity - were increasingly susceptible to demagogues. The many who came late to this new world or were left, or pushed, behind, reacted in horrifyingly similar ways: intense hatred of invented enemies, attempts to re-create an imaginary golden age, and self-empowerment through spectacular violence. It was from among the ranks of the disaffected that the militants of the 19th century arose - angry young men who became cultural nationalists in Germany, messianic revolutionaries in Russia, bellicose chauvinists in Italy, and anarchist terrorists internationally.Today, just as then, the wider embrace of mass politics, technology, and the pursuit of wealth and individualism has cast many more millions adrift in a literally demoralized world, uprooted from tradition but still far from modernity - with the same terrible resultsMaking startling connections and comparisons, Age of Anger is a book of immense urgency and profound argument. It is a history of our present predicament unlike any other.Trade ReviewUrgent, profound and extraordinarily timely -- John BanvilleThis is the most astonishing, convincing, and disturbing book I've read in years * Joe Sacco *Incisive and scary.. a wake-up call -- Nick Fraser * Guardian *Far from reassuring... his vision is unusually broad, accommodating and resistant to categorisation. It is the kind of vision the world needs right now...Pankaj Mishra shouldn't stop thinking. -- Christopher de Bellaigue * Financial Times *This is a framework that pushes aside conventional, familiar divisions of left and right to focus on the profound sense of dislocation and alienation that spawned (and still spawns) movements ranging from fascism to anarchism to nihilism...a short book into which a lot of intellectual history has been packed. -- Laura Miller * Slate *Stimulating... thought-provoking -- Richard Evans * Guardian *A valuable book. Mishra's ideas are bold and initially discomfiting - it's a challenge to look over the head of the latest terrorist and try to dispassionately trace his rage back to Voltaire - but it's undeniably good to stretch intellectual muscles and test your own prejudices. Mishra invites us to hear the ugly, muffled shouts beneath the "drumbeat" of Western civilisation. -- Julie McDowall * Sunday Herald *Mishra reads like a brilliant autodidact, putting to shame the many students who dutifully did the reading for their classes but missed the incandescent fire and penetrating insight in canonical texts... no one has discerned better than Mishra just how far we still are from the top. -- Samuel Moyn * New Republic *Around the world, both East and West, the insurrectionary fury of militants, zealots and populists has overturned the post-Cold-War global consensus. Where does their rage come from, and where will it end? One of the sharpest cultural critics and political analysts releases his landmark "history of the present -- Boyd Tonkin * Newsweek *An original attempt to explain today's paranoid hatreds...Iconoclastic...Mr. Mishra shocks on many levels. * Economist *Along with quotations from Voltaire, Rousseau, and other familiar figures of Western Civ, Age of Anger includes observations from Iranian, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, and other nations' scholars; their perspectives complement Mishra's deep understanding of global tensions....In probing for the wellspring of today's anger he hits on something real -- Peter Coy * Bloomberg Businessweek *Provocative...We'll need new philosophical frameworks to understand the phenomenon of political anger in a global perspective; what's fascinating about Mishra's novel reading is that it draws on familiar philosophical and literary touchstones while turning them on their head...A brilliant work -- Eric Banks * Bookforum *A disturbing but imperatively urgent analysis -- Bryce Christensen * Booklist *A probing, well-informed investigation of global unrest calling for 'truly transformative thinking' about humanity's future * Kirkus Reviews *Sensitive and illuminating....Makes a powerful case for the influence of a certain group of anti-rational and anti-commercial ideas which have influenced our world.,..Mishra's contribution is to show us how these ideas have become 'viral' and what that means for all of us. -- Jonathan Steinberg * The Spectator *Incisive...Age of Anger, which was completed after the Brexit vote but before Trump's victory, reminds us that the dialectical movement between these two poles - between a desire to be oneself and a desire to belong to something larger than oneself - has been a feature of Western political life since the Enlightenment -- Justin E.H. Smith * Harper’s *Pankaj Mishra's Age of Anger...exemplifies his characteristic eloquence and erudition...Leaders who are struggling to process the present backlash against core aspects of globalization would do well to heed Mishra's plea to "remember the irreducible human being, her or his fears, desires, and resentments." -- Ali Wyne * The National Interest *An impressively probing and timely work...Highly engaging * Publishers Weekly *Scintillating...Age of Anger looks an awful lot like a masterwork. We're only a few weeks into 2017, but one of the books of the year is already here -- Christopher Bray * The Tablet *

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Book SynopsisOne of the great landmarks of modern history writing, Simon Schama''s Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution is the most authoritative social, cultural and narrative history of the French Revolution ever produced. ''Monumental ... provocative and stylish, Simon Schama''s account of the first few years of the great Revolution in France, and of the decades that led up to it, is thoughtful, informed and profoundly revisionist'' Eugen Weber, The New York Times Book Review ''The most marvellous book I have read about the French Revolution'' Richard Cobb, The Times ''Dazzling - beyond praise - He has chronicled the vicissitudes of that world with matchless understanding, wisdom, pity and truth, in the pages of this marvellous book'' Bernard Levin, Sunday Times ''Provides an unrivalled impression of the currents and contradictions which made up this terrible sequence of events'' Antony Beevor

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Book Synopsis**By the presenter of the hit podcast EMPIRE**''Sophia is the sort of remarkable, almost unbelievable untold true story that every writer dreams of chancing upon. A wonderful debut, written with real spirit and gusto. Anita Anand has produced a winner'' William Dalrymple''A fascinating and elegantly written life of one of the unknown giants of women''s suffrage'' Katie Hickman, author of Daughters of BritanniaThe enthralling story of an extraordinary woman and her part in the defining moments of recent British Indian historyWinner of the Eastern Eye Alchemy Festival Award for LiteratureIn 1876 Sophia Duleep Singh was born into royalty. Her father, Maharajah Duleep Singh, was heir to the Kingdom of the Sikhs, a realm that stretched from the lush Kashmir Valley to the craggy foothills of the Khyber Pass and included the mighty cities of Lahore and Peshawar. It was a territory irresistible to the British, who plundered everything, inTrade ReviewSophia is the sort of remarkable, almost unbelievable untold true story that every writer dreams of chancing upon. A wonderful debut, written with real spirit and gusto. Anita Anand has produced a winner * William Dalrymple *Anita Anand’s gripping book is a sad story of dispossession and dislocation … The story is fast-paced and thrilling … A noble book **** * Daily Telegraph *A fascinating and elegantly written life of one of the unknown giants of women's suffrage * Katie Hickman, author of Daughters of Britannia *Vivid and compelling … Anand writes with the vigour and imaginative reach of a novelist. The many horrors of her enthralling narrative are lightened with judicious flashes of dry wit and a fine eye for detail … A gripping, emotionally powerful story * New Statesman *A groundbreaking work that at last tells the important story of Sophia Duleep Singh: unflinching princess-in-exile, doughty moderniser and tenacious suffragette. From the streets of India to the corridors of power, Sophia artfully examines the tensions between East and West; and one woman's choice between fighting for freedom and staying silent * Amanda Foreman, author of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire *Anita Anand has definitively restored to history one of the most important and charismatic figures in the suffragette movement. This thoroughly absorbing and deftly informative account instantly pulled me into the irresistible adventure and vitality of Sophia Duleep Singh’s defiant and innovative existence. Anand’s timely biography is a wonderful testament to Sophia’s lifetime of commitment to Indian independence and the advancement of women, and to the range and courage of her achievements * Rachel Holmes, author of Eleanor Marx *Anand is a strong, confident writer … A rollickingly enjoyable read: a comprehensively researched and zippy account of a profoundly unusual life * Evening Standard *Anand vividly paints the picture of a society girl turned revolutionary … With deftness and sensibility, Anand tells of the extraordinary contradictions at the heart of the relationship between the Queen and this family … Anand’s skill is to bring to life a character whose name does not figure in the annals of the suffragette movement * Observer *Sometimes you hear biographers complain that all the great figures have gone … In this book, her confident and compelling debut, the BBC journalist and presenter Anita Anand leaves that argument in shreds … Anand has triumphantly rescued Sophia from the pampered oblivion in which a fearful Raj sought to bury her. In doing so, she traces the excruciating double binds, emotional as much as political, that tied imperial Britain to the jewel in its crown * Boyd Tonkin, Independent Book of the Week *Anand in her latest book uncovers not just an intriguing female life, but also an important perspective on British-Indian colonial history … Fresh and well written … What a story, and what a successful telling of it * The Times *Sophia is so well researched that this is likely to remain a definitive account … Anand’s passion shines * Daily Express *Real entertainment. Shannon has continued to build on this imagined world with intricacy, and Paige’s voice comes through to deliver a suspenseful story * Washington Post *Fascinating biography-cum-history of a singular life * Independent *A terrifically absorbing read * Mslexia *Sophia and her family cannot be understood without understanding the context of developments in the British Empire in this period. Giving details on the development of Sikh traditions, revolutionary ferment in the Indian subcontinent, the British suffrage movement, the First World War, and the partition of India and Pakistan, Anand presents a comprehensive and valuable historical biography. Anand has gone into key archives at Windsor, the Museum of London and elsewhere to uncover the official records and surviving correspondence about Sophia, enriched by photographs and her own interviews. This is a necessary biography, drawing attention to the broader facets of the British suffragette movement and the depth of connections between the Indian subcontinent and Britain in the Victorian and Edwardian eras * The Times *Anita Anand’s Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary unearths the extraordinary story of a forgotten British-Indian suffragette who went from Queen Victoria’s goddaughter to militant activist * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisFrom their earliest meetings, activist David Graeber knew that the Occupy Wall Street movement was something different. From small beginnings its demonstrations spread across the world to cities like Cairo, Athens, Barcelona and London and gave a glimpse of a new way. This provocative look at the actions of the 99% asks: why was it so effective? What went right? And what can we all do now to make our world democratic once again? Both a treatise on power and protest and an energetic account of contemporary events, The Democracy Project will change the way you think about politics, and the world.Trade ReviewCaptures the joys and fears of a movement that believed it was on the cusp of achieving something special -- John Kampfner * Observer *

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Book Synopsis''The greatest history of an event I know'' - C.L.R. JamesRegarded by many as among the most powerful works of history ever written, The History of the Russian Revolution offers an unparalleled account of one of the most pivotal and hotly debated events in world history. This book presents, from the perspective of one of its central actors, the profound liberating character of the early Russian Revolution.Originally published in three parts, Trotsky''s masterpiece is collected here in a single volume. It is still the most vital and inspiring record of the Russian Revolution ever published.

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Book SynopsisBurke''s seminal work was written during the early months of the French Revolution, and it predicted with uncanny accuracy many of its worst excesses, including the Reign of Terror. A scathing attack on the revolution''s attitudes to existing institutions, property and religion, it makes a cogent case for upholding inherited rights and established customs, argues for piecemeal reform rather than revolutionary change - and deplores the influence Burke feared the revolution might have in Britain. Reflections on the Revolution in France is now widely regarded as a classic statement of conservative political thought, and is one of the eighteenth century''s great works of political rhetoric.Table of ContentsReflections on the Revolution in France AcknowledgmentsIntroductionBiographial NoteBurke's Prefatory NoteReflections on the Revolution in FranceNotesBibliographical Note

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Book SynopsisA New York Review Books Original   Victor Serge is one of the great men of the 20th century —and one of its great writers too. He was an anarchist, an agitator, a revolutionary, an exile, a historian of his times, as well as a brilliant novelist, and in Memoirs of a Revolutionary he devotes all his passion and genius to describing this extraordinary—and exemplary—career. Serge tells of his upbringing among exiles and conspirators, of his involvement with the notorious Bonnot Gang and his years in prison, of his role in the Russian Revolution, and of the Revolution’s collapse into despotism and terror. Expelled from the Soviet Union, Serge went to Paris, where he evaded the KGB and the Nazis before fleeing to Mexico. Memoirs of a Revolutionary recounts a thrilling life on the front lines of history and includes vivid portraits not only of Trotsky, Lenin, and Stalin but of countless other figures who struggled to remake the world.    Peter Sedgwick’s fine translation of Memoirs of a Revolutionary was abridged when first published in 1963. This is the first edition in English to present the entirety of Serge’s book.

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Book SynopsisTen Days That Shook the World is John Reed's eyewitness account of the Russian Revolution. A contemporary journalist writing in the first flush of revolutionary enthusiasm, he gives a gripping record of the events in Petrograd in November 1917, when Lenin and the Bolsheviks finally seized power. Containing verbatim reports both of speeches by leaders and the chance comments of bystanders, set against an idealized backcloth of the proletariat, soldiers, sailors, and peasants uniting to throw off oppression, Reed's account is the product of passionate involvement and remains an unsurpassed classic of reporting.

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Book SynopsisThe author is among the few to have witnessed at first hand the devastating reality of life in the failed and desperate state of Somalia. In this book, he takes us to the heart of the struggle, meeting everyone from politicians, pirates, extremists and mercenaries to aid workers, civilians and refugees.Trade ReviewOne of the best narratives of discovery I have read for years. The sense of place is acute, the characters and landscapes vivid ... rivals Ryszard Kapuscinski and Robert Byron at their best. -- Robert Fox * Evening Standard *Fergusson has a talent for shedding light in dark places. While most reporters have opted to stay away, Fergusson has risked his life to cover the ground and, an even greater achievement, succeeded in making the Somali mess understandable and relevant. It is this insight, alongside his harrowing account of life in the grief zone that gives Fergusson's book its power. -- Anthony Sattin * Observer *Essential reading for those who seek to counter the menace. With ingenuity and no little courage he has travelled far and wide, within Somalia and among the Somali diaspora in Britain and America, delving into the soul of a ravaged community. * The Economist *What [Fergusson] has done, with heroic tenacity and no little courage, is to spend much of the last two years wandering from one end of the country to the other, interviewing politicians and presidents, fighters and pirates, foreign advisers and security guards, and above all scores of ordinary Somalis, whose lives have been destroyed by 20 years of carnage and whose tales he eloquently recounts. An elegant writer, with a scholarly understanding of history, he brings to terrible light the catastrophe that is Somalia. -- Caroline Moorehead * The Spectator *Fergusson's book is an honest, illuminating and surprisingly funny account of his travels through a lawless land in which the lure of terrorism all too often proves irresistible. * Mail on Sunday *A perceptive and engaging account. * Guardian *Excellent. -- Mark Doyle * Observer *If you meet James Fergusson on your travels, look out, you are most definitely in the wrong place. The writer has earned something of a reputation as a specialist on the dark side of the troubled world in which we live. From the Balkans to Afghanistan and the modern-day hell that is sub-Saharan Africa, the adventurous journalist and best-selling author has put his life on the line to become a global authority on Al Qaeda, the Taliban, boy soldiers in Somalia - and the worst aspects of human behaviour in the most inhospitable and dangerous regions. -- Jim McBeth * Daily Mail *This book is one of the most detailed and illuminating books I have ever read. Comprehensive, detailed, and filled with information, this is an excellent read. Read this book. * Army Rumour Service (ARRSE) *Coruscating reportage... Fergusson is a great journalist, and such truly brilliant investigative work offers the seeds, the suggestions of remedies for the contagion beneath the reporter’s microscope. -- Roger Hutchinson * Scotsman *Riveting ... Fergusson rounds out this invaluable work by noting the glimmers of hope appearing * Publishers Weekly *[A] fine book... With his usual insouciant courage – for this country is not for the faint-hearted – Fergusson takes us on an invigorating journey through Somali life and history... wide-ranging and fascinating. -- Frank Ledwidge * RUSI journal *Exceptional... Fergusson vividly recounts the grotesque horrors of the endless war in Somalia while leavening his account with the gallows humor of some of the war’s participants. -- Nicolas van de Walle * Foreign Affairs magazine *

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Book Synopsis''Guerrilla warfare is a war of the masses, a war of the people''First published in 1961, following the successful Cuban Revolution, this is Che Guevara''s handbook for guerrilla war.It covers strategy, tactics, terrain, organization of an army, logistics, field medical treatment, intelligence, propaganda and training, and focuses on seven ''golden rules'' of guerrilla warfare. Widely studied both by insurrectionist movements and those who have tried to suppress them, this is the key text to understand how revolutions can be fought and won by ordinary people.

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Book SynopsisA collection examining the trailblazing lives and movements of radical women who have shaped the modern worldTrade Review‘Exhilarating and immensely valuable’ -- Priyamvada Gopal, Professor, University of Cambridge'Captivating ... captures the resolute vision of revolutionary women in anti-colonial, anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist struggles' -- Shahrzad Mojab, Professor, co-author of 'Revolutionary Learning''Powerful, complex and compassionate ... a meaningful intervention – not only in women’s and revolutionary history, but in world history' -- Dilar Dirik, author of 'The Kurdish Women’s Movement'Table of ContentsIntroduction: She Who Struggles - Marral Shamshiri and Sorcha Thomson 1. Melba Hernández: From Cuba to Vietnam, Under One Roof - Sorcha Thomson 2. Mabel Dove and Aoua Kéita: Feminist and Internationalist Struggles from Ghana to Mali - Yatta Kiazolu and Madina Thiam 3. Mary Mooney: A Story of Irish and African Diaspora Solidarity - Maurice J. Casey 4. TESTIMONY: The Power of Women’s International Solidarity with the Palestinian Revolution - Jehan Helou 5. Shigenobu Fusako: From Japan to Palestine in World Revolution - Jeremy Randall 6. Marziyeh Ahmadi Osku’i: Guerrilla Poetry between Iran, Afghanistan and India - Marral Shamshiri 7. Madame Bình and Madame Nhu: The Vietnamese Woman as Icon of Solidarity in Palestine and Iran - Thy Phu, Evyn Lê Espiritu Gandhi and Donya Ziaee 8. Sakine Cansız: Women’s Liberation and the Kurdistan Freedom Movement - Elif Sarican 9. Lindiwe Mabuza: Culture as a Weapon of Resistance in South Africa - Kebotlhale Motseothata 10. Where Are the Revolutionary Women of West Asia and North Africa? - Kanwal Hameed and Sara Salem 11. Delia Aguilar: Dissident Friendship and Filipino Feminist Thought - Karen Buenavista Hanna 12. Sister Cities: Salvadoran Refugees and US-Salvadoran Solidarity in the Americas - Molly Todd 13. INTERVIEW: Building Socialist Feminism on Southern Ground: The Women Democratic Front on the History and Politics of the Left in Pakistan - Mahvish Ahmad, Marvi Latifi, Ismat Shahjahan and Tooba Syed of the Women Democratic Front in Pakistan

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Book Synopsis'The princes are nothing but tyrants who flay the people; they fritter away our blood and sweat on their pomp and whoring and knavery.' These were the words of Thomas Müntzer at the head of the massed ranks of a peasant army in the year 1525. Ranged against him were the might of the princes of the German Nation. How did Müntzer, the son of a coin maker from central Germany, rise in just a few short years to become one of the most feared revolutionaries in early modern Europe?In this brilliant work of historical excavation, Andrew Drummond charts the life and times of the man Martin Luther denounced as a 'Ravening Wolf' and 'False Prophet'. Drummond shows us Müntzer as a human being. Far from the bloodthirsty devil of legend, he was a man of considerable learning and principle, deeply sympathetic to the misery of the peasantry and the poor. In his short life - he was beheaded at thirty-five - Müntzer promised to fundamentally upend German society.Seeking to save Müntzer from the condescension of history, Drummond guides us through the religious and political disputes of the Reformation, placing his life and thought in the context of those turbulent years. The result is a portrait of an often contradictory but always radical figure, one who continues to inspire movements of the poor across the globe.Trade ReviewAt last - a new account for our times of Thomas Müntzer, theologian and revolutionary. Drummond brings Müntzer and his world vividly to life. He shows us just why Müntzer hated Luther, and how he came to take up arms. What did it mean to be a revolutionary in sixteenth-century Germany? - Drummond shows us. You will be gripped and inspired by this exciting story - I couldn't put it down. -- Lyndal Roper, Regius Professor of History at Oxford, and author of Martin Luther: Renegade and ProphetPosterity has endorsed not just Luther's victory but also his determined character assassination of his rival. Andrew Drummond's scholarly but eminently readable, thoughtful, thorough and at times witty biography of Müntzer redresses the balance for English-speaking audiences -- Professor Michael Russell, University of GlasgowAmong the famous figures associated with 16th century Germany, that of religious thinker and social revolutionary Thomas Müntzer deserves to be far better known. Andy Drummond's excellent, brilliantly written and entertaining, new biography delves deep into the archival material to draw out the history of a radical whose life is often obscured by propaganda and myth. As we approach the 500th anniversary of Müntzer's execution, this book is the definitive account of his life. -- Martin Empson, author of 'Kill all the Gentlemen': Class Struggle and Change in the English CountrysideA blisteringly good book about personal enmity, and the difference between revolution and reform. -- Daniel Brooks * Telegraph *Drummond's marvellous romp of a biography - part jolly Simon Winder-like deep dive into 16th-century Germania, part sagacious reflection on the Reformation in the manner of Diarmaid MacCulloch - aims to free Müntzer from his detractors. -- Stuart Jeffries * Spectator *Table of ContentsWettin Family Tree Map Acknowledgements Notes on the Text and Some Helpful Remarks1. A Most Useful Lesson An introduction2. The End of the World Historical and religious background to the German Reformation3. The Devil Sowed His Seed Müntzer's early years4. Murder and Riot and Bloodshed Preacher in Zwickau (1520-1521)5. He Ran Away like an Arch-Villain A visit to Prague (1521)6. Satan Wandered in the Wilderness Erfurt, Nordhausen and Halle (1522-1523)7. Satan Made Himself a Nest in Allstedt A fruitful year of activity in Allstedt (1523-1524)8. His Face Was as Yellow as a Corpse's Rebellion in Allstedt (1524)9. Using God's Name, He Spoke and Acted for the Devil Müntzer's theology 10. The Devil Never Let Him Rest Mühlhausen and Nürnberg (1524)11. His Poisonous Seed In south-west Germany at the time of the peasant uprising (1524-1525)12. The Time Was Come The Thuringian uprising (1525)13. Thomas Would Catch All the Bullets in His Sleeves The Battle of Frankenhausen (May 1525)14. How God Punishes Disobedience The aftermath of defeat at Frankenhausen15. Rebellious Violent Preachers The early Anabaptists16. The Devil in Person HistoriographyConclusion Chronology Bibliography Notes Index

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisThis book provides a succinct yet up-to-date and challenging approach to the French Revolution of 1789-1799 and its consequences. Peter McPhee provides an accessible and reliable overview and one which deliberately introduces students to central debates among historians.The book has two main aims. One aim is to consider the origins and nature of the Revolution of 1789-99. Why was there a Revolution in France in 1789? Why did the Revolution follow its particular course after 1789? When was it ''over''? A second aim is to examine the significance of the Revolutionary period in accelerating the decay of Ancien Regime society. How ''revolutionary'' was the Revolution? Was France fundamentally changed as a result of it?Of particular interest to students will be the emphasis placed by the author on the repercussions of the Revolution on the practives of daily life: the lived experience of the Revolution. The author''s recent work on the environmental impact of the Revolution is also incorporated to provide a lively, modern, and rounded picture of France during this critical phase in the development of modern Europe.Trade ReviewOverall, I think [this book] is one of the best short histories of the Revolution to appear in many years. He is particularly successful in integrating specific case examples and quotations from the period into his general narrative and historiographic analysis and in thus conveying the drama and passion of the Revolution, so often passed over in texts of this kind. It also provides an excellent corrective to many recent "revisionist" texts, reasserting the importance of social dynamics before and during the Revolution and eshewing simplistic explanations of the Terror based solely on ideology or internal politics. Finally, I am impressed by his effective integration of a great deal of new scholarship published during the last decade, notably in his treatment of rural history and the experience of women during the Revolution. In sum, I would strongly recommend the book, and I look forward to trying it out in my own courses. * Timothy Tackett, University of California *Peter McPhee's history of the French Revolution is a real tour de force. More successfully than any other general history of the period, it combines an admirably clear narrative of this complex decade with an intelligent survey and analysis of other historians' perspectives. Beside them, McPhee sets out his own understandings of the Revolution sensibly and undogmatically so that readers can judge their merits. Beyond these strengths, the book is enriched by illuminating discussions of the effects of the Revolution on everyday lives of women and men and by a refreshing attention to rural France - the home of the great majority of French people at the time. Written in a lively and engaging way, this book cannot but draw readers more deeply into one of the most fascinating periods in world history. * Roderick Phillips, Carleton University *With an easy style and a clear purpose, Professor Peter McPhee pilots students past key questions of the origin and course, meaning and significance of the French Revolution. Touching most debates in the historiography, McPhee's history still offers a sound narrative of revolutionary events, egos and enactments, always in chapters of manageable length, always with an eye to evidence that's first-hand, fascinating and fresh. Scores of students and teachers will owe him a debt of thanks. * Adrian Jones, La Trobe University *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. France in the 1780s ; 2. The Crisis of the Old Regime ; 3. The Revolution of 1789 ; 4. The Reconstruction of France, 1789-91 ; 5. A Second Revolution, 1792 ; 6. The Revolution in the Balance, 1793 ; 7. The Terror: revolutionary Defence or Paranoia? ; 8. Ending the Revolution, 1795-9 ; 9. The Significance of the Revolution ; Maps ; Appendix 1: Chronology ; Appendix 2: The Revolutionary Calendar ; A Guide to Further Reading

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Book SynopsisThe Greek war for independence (1821–1830) goes missing from the narrative of the Age of Revolutions, yet the overthrow of Ottoman rule was of profound political significance. The Greek Revolution offers short essays detailing the activities, personalities, intellectual underpinnings, and global resonances of a pivotal episode in modern history.Trade ReviewAn outstanding contribution to our understanding of the Greek Revolution and its immense consequences on global history, from an impressive group of distinguished scholars covering an astonishing range of topics on the revolutionary decade of the 1820s. This attractive, monumental work will be indispensable as we reflect on the bicentennial and the significance of the simultaneously old and young nation of Greece. -- Georgios Varouxakis, Queen Mary University of LondonContemporaries saw the Greek Revolution as a liberal beacon in an age of reaction; two centuries later, it seems to anticipate later independence movements, nationalist uprisings, civil wars, and refugee crises. The Greek Revolution magisterially reframes its significance within a global age of revolutions. A more impressive bicentennial tribute would be hard to imagine. -- David Armitage, Harvard University

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Book SynopsisIn one of the world's most intractable and under-reported rebellions, the Naxalites have been engaged in a decades-long battle with the Indian state. Presented in the media as a deadly terrorist group, the movement is made up of Marxist ideologues and lower-caste and tribal combatants who seek to overthrow a system that has abused them. In 2010, anthropologist Alpa Shah embarked on a seven-night trek with some of these communist guerrillas, walking 250 kilometres through the dense, hilly forests of eastern India. Speaking to leaders and living for years with villagers in guerrilla strongholds, Shah seeks to understand how and why some of India's poor have shunned the world's largest democracy and taken up arms to fight for a fairer society--and asks whether they might be undermining their own aims. Nightmarch is a compelling reflection on dispossession and conflict at the heart of contemporary India. SHORT-LISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING, 2019 SHORT-LISTED FOR THE NEW INDIA FOUNDATION BOOK PRIZE, 2019 WINNER OF THE 2020 ASSOCIATION FOR POLITICAL AND LEGAL ANTHROPOLOGY BOOK PRIZE A 2018 New Statesman Book of the YearTrade Review‘One of the most nuanced, informed accounts yet of this strange and awful conflict . . . one of the few accounts we possess that gives [the Naxalites] a voice.’'I’ve enormously enjoyed and admired Alpa Shah’s careful, rich, sympathetic account of the Maoist insurgency in India . . . a brave and necessary work'.'This remarkable account offers unprecedented insight into the Naxalite movement .... skilfully sketching characters such as Gyanji, the intellectual elder, Kohli, the tribal teenager 'adopted' by the guerrillas, and Vikas, the corrrupt commander ... What emerges is a portrait of India's diminishing democracy, under the yoke of its ultra-Hindu nationalist government.' -- Le Monde Diplomatique'Powerful, emotional and painstakingly detailed analysis . . . a rare insight. . . the book is engrossing and its characters will haunt you.' * The Hindu *'A subtle and moving portrait . . . Shah combines powerful first-hand description – as gripping as any novel – with analysis which understands the rebel’s motivations and backgrounds without ever falling into simplistic political binaries.’‘Powerful, reflective and deeply engaged scholarship . . . rarely does a work of social science transport one so fully into the lives and worlds of those whose stories are being recounted. Alpa Shah succeeds in doing just that and more by combining ethnographic profundity with almost cinematic vividness . . . the work is a perfect illustration of the unique contribution anthropologists can bring in comprehending the world we live in.’'An astonishing journey. A rare, granular portrait.' -- The Indian Express‘[Alpa Shah] treats the groups she is living with as equal social and political beings … The result is a powerful synthesis, warm but never uncritical, a distillation of her own scholarship and the experiences of her subjects, that immerses the reader in a lifeworld.’ -- New Left Review'A thoughtful and balanced account.' -- La Stampa'Simultaneously a major contribution to scholarship and at the same time written to entice a wider readership to care about the poor and their insurgent politics.' -- Journal of Peasant Studies‘A beautifully crafted and highly engaging narrative that draws the reader into the secretive world of one of today’s forgotten revolutions . . . [an] ethnographically rich and vivid rendering.’'An eloquent and compassionate account of revolutionaries whose voices are rarely heard. Shah skilfully analyses the individual motivations for the Naxalites' radical commitment, their failures, and the deep history of exploitation and neglect that has provoked their struggle for liberation.' -- David Lan, theatre producer and author of 'Guns and Rain'‘[A] vibrant piece of anthropological work . . . written in a way that provides food for thought and, at the same time, moves hearts, this book is an example of the unique contribution anthropologists can bring to understanding the world we live in.’'Shah’s brilliant, careful research and writing is not meant to be an apologia for her subject. It’s quite the opposite. . . . a book that dwells on the electrifyingly complex battle between ideas and experience.''As a committed independent observer and researcher, [Shah's] experience has endowed her with a genuine understanding of the Naxalite revolutionaries.''A story that could not be more important, told with the perfect balance of clear-eyed realism, thoughtful criticism, and deep and abiding love. ... Nightmarch reveals what anthropology can do in the hands of a master willing to take genuine risks in the name of human freedom.' -- David Graeber, author of 'Bullshit Jobs' and 'Debt: The First 5000 Years''One of the most gripping, engaging and accessible books I've encountered on the Naxalites. Shah fearlessly bears witness to the upheavals caused by India's rising inequalities, while also asking many urgent, difficult questions.' -- Meena Kandasamy, author of 'When I Hit You''Compassionate, courageous and uncommonly observant. This is an extraordinary work of rigorous, reflective and deeply engaged scholarship, full of unexpected insights. At the same time, it manages to be haunting, lyrical, occasionally harrowing, even racy--more compelling than some of the best fiction writing.' -- Harsh Mander, human rights worker and author of 'Fatal Accidents of Birth', 'Looking Away' and 'Ash in the Belly''It is hard to imagine a work of social science as a page-turner that you cannot put down. But this intrepid author has produced that rare find: ... a beautifully written and absorbing book that disturbs, moves and educates the reader all at once.' -- Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University‘A brilliant work of social anthropology that feels like watching Pontevecoro’s masterpiece, The Battle of Algiers, seamlessly illuminating the wider conditions that lead to insurgency with moving personal stories of those on the ground.’ -- Steve Chandra Savale, guitarist/composer/producer, Asian Dub Foundation'In this intimate and insightful book, Shah elucidates why Adivasis become Naxalites and are also able to alternate between being Naxalites and not being Naxalites; brings out several contradictions in the Naxalite movement; breaks stereotypes about the Adivasis; discusses issues of class, community, privilege, sexual behaviour, and the status of women; and asks one vital question: Is the Naxalite movement doing good for the Adivasis?' -- Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, author of 'The Adivasi Will Not Dance''Brave, brilliant and beautifully written, Nightmarch is an anthropological tour de force. Shah portrays the Naxalites' revolutionary dedication with love, respect and analytical acumen, while laying bare the tragic contradictions of their armed struggle.' -- Philippe Bourgois, author of 'In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio' and 'Righteous Dopefiend''Nightmarch is outstanding, combining ethnographic depth with almost cinematic vividness. From an extraordinary inside perspective, Shah reveals a complex interplay among the Naxalites of political ideals, cultural values, personal attachments, and the lure of money.' -- Sherry B. Ortner, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, UCLA'Riveting, finely textured, and acutely perceptive, Nightmarch captures both the Naxalite insurgency's contradictions and its human promise against the background of the crippling indignities and exclusions of Indian society. It is a model of what ethnography can offer.' -- James C. Scott, author of 'Against the Grain''Profoundly insightful and compassionate, but also critical. ... An admirable example of serious social science writing, this book exhibits the potential of ethnographic research with a comparative angle -- grounded and accessible, yet still theoretically rich.' -- Surinder S. Jodhka, Professor of Sociology, Jawaharlal Nehru University'Bold and courageous, humane and sensitive, Nightmarch is an excellent illustration of how to take ethnography beyond the confines of the academic world.' -- Virginius Xaxa, author of 'State, Society and Tribes: Issues in Post-Colonial India'‘Woven into a fascinating account of her walk through the Maoist heartland, Shah tells a scorching story of dispossession, displacement, exploitation, intense inequality and state violence in India.’

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Book SynopsisThe Ancien Régime and the Revolution is a comparison of revolutionary France and the despotic rule it toppled. Alexis de Tocqueville (180559) is an objective observer of both periods providing a merciless critique of the ancien régime, with its venality, oppression and inequality, yet acknowledging the reforms introduced under Louis XVI, and claiming that the post-Revolution state was in many ways as tyrannical as that of the King; its once lofty and egalitarian ideals corrupted and forgotten. Writing in the 1850s, Tocqueville wished to expose the return to despotism he witnessed in his own time under Napoleon III, by illuminating the grand, but ultimately doomed, call to liberty made by the French people in 1789. His eloquent and instructive study raises questions about liberty, nationalism and justice that remain urgent today.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisUsing Alan Berkman's unfinished prison memoir, FBI records, letters, and hundreds of interviews, Susan Reverby sheds fascinating light on questions of political violence and revolutionary zeal in her account of Berkman's extraordinary transformation from doctor to co-conspirator for justice.

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Book Synopsis‘A well-written and thought-provoking account of the current crisis of globalization. Not everyone will agree with Eyal’s interpretation, but few will remain indifferent.’ – Yuval Noah Harari, author of SapiensRevolt is an eloquent and provocative challenge to the prevailing wisdom about the rise of nationalism and populism today. With a vibrant and informed voice, Nadav Eyal illustrates how modern globalization is unsustainable. He contends that the collapse of the current world order is not so much about the imbalance between technological advances and social progress, or the breakdown of liberal democracy, as it is about a passion to upend and destroy power structures that have become hollow, corrupt, or simply unresponsive to urgent needs. Eyal illuminates the forces both benign and malignant that have so rapidly transformed our economic, political, and cultural realities, shedding light not only on the globalized revolution that has come to define our time but also on the counterrevolution waged by those who globalization has marginalized and exploited.With a mixture of journalistic narrative, penetrating vignettes, and original analysis, Revolt shows that within the mainstream the left and right have much in common. Teasing out the connections among distressed Pennsylvania coal miners, anarchists in communes on the outskirts of Athens, neo-Nazis in Germany, and Syrian refugee families whom he accompanied from the shores of Greece to their destination in Germany, Eyal shows how their stories feed our current state of unrest. More than just an analysis of the present, though, Revolt also takes a hard look at lessons from the past, from the Opium Wars in China to colonialist Haiti to the Marshall Plan. With these historical ties, Eyal shows that the roots of revolt have always been deep and strong. The current uprisings are no passing phenomenon – revolt is the new status quo.Trade ReviewWe need to redefine the terms of our interdependence - to minimize the dangers, spread the benefits more broadly, and build a global community capable of confronting our collective challenges together. -- President Bill ClintonA well-written and thought-provoking account of the current crisis of globalization. Not everyone will agree with Eyal's interpretation, but few will remain indifferent. -- Yuval Noah Harari

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Book SynopsisThe Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 introduced new military technologies, transformed the organization of armies, and upset the continental balance of power, promulgating new regimented ideas of nationhood and conflict resolution more widely. However, the mass armies that became a new standard required mass mobilization and the arming of working people, who exercised a new power through both a German social democracy and popular insurgent French movements. As in the Russian Revolution of 1917, the Paris Commune of 1871 grew directly from the discontent among radicalized soldiers and civilians pressed into armed service on behalf of institutions they learned to mistrust. If this militarized class conflict, the brutality of the Commune's subsequent repression not only butchered the tens of thousands of Parisians but slaughtered an old utopian faith that appeals to reason and morality could resolve social tensions. War among nations became linked to revolution and revolution to armed struggle.Trade ReviewMark Lause's investigation of the link between mass conscription, war and revolution is timely. Many of the classic revolutions and vast movements of social reforms on which the 21st century Left can base its reflection involve soldiers and ex-soldiers: the Paris Commune of course, but also the Russian, German and Chinese revolutions, the rise of social states around 1945 in Britain, France and even the US (around the GI Bill). Mark Lause is well placed to conduct this investigation with his specialization on the US Civil War, the first emergence of Left movements and labor in the mid-nineteenth century, and the lively interactions between the US and European, notably French, Left at the time of Lincoln, Marx and Clemenceau. * John Barzman *This is military history at its broadest and best. Lause captures events and technologies of destruction to be sure but also the regimented labor of war, the soldier's experience of larger worlds and new comrades, the coming to know of politics as a life and death matter, and the invitation to interrogate national ideals. These transformations set the stage for the for both the Paris Commune and the brutality of its repression. -- David Roediger teaches history at the University of Kansas. He is the author most recently of The Sinking Middle ClassMark Lause's investigation of the link between mass conscription, war and revolution is timely. Many of the classic revolutions and vast movements of social reforms on which the 21st century Left can base its reflection involve soldiers and ex-soldiers: the Paris Commune of course, but also the Russian, German and Chinese revolutions, the rise of social states around 1945 in Britain, France and even the US (around the GI Bill). Mark Lause is well placed to conduct this investigation with his specialization on the US Civil War, the first emergence of Left movements and labor in the mid-nineteenth century, and the lively interactions between the US and European, notably French, Left at the time of Lincoln, Marx and Clemenceau. -- John Barzman, Université Le Havre NormandieIn July 1870 France declared war on the confederation of German states headed by Prussia, only to be forced to capitulate six months later, after a series of traumatic and humiliating military defeats; in the meantime, the French Empire had collapsed and was been replaced by a Republic. This first modern European conflict has long suffered from a relative lack of interest among historians. In this respect, Mark Lause's Soldiers of the Revolution is a welcome addition to this field or research. Mark Lause's book is not just another well-researched and well written narrative of the Franco-Prussian War and its most immediate consequence, the Paris Commune (and other provincial uprisings). It brings into sharp focus the consequences of modern war and the emergence of more centralized nation-states that came to supersede the romantic vision of a universal republic that had been so popular in 1848 and the 'Spring of Peoples'. Because it is a thought-provoking examination of the relationship between war and revolution, it also develops an interestingly new approach on the Paris Commune, by showing that revolution offers an alternative when state power effectively begins to dissolve. Conversely, it also demonstrates that nation-building does not necessarily go hand in hand with a republican form of government. Lause convincingly argues that a new world emerged from the events of 1870-71, and that the Paris Commune contributed to the internationalization of the anticapitalist movement. His book deserves to be read carefully by all those who take an interest in the dynamics that have shaped the society we are presently living in. -- Michel Cordillot, Professor emeritus Université Paris 8, editor of La Commune de Paris 1871, les acteurs, l’événement, les lieux (Paris, 2021)

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Book SynopsisHow might a 21st-century revolution against class society succeed? From the Paris Commune to the George Floyd Uprising, anticipations of a future communism.

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Book SynopsisHow did the son of a coin-maker from central Germany, Thomas Müntzer, rise in just a few short years to become one of the most feared revolutionaries in early modern Europe? Andrew Drummond charts the life and times of the man Martin Luther denounced as a ‘Ravening Wolf’ and ‘False Prophet’. Far from the bloodthirsty devil of legend, he was a man of considerable learning and principle, deeply sympathetic to the misery of the peasantry and the poor.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A Wall Street Journal Best Politics Book of the Year""A World Magazine Best Book of the Year""Very illuminating. Much recommended."---Jamelle Bouie, New York Times columnist"An astute discussion of the American founders’ suspicions that the republic they had created wouldn’t, in the end, make it. . . . Gracefully written and fair in its judgments. . . . Timely."---Barton Swaim, Wall Street Journal"Written in simultaneously accessible and brilliant prose, Rasmussen crafts a flowing narrative built on the writings of the founders themselves. This narrative is further illuminated by his commentary and mastery of the secondary literature. This book can (and should) be enjoyed by nonspecialists, but this does not diminish the originality of the work."---Kenly Stewart, Los Angeles Review of Books"Fascinating."---Steve Donoghue, Christian Science Monitor"An illuminating account of how the founding fathers worried about the future of America. . . . This standout history provides useful context for understanding the roots of contemporary political turmoils and may comfort those who fear that American democracy is in dire peril." * Publishers Weekly, starred review *"Making the striking argument that all but one of the major founders of the U.S. died disillusioned with their creation, Rasmussen nevertheless offers hope for our current predicaments . . . an authoritative and convincing argument in disarmingly artful prose." * Kirkus Reviews *"Rasmussen has produced a well-researched study that is a salutary read. He writes accessibly, explaining what motivated and worried each of [the founders]. Concern for future generations and the fate of the republic is a recurring theme, and will also resonate with many readers today." * Library Journal *"Magisterial . . . creative and thought-provoking at every turn . . . a delightful book. . . . Rasmussen has superbly placed the story of the Founders’ growing ideological concerns about their creation in the context of their own often eccentric personalities."---John O. McGinnis, Law & Liberty"On my history book of the year short list."---Marvin Olasky, World"Drawing on reams of personal correspondence between the Founders, Rasmussen persuasively argues that the vast majority of America’s Founders—including the likes of Washington, Adams, Hamilton, and Jefferson—went to their death beds disillusioned with the political order they had created."---Thomas Koenig, The Dispatch"Very timely . . . a fascinating and completely new perspective on the Founders and their view of the country they helped create . . . highly engaging and thought-provoking, showing the very human side of politics in early America."---Jerry D. Lenaburg, New York Journal of Books"Compelling and compulsively readable. . . . In putting leading founders’ disillusionment with the Constitution at the center of his thoughtful scholarly analysis, Rasmussen vividly brings to light the fact that the founders themselves were often the Constitution’s most perceptive and powerful critics."---George Thomas, American Political Thought"Rasmussen’s book also offered me some new insights and interesting facts. . . . Fears of a Setting Sun helps in understanding some of the roots of our contemporary political struggle and the fear of the decay of American democracy."---Pia Herzan, H-Soz-Kult"Fears of a Setting Sun is an engaging, indeed fun, read, nicely written and deftly argued. More than that, it is a useful reminder at this political moment that while things ain’t what they used to be, they never were in the first place."---Steven Conn, Origins

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Book SynopsisCompelling account of a legendary Palestinian resistance fighter: from refugee camp to international infamyTrade ReviewA nuanced historical biography based on thorough historical research together with extensive interviews with Leila Khaled and those close to her'A fine portrayal of a compelling and mysterious figure from a tumultuous period in Palestinian history, mixing biography and historical critique to deliver a valuable insight into Leila Khaled's character as well as her extraordinary appeal as a revolutionary icon' -- Nicholas Blincoe, co-editor of Peace Under Fire: Israel/Palestine and the International Solidarity MovementA readable and accessibly written book, packing an impressive amount of material into less than 150 pages, and is a rare resource for those who want to know more about the life of this fascinating and complex Palestinian icon.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Haifa, Lebanon, Kuwait 2. Leila The Fighter 3. Black September 4. Marriage And Death 5. Revolutionary Women 6. Moving To Jordan And Returning To Palestine 7. Leila Khaled In The Future, Palestine In The Future References Index

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Book SynopsisThis revised and updated edition of the standard introduction to the origins of the greatest of all revolutions incorporates and critically appraises the results of a new generation of research and interpretation. It thus remains the essential starting point for study of the subject.Table of ContentsIntroduction ; PART I: WRITINGS ON REVOLUTIONARY ORIGINS SINCE 1939 ; 1. The Classic Interpretation ; PART II: THE BREAKDOWN OF THE OLD REGIME ; 4. The Financial Crisis ; 5. The System of Government ; 6. Opposition ; 7. Public Opinion ; 8. Reform and its Failure 1787-88 ; PART III: THE STRUGGLE FOR POWER ; 9. The Nobility ; 10. The Bourgeoisie ; 11. The Election Campaign September 1788- to May 1789 ; 12. The Economic Crisis ; 13. The Estates-General, May and June 1789 ; 14. The People of Paris ; 15. The Peasantry ; 16. Conclusion: The New Regime and its Principles ; Abbreviations, Notes, Further Reading, Index of Authors Cited, General Index

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Book SynopsisIn 1983 Gerry Kennedy set off on a tour through Russia, China, Japan and the USA to visit others involved in the global anti-war movement. Only dimly aware of his Victorian ancestors: George Boole, forefather of the digital revolution and James Hinton, eccentric philosopher and advocate of polygamy, he had directly followed in the footsteps of two dynasties of radical thinkers and doers.Their notable achievements, in which the women were particularly prominent, involved many spheres. Boole's wife, Mary Everest, niece of George Everest, surveyor of the eponymous mountain, was an early advocate of hands-on education. Of the five talented Boole daughters, Ethel Voynich, wife of the discoverer of the enigmatic, still unexplained Voynich Manuscript, campaigned with Russian anarchists to overthrow the Tsar. Her 1897 novel The Gadfly, filmed later with music by Shostakovich, sold in millions behind the Iron Curtain. She was rumoured to have had an affair with the notorious 'Ace of Spies', Sidney Reilly. One of Ethel's sisters married Charles Howard Hinton: a leading exponent of the esoteric realm of the fourth dimension and inventor of the gunpowder baseball-pitcher.Of their descendants, Carmelita Hinton also pioneered progressive education in the USA at her school in Putney, Vermont. Her children dedicated their lives to Mao's China. Appalled by the dropping on Japan of the atomic bomb that she had helped design, Joan Hinton defected to China and actively engaged in the Cultural Revolution. William Hinton wrote the influential documentary Fanshen based on his experience in 1948 of revolutionary change in a Shanxi village. Other members of the clan became renowned in their fields of physics, entomology and botany. Their combined legacy of independent and constructive thinking is perhaps typified by the invention of the Jungle Gym: the climbing-frame now used by children the world over. In The Booles and the Hintons the author embarks on a quest to reveal the stories behind their remarkable lives.Table of ContentsContentsAcknowledgements viiiForeword ixWho's Who xii 1 GRAVY OVER A TABLECLOTH 1The author's own background in West London. 'Discovery' of the Booles, brief outline of the Boole/Hinton major characters.2 THE UGLY DUCKLING 12The Voynich Manuscript in brief: its history and research to date.3 BRINGING STARRY WISDOM DOWN 29The author's visit to Lincoln. George Boole's life and background.4 THE MISSUS 59Mary Everest Boole: her life with George Boole and her own views on life and education.5 TADPOLES INTO FROGS 83The five Boole daughters' early lives.6 THE WIZARD 89James Hinton: his life and philosophy.7 TRAPDOORS AND VELVETEEN 104Tsarist Russia in the late nineteenth century. Russian anarchists: Kropotkin and Stepniak. Charlotte Wilson and Wyldes Farm.Radical politics in England in the 1880s.8 CITIZENS' DIPLOMACY 119The author's peace politics, Moscow dissidents and journey on the Trans-Siberian railway, 1983. Ethel Boole's stay in St Petersburg, 1887-89.9 ROUND AND ROUND THE GARDEN 141James Hinton's comeuppance. Olive Schreiner and Havelock Ellis. Caroline Haddon. The Men and Women's Club.10 THE RIFF-RAFF OF RASCALDOM 153The Society of Friends of Russian Freedom. Russian anarchists and related novels of the period. London arrival of Wilfrid Voynich.11 COMMUNING WITH SPACE 170Charles Howard Hinton and the fourth dimension. His and Mary Ellen Boole's exile to Japan and the USA in 1887. Hinton'swritings and influence in Europe. Peter Ouspensky in Russia.12 THE CITADEL 197The author's visit to Warsaw. Proletariat: early Polish socialists. History of Wilfrid's escape from Siberia.13 DEAD AS MUTTON? 213Ethel Voynich's novel The Gadfly. Wilfrid Voynich establishes his book trade. Jack Raymond, another novel by Ethel.14 THE ENGLISH AUNTS 227The five Boole sisters: Mary Ellen, Margaret, Alice, Lucy and Ethel's later lives. Ethel and Ivor Gurney.15 BRINGING HOME THE BACON 247The Voynich Manuscript again. Ethel and Wilfrid in the USA.16 THE BIGGLES OF COMMUNISM 259Ethel in New York; her last novel. Ethel 're-discovered'. Scandal with the spy, Sidney Reilly.17 OLIVE AND OVOD 277The author's return to Russia via Lithuania searching for The Gadfly in Moscow and St Petersburg.18 A CQR LIFE 302The life of Cambridge scientist, Sir Geoffrey Taylor, grandson of George Boole.19 THE HINTON GENUS 314Hinton descendants in Mexico in the mining industry and their plant collecting. The life of Howard Everest Hinton, entomologist.20 UNCOLLAPSIBLE HINTONS 337The Byrdcliffe arts community, Woodstock USA. Carmelita Hinton and the setting up of Putney School, Vermont USA.21 THE GADGET 356The Manhattan Project and Joan Hinton. Hiroshima.22 PEKING JOAN 374Joan Hinton and Sid Engst in Mongolia, Si'an and Beijing during the Cultural Revolution.23 FANSHEN 398The life of Bill Hinton and the rural revolution in China. Author's visit to Long Bow village.24 THE VERMONTER 417The author returns to the USA to visit Putney School.Afterword 422Notes 427Illustration Credits 453Index 456

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Book SynopsisAn inspiring reminder of the great strength of twentieth century Communism in the Global South.Trade Review'This is the real story of the Russian Revolution and no one tells it more powerfully, poetically, and honestly than Vijay Prashad' -- Robin D. G. Kelley, author of 'Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination''An original and much needed analysis of an important but neglected aspect of the legacy of the Russian Revolution. Prashad insightfully explains how Lenin's development of Marxist theory has inspired revolutionary practice in the Third World. Essential reading' -- Mary Davis, Marx Memorial Library'An almost perfect mix of history and analysis in this slender book ... packs a revolutionary punch' -- Ron Jacobs, CounterPunchTable of ContentsPreface 1. Eastern Graves 2. Red October 3. Follow the Path of the Russians! 4. The Lungs of Russia! 5. Peasant Soviets 6. Soviet Asia 7. Enemy of Imperialism 8. Eastern Marxism 9. To See the Dawn 10. Colonial Fascism 11. Polycentric Communism 12. Memories of Communism

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Book SynopsisIn 1969, several young men met on a rainy night in Kabul to form an Islamist student group. Their aim was laid out in a simple typewritten statement: to halt the spread of Soviet and American influence in Afghanistan. They went on to change the world. 'Night Letters' tells the extraordinary story of the group’s most notorious member, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, and the guerrilla organisation he came to lead, Hizb-e Islami. By the late 1980s, tens of thousands were drawn to Hekmatyar’s vision of a radical Islamic state that would sow unrest from Kashmir to Jerusalem. His doctrine of violent global jihad culminated in 9/11 and the birth of ISIS, yet he never achieved his dream of ruling Afghanistan. The peace deal he signed with Kabul in 2016 was yet another controversial twist in an astonishing life. Sands and Qazizai delve into the secret history of Hekmatyar and Hizb-e Islami: their wars against Russian and American troops, and their bloody and bitter feuds with domestic enemies. Based on hundreds of exclusive interviews carried out across the region and beyond, this is the definitive account of the most important, yet poorly understood, international Islamist movement of the last fifty years.Trade Review'Night Letters is a treasure trove of political and military detail. For those involved with Afghanistan it is a must read. … Sands and Qazizai have produced one of the most thorough histories of modern Afghanistan.' -- Asian Affairs

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Book Synopsis***WINNER OF THE CRIME WRITERS'' ASSOCIATION ALCS GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION***''Meticulous and gripping - a thriller that disturbs for revelations about a singular act of murder, and the national security state which we call home'' Philippe Sands, author of East West StreetA groundbreaking examination of a terrifying murder and its aftermath by the bestselling author of Hanns and Rudolf and The House by the Lake.On 14 June 2006, police were called to 9 Downshire Hill in Hampstead. The owner, Allan Chappelow, was a writer and notorious recluse who had not been seen for several weeks. Inside the darkened house, officers found piles of rubbish, trees growing through the floor, and the body of Chappelow, battered to death, partially burned and buried under four feet of paper.The man eventually arrested on suspicion of his murder was a Chinese dissident named Wang Yam, who claimed to be the gTrade ReviewMeticulous and gripping – a thriller that disturbs for revelations about a singular act of murder, and the national security state which we call home. -- Philippe Sands, author of 'East West Street'A real-life procedural... which might have important implications for us all. -- Kathryn Hughes * Guardian *Blood on the Page is an In Cold Blood for our time – a brilliant and unflinching anatomy of a murder that is both brutal true crime and heartbreaking human tragedy. -- Tony ParsonsA fine and fascinating read, bolstered by exemplary research and nuanced insights. Absorbing. -- Tobias Jones * Observer *An absolute gem of a true-crime story ... The author's investigation, and his storytelling, are peerless. A superb book. * Evening Standard *

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Book SynopsisThe Enlightenment that Failed explores the growing rift between those Enlightenment trends and initiatives that appealed exclusively to elites and those aspiring to enlighten all of society by raising mankind''s awareness, freedoms, and educational level generally. Jonathan I. Israel explains why the democratic and radical secularizing tendency of the Western Enlightenment, after gaining some notable successes during the revolutionary era (1775-1820) in numerous countries, especially in Europe, North America, and Spanish America, ultimately failed. He argues that a populist, Robespierriste tendency, sharply at odds with democratic values and freedom of expression, gained an ideological advantage in France, and that the negative reaction this generally provoked caused a more general anti-Enlightenment reaction, a surging anti-intellectualism combined with forms of religious revival that largely undermined the longings of the deprived, underprivileged, and disadvantaged, and ended by helping, albeit often unwittingly, conservative anti-Enlightenment ideologies to dominate the scene. The Enlightenment that Failed relates both the American and the French revolutions to the Enlightenment in a markedly different fashion from how this is usually done, showing how both great revolutions were fundamentally split between bitterly opposed and utterly incompatible ideological tendencies. Radical Enlightenment, which had been an effective ideological challenge to the prevailing monarchical-aristocratic status quo, was weakened, then almost entirely derailed and displaced from the Western consciousness, in the 1830s and 1840s by the rise of Marxism and other forms of socialism.Trade Review...brilliant... * Stewart J. Brown, Intellectual History Review *It is a credit to Israel's scholarship that the book is far broader than polemics ... he prose is precise throughout, and Israel's commitment to intellectual history -- his conviction that ideas are primary movers of history -- is compelling * Luke Nicastro, The University Bookman *Table of Contents1: Introduction: Radical Enlightenment and 'Modernity' Part I: The Origins of Democratic Modernity 2: The Rise of Democratic Republicanism 3: From Radical Renaissance to Radical Enlightenment 4: From Radical Reformation to the Cercle Spinoziste 5: English 'Deism' and its pre-1700 Roots 6: Great 'Moderates' and the Temptations of the Radical: Montesquieu and the Forbidden 7: D'Holbach against Voltaire and Rousseau: a triangular battle of Political Thought Systems 8: Revolution without Violence: The Nordic Model Part II: Human Rights and Revolution (1770-1830) 9: Parallel Revolutions: America and France (1774-1793) 10: General Will' and The Invention of Universal and Equal Human Rights (1750-1789) 11: Emancipating Women: Marriage, Equality, and Female Citizenship (1775-1815) 12: From Classical Economics to post-Classical redistributive Economics (1775-1820) 13: Reforming Europe's Law Codes 14: Unity of Humanity: Race Theory and the Equality of Peoples 15: Unity of Humanity: Property, Class, and the Emancipation of Man Part III: Revolution and Competing Revolutionary Ideologies (1789-1830) 16: Robespierre anti-philosophe, Or, the Battle of Ideologies during the French Revolution 17: The Swiss Revolution and the Hard Climb to Democratic Republicanism (1782-1848) 18: The Belgian Revolution (1787-1794) 19: Enlightening against Robespierre (and Napoleon): the Écoles centrales (1792-1804) 20: Revolution and the Universities: Germany's 'Philosophy Wars' (1780-1820) 21: Radicalism and Repression in the Anglo-American World (1775-1815) 22: The American Connection 23: The Spanish Revolution (1808-1823) 24: Black Emancipation, Universal Emancipation and the Haïtian Revolution (1775-1825) Part IV: The Enlightenment that Failed 25: Reaction and Radicalism: Germany and the Low Countries (1814-1830) 26: British Philosophical Radicalism (1814-1830) 27: Failed Restoration in France (1814-1830) 28: Bolívar and Spinoza 29: Karl Marx and the Left's Turn from Radical Enlightenment to Socialism (1838-1848) 30: Conclusion: The 'Radical Enlightenment Thesis' and Its Critics

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Book SynopsisDe Tocqueville's great meditation on the origins and meanings of the French revolution remains one of the most profound and influential studies of this pivotal period.

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Book SynopsisThis book provides a radical reassessment of Europe from the late-tenth to the early-13th centuries. Professor Moore argues that the period witnessed the first true revolution in European society, characterized by a transformation in the economy, in family structures, and in the sources of power.Trade Review"This is a remarkable book... it can function as a synthesis of the best studies for upper-division undergraduates or graduate students. It is so well researched and argued that even though it asks the reader to accept yet one more period as revolutionary, it is entirely convincing." History: Reviews of New Books "A volume which is consistently intelligent and stimulating, not least because it draws on the insights of social anthropology and of other periods and places in history than its own ... it is the essence of a good book that it should open the reader's mind and sharpen his arguments. By that token this is assuredly a good book." Ecclesiastical HistoryTable of ContentsList of Maps and Figures. Series Editor's Preface. Preface. Introduction. Part I: The Approach of the Millennium:. 1. Glad confident morning. 2. The Faithful People. 3. The Gifts of the Saints. 4. An Age of Miracles. Part II: The Powerful and the Poor:. 5. The Urban Revolution. 6. The Crisis of the Carolingian Regime. 7. The End of Affluence. 8. The Shaping of an Agrarian Economy. 9. The Little Community. Part III: Sex and the Social Order:. 10. Family, Land and Power. 11. Vying in Good Works. 12. Chastity, Property and Obedience. 13. Incest, Matrimony and Chivalry. 14. Brothers in Christ. 15. Apostacy and Betrayal. Part IV: The Ruling Culture:. 16. The Highest Learning. 17. The Giant' s Shoulders. 18. New monarchy, new men. 19. Courts and Courtiers. 20. A Governing Passion. 21. Doubt, Hesitation and Pain. Part V: Order Restored:. 22. Pious and Inflexible Severity. 23. The Pursuit of Monopoly. 24. The Community of the Faithful. 25. Exporting the Revolution. 26. The Europe of the New Regime. Table od Dates. Notes. Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisWhy were some, but not all the Arab mass social protests of 2011 accompanied by relatively quick and nonviolent outcomes in the direction of regime change, democracy, and social transformation? Why was a democratic transition limited to Tunisia, and why did region-wide democratization not occur? After the Arab Uprisings offers an explanatory framework to answer these central questions, based on four key themes: state and regime type, civil society, gender relations and women''s mobilizations, and external influence. Applying these to seven cases: Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, Bahrain, Libya, Syria, and Yemen, Valentine M. Moghadam and Shamiran Mako highlight the salience of domestic and external factors and forces, uniquely presenting women''s legal status, social positions, and organizational capacity, along with the presence or absence of external intervention, as key elements in explaining the divergent outcomes of the Arab Spring uprisings, and extending the analysis to the present dayTrade Review'In their sweeping comparative analysis of the divergent outcomes of the Arab Spring, Mako and Moghadam not only highlight the importance of women's activism; they prove it was a fundamental determinant of those outcomes. This is a novel and powerful analysis that will be essential for understanding MENA since 2010.' Jack A. Goldstone, George Mason University'A brilliant multi-level and cross-national study of why the Arab Spring resulted in dramatically different outcomes for the Arab countries involved. Fine-grained top down and granular bottom up analyses of the causes of violent versus nonviolent responses to legitimate protests. Critical insights into lessons for democratic possibilities /or authoritarian regime pathways in a vital and contested region of the world. Must read for students of history and the Middle East.' Suad Joseph, University of California, Davis'Mako and Moghadam present an expansive and thought-provoking analysis of the Arab uprisings and their aftermath that, unlike many studies, pays careful attention to factors that others skim over or else entirely ignore. In addition to the role of diverse civil society organization and the role of women, they center the role of external actors in shaping the direction and outcome of the individual uprisings. This theoretically and empirically rich analysis will be a must read not only for scholars of the Middle East, but for the fields of social movements, democratization, and contentious politics as well.' Jillian Schwedler, City University of New York'a bracing assessment of revolution, repression, and war … The book stands to inform a broad range of academics and nonspecialists seeking to understand how the Arab world has changed - sometimes for better, often for worse - and where the region is headed.' Jason M. Brownlee, The Middle East JournalTable of Contents1. Introduction and Overview; 2. Pathways to Democratization: The Arab Spring in Comparative Perspective; 3. States and Political Institutions; 4. Civil Society; 5. Gender and Women's Mobilizations; 6. International Connections and Interventions; 7. Findings and Conclusions.

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Book SynopsisThis Element aims at reconstructing and describing the main features of the French republican festivals in Milan, and their impact on the city's landscape, soundscape and self-representation. It offers some reflections on these events' consequences on the following century's patriotism/nationalism and cultural production.Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Republican festivals in northern Italy: historical and ideological background; 2. The festivals and the city; Epilogue; Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisFew individuals made such an impact on nineteenth-century French politics as Louis-Auguste Blanqui (1805-1881). Political organiser, leader, propagandist and prisoner, Blanqui was arguably the foremost proponent of popular power to emerge after the French Revolution. Practical engagement in all the major uprisings that spanned the course of his life 1830, 1848, 1870-71 was accompanied by theoretical reflections on a broad range of issues, from free will and fatalism to public education and individual development. Since his death, however, Blanqui has not been simply overlooked or neglected; his name has widely become synonymous with theoretical misconception and practical misadventure. Auguste Blanqui and the Politics of Popular Empowerment offers a major re-evaluation of one the most controversial figures in the history of revolutionary politics. The book draws extensively on Blanqui''s manuscripts and published works, as well as writings only recently translated into EnglishTrade ReviewWhen it comes to revolutionaries asking the right questions today, there is great value in returning to Blanqui. And Philippe Le Goff’s work is a welcome guide to this remarkable figure. * Marx & Philosophy Review of Books *For the Marxist political movements which rose to prominence after his death, Blanqui came to symbolize a conspiratorial mode of elitist politics left behind by mass working class organizations, and he has remained excluded from the socialist canon ever since. Le Goff bucks this trend, reclaiming Blanqui as a thinker of the ever-possible work of organizing popular empowerment ... Auguste Blanqui and the Politics of Popular Empowerment illuminate[s] the key practical and theoretical challenges facing a twenty-first century socialist politics. * Contemporary Political Theory *Le Goff’s exposition of Blanqui’s ideas is clear and compelling. * H-France *Karl Marx had much admiration for Auguste Blanqui, whose name he considered as synonymous with revolutionary socialism, and Walter Benjamin celebrated his unique voice of bronze. The remarkable and path-breaking essay by Philippe Le Goff explains why it is so important to reconsider this forgotten figure of the revolutionary tradition, whose contribution to socialist political theory and to an anti-positivist conception of history is still very much relevant. -- Michael Lowy, Emeritus research director, Centre National de la recherche Scientifique, France and author of Young Marx’s Theory of RevolutionIs there a future for radical politics? There is no better way to address this question than by revisiting Auguste Blanqui’s thought. This exciting and scholarly study reappraises Blanqui’s ideas by attending carefully to his arguments on the priority of political action and the ideals of radical democracy and equality. -- Gary Browning, Professor of Politics, Oxford Brookes University, UKTable of ContentsAbbreviations Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1. Intelligence Chapter 2. Conflict Chapter 3. Actors Chapter 4. Volition Chapter 5. History Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA vivid first-hand account of a SOE agent's missions in Nazi occupied France.

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Book Synopsis'The Quiet Before is a fascinating and important exploration of how ideas that change the world incubate and spread.' Steven Pinker'Filled with insightful analysis and colourful storytelling... Rarely does a book give you a new way of looking at social change. This one does.' Walter IsaacsonWhy do some radical ideas make history?We tend to think of revolutions as loud: frustrations and demands shouted in the streets. But the ideas fuelling them have traditionally been conceived in much quieter spaces, in the small, secluded corners where a vanguard can imagine alternate realities. This extraordinary book is a search for those spaces, over centuries and across continents, and a warning that they might soon go extinct.The Quiet Before is a grand panorama, stretching from the seventeenth-century correspondence that jump-started the scientific revolution to the encrypted apps used by epidemiologists fighting the pandemic in the shadow of an inept administration. Beckerman shows that defining social movements - from decolonization to feminism - thrive when they are given the time and space to gestate.Today, we are replacing these productive, private spaces with monolithic platforms. Why did the Arab Spring fall apart and Occupy Wall Street never gain traction? Has Black Lives Matter lived up to its full potential? Beckerman reveals what this new social media ecosystem still needs - from patience to focus - and offers a recipe for growing radical ideas again.Lyrical and profound, The Quiet Before looks to the past to help us imagine a different future.Trade ReviewHow does true social change occur? In this brilliant book filled with insightful analysis and colourful storytelling, Gal Beckerman shows that new ideas need to incubate through thoughtful discussions in order to create sustained movements. Today's social media hothouses, unfortunately, tend to produce flash mobs that flame out. We need to regain intimate forms of communication if we want to nurture real transformation. Rarely does a book give you a new way of looking at social change. This one does. -- Walter Isaacson, author of The Code BreakersNothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come, but how do ideas ever get to the point where their time has come? Ideas have to be conceived, improved, and accepted by people, and we know little about how this happens. The Quiet Before is a fascinating and important exploration of how ideas that change the world incubate and spread. -- Steven Pinker, author of RationalityThe Quiet Before is that rare book: arresting in its premise, supported by historical examples, and relevant to right now. Beckerman takes a close look at the media that led to the 'changed minds' of past revolutions, then challenges us to approach today's media with new eyes. How can we make it serve our urgent human purposes-among these the rethinking of human equality and the possibility of democracy? I loved it. -- Sherry Turkle, author of The Empathy DiariesBoth deep and urgent, Beckerman revisits past revolutions from the perspective of the communication tools that enabled them, providing insight into how we can better navigate the promise and peril of the technologies shaping our current moment. -- Cal Newport, author of Digital MinimalismThe Quiet Before is a remarkable, engrossing account of the subterranean routes by which historical change takes place, from the adoption of universal (male) suffrage to #MeToo, and an examination of the limitations of social media in achieving real social transformation. Gal Beckerman writes with lucidity and grace, folding a formidable amount of research and original reflection into a compulsively readable narrative. This is a riveting and timely book, one that should provoke heated Zoom conversations nationwide. -- Daphne Merkin, author of 22 Minutes of Unconditional Love

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Book SynopsisThis book provides a lively account of the gilets jaunes, the yellow vest movement that has shaken France since 2018. Charles Devellennes assesses what lessons can be drawn from their activities and the impact for the contemporary relationship between state and citizen. Informed by a dialogue with past political theorists – from Hobbes, Spinoza and Rousseau to Rawls, Nozick and Diderot – and reflecting on the challenges posed by the yellow vest movement, the author rethinks the concept of the social contract for contemporary societies around the world. It proposes a new relationship between the state and the individual, and establishes the necessity of rethinking the modern democratic nature of our representative polities in order to provide a genuine process for the healing of social ills.Table of ContentsIntroduction; Critical times for the social contract; Violence and the state; Liberty; Democracy; Economic justice; A renewal of the social contract; Conclusion

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Book SynopsisEquatorial Guinea is a tiny country roughly the size of the state of Maryland. Humid, jungle covered, and rife with unpleasant diseases, natives call it Devil Island. Its president in 2004, Obiang Nguema, had been accused of cannibalism, belief in witchcraft, mass murder, billiondollar corruption, and general rule by terror. With so little to recommend it, why in March 2004 was Equatorial Guinea the target of a group of salty British, South African and Zimbabwean mercenaries, travelling on an American-registered ex-National Guard plane specially adapted for military purposes, that was originally flown to Africa by American pilots? The real motive lay deep below the ocean floor: oil. In The Dogs of War , Frederick Forsyth effectively described an attempt by mercenaries to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea , in 1972. And the chain of events surrounding the night of March 7, 2004, is a rare case of life imitating art,or, at least, life imitating a 1970s thriller,in almost uncanny detail. With a cast of characters worthy of a remake of Wild Geese and a plot as mazy as it was unlikely, The Wonga Coup is a tale of venality, overarching vanity and greed whose example speaks to the problems of the entire African continent.

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