Revolutions, uprisings, rebellions Books

Book SynopsisThis book's central focus is General China, the most important but controversial leader of the notorious Mau Mau rebellion that exploded in Kenya colony during the 1950s. We read the story through the lens of China, his memoirs - now published for the first time outside of Kenya -and archival sources, to understand important themes in African history: how Africans fought for the end of colonial rule, and the complex histories of nationalist movements; how Britain tried to handle such resistance; the wider moment of decolonisation on the world stage; and how past conflicts still have contemporary relevance.

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Book SynopsisOn August 4, 1983, Captain Thomas Sankara led a coalition of radical military officers, communist activists, labor leaders, and militant students to overtake the government of the Republic of Upper Volta. Almost immediately following the coup’s success, the small West African country—renamed Burkina Faso, or Land of the Dignified People—gained international attention as it charted a new path toward social, economic, cultural, and political development based on its people’s needs rather than external pressures and Cold War politics. James E. Genova’s Making New People: Politics, Cinema, and Liberation in Burkina Faso, 1983–1987 recounts in detail the revolutionary government’s rise and fall, demonstrating how it embodied the critical transition period in modern African history between the era of decolonization and the dawning of neoliberal capitalism. It also uncovers one of the revolution’s most enduring and significant aspects: its promotion of film as a vehicle for raising the people’s consciousness, inspiring their efforts at social transformation, and articulating a new self-generated image of Africa and Africans. Foregrounding film and drawing evocative connections between Sankara’s political philosophy and Frantz Fanon, Making New People provides a deeply nuanced explanation for the revolution’s lasting influence throughout Africa and the world.

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Book SynopsisThrough extensive archival research in eight different languages, Revolutionary Social Democracy introduces readers to the politics and practices of socialists in Tsarist Russia's imperial borderlands. These parties fought for democracy and workers' power across the entire span of the Russian Empire—from the factories of Warsaw, to the oil fields of Baku, to the autonomous parliament of Finland. Eric Blanc's incisive study of these parties shows that the Russian Revolution was far less Russian than is commonly assumed. And the implications of this discovery challenge the long-held assumptions of historians, sociologists, and activists about the dynamics of revolutionary change under both autocratic and democratic conditions.Trade Review"Eric Blanc's remarkable new book should revolutionize the way scholars and activists think about the Russian Revolution. By looking not just at Petrograd or Russia but at the entire Russian Empire—including Finland, Ukraine, and Poland—Blanc's pathbreaking comparative analysis examines how and why revolutionary processes diverge under parliamentary and autocratic regimes. Drawing on far-flung sources in eight languages, Blanc breaks with the Russocentrism of earlier accounts and effectively deprovincializes the revolution. Among other things, he demonstrates that Lenin and the Bolsheviks were not nearly as exceptional as is often thought. This book is an extraordinary achievement." —Jeff Goodwin, New York University "Anyone interested in the Russian Revolution will need to read this outstanding contribution. Puncturing myths, cliches, and unsupported interpretations, Eric Blanc explores a forgotten historical reality—revolutionary social democracy—by vividly documenting the actual strategic outlooks and local practices of Second International Marxists across the Russian Empire, as well as Germany, the homeland of this political current. An impressively wide reading in sources from many languages allows Blanc to demonstrate the importance of borderland socialists in the revolutionary drama, bringing to life activists at all levels of party organizations throughout imperial Russia and challenging us to rethink long-held assumptions about major figures such as Lenin and Kautsky." —Lars T. Lih, author Lenin Rediscovered "Through impressive research and erudite argumentation, this monumental study of the broad array of 'revolutionary social democratic' parties that operated in the non-Russian borderlands of the Tsarist Empire in the decades leading to 1917 definitively shows why there was no 'one-size-fits-all' revolutionary practice and why there is no reason to overgeneralize the international relevance of the form taken by the October Revolution. A tour de force which provides strong historical foundations for all those today working to develop an anticapitalist, democratic socialist political strategy for renewed working-class formation and state transformation." —Leo Panitch, former editor Socialist RegisterTable of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Tables Introduction  1  Bringing in the Borderlands  2  Strategic Continuities and Ruptures  3  Method, Structure, Sources 1 The Social Context  1  The Workers’ Movement  2  The Unique Impact of Orthodox Marxism  3  Socialist Political Cultures 2 Revolutionary Social Democracy: An Overview  1  The ABC s of Revolutionary Social Democracy  2  Strategy and Tactics in Germany and Russia 3 Intellectuals and Workers  1  Intellectuals and the Tensions of Class Formation  2  Intellectuals and Workers (1905–17) 4 Organisation, Mass Action, and Electoral Work  1  Socialist Organisation in Finland  2  Illegal Organising in Tsarist Russia  3  The Bolshevik-Menshevik Split  4  The First Mass Strike Debates (1903–04)  5  Mass Action and Organisation in 1905  6  Party Organisation and Mass Action (1906–14)  7  War and Revolution  8  Mass Organisation and Action in Finland: 1917–18 5 Working-Class Hegemony  1  Analysing Liberalism  2  Tactics Towards Liberals  3  The Bund versus Zionism (1897–1904)  4  The PPS and the National Democrats Before 1905  5  Class Independence in Finland  6  Early Russian Marxism and Liberals  7  Working-Class Hegemony (1905–16)  8  Proletarian Hegemony and Liberals (1906–16) 6 Working-Class Unity  1  United Front Practices Before 1905  2  Workers’ Unity and the 1905 Revolution  3  Implementing the United Front (1906–18)  4  Disunity in Europe and Poland 7 The Party Question  1  The German SPD Model  2  Finland’s Social Democracy  3  The Normalcy of Splits in Underground Russia  4  The Split of Polish Socialism  5  The Bolshevik-Menshevik Split 8 Democracy, the State, and the Finnish Revolution  1  Critique of Bourgeois Democracy  2  The Socialist Revolution  3  The State and Revolution in Finland (1917–18) 9 The Autocratic State and Revolution: 1905  1  State Power and Marxist Strategy in 1905  2  The Practice of Revolutionary Government in 1905  3  Socialist Transformation in Russia  4  International Revolution 10 The State and Revolution in Russia, Ukraine, and Poland: 1917–19  1  Moderate Socialists and Dual Power in 1917  2  Moderates Join the Government  3  Russian Moderate Socialists in the October Revolution  4  Moderate Socialists in Ukraine: 1917–18  5  Moderate Socialism in Poland: 1918–19  6  Bolsheviks and State Power: February–March 1917  7  Breaking with the Bourgeoisie: April–October Epilogue: An International Revolution Defeated  1  Civil War and Authoritarianism  2  International Revolution  3  Impasse in the Imperial Periphery Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe Levellers, formed out of the explosive tumult of the 1640s and the battlefields of the Civil War, are central figures in the history of democracy. In this thrilling narrative, John Rees brings to life the men-including John Lilburne, Richard Overton and Thomas Rainsborough-and women who ensured victory and became an inspiration to republicans of many nations.From the raucous streets of London and the clattering printers' workshops that stoked the uprising, to the rank and file of the New Model Army and the furious Putney debates where the Levellers argued with Oliver Cromwell for the future of English democracy, this story reasserts the revolutionary nature of the 1642-51 wars and the role of ordinary people in this pivotal moment in history.In particular Rees places the Levellers at the centre of the debates of 1647 when the nation was gripped by the question of what to do with the defeated Charles I. Without the Levellers and Agitators' fortitude and well-organised opposition history may have avoided the regicide and missed its revolutionary moment. The legacy of the Levellers can be seen in the modern struggles for freedom and democracy across the world.Trade ReviewA profound and scholarly account of the Levellers . . .The book combines the military-political history of the English revolution with an account of the social and ideological struggles that produced, out of the backstreets of 17th-century London, one of modernity's first revolutionary social movements -- Paul Mason * Guardian Books of the Year 2016 *Rees likes his subjects, as should anyone who values democracy and social justice. This is not just a readable narrative, explaining the development of the Levellers, but an inspirational romance for the political left, and a timely one. It's a remarkable story because its actors are remarkable. * Financial Times *A scrupulously researched, carefully told narrative, and a work of impressive scholarship -- David Horspool * Spectator *In his impressive new book John Rees sets out to return the Levellers to centre stage ... [his] research is splendid, his understanding of the period is admirable ... thoroughly entertaining, and thought-provoking. * Herald (Glasgow) *Scholarly, engagingly written, and passionately committed...this is a fine and stimulating study that makes a major contribution to our understanding of the Leveller movement and of the period. -- Bernard Capp * Renaissance Quarterly *Combines an engaging narrative account of the Leveller movement with a distinctive line of argument and constitutes a serious contribution to scholarly work on the Levellers and the English Revolution. -- Rachel Hammersley * Milton Quarterly *

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Book SynopsisLenin's originality and importance as a revolutionary leader is most often associated with the seizure of power in 1917. But, Zizek argues in his new study and collection of original texts, Lenin's true greatness can be better grasped in the very last couple of years of his political life. Russia had survived foreign invasion, embargo and a terrifying civil war, as well as internal revolts such as at Kronstadt in 1921. But the new state was exhausted, isolated and disorientated in the face of the world revolution that seemed to be receding. New paths had to be sought, almost from scratch, for the Soviet state to survive and imagine some alternative route to the future. With his characteristic brio and provocative insight, Zizek suggests that Lenin's courage as a thinker can be found in his willingness to face this reality of retreat lucidly and frontally.Trade ReviewScience & Society -- Alan Shandro

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Book SynopsisThe analysis of May 68 in Paris, Berkeley, and the Western world has been widely reconsidered. But 1968 is not only a year that conjures up images of Paris, Frankfurt, or Milan. It is also the pivotal year for a new anti-colonial and anti-capitalist politics to erupt across the Third World - Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. Japan's position - neither in "the West" nor in the "Third World" -provoked a complex and intense round of mass mobilizations through the 1960s and early 70s. The Japanese situation remains remarkably under-examined globally. Beginning in the late 1950s, a New Left, independent of the prewar Japanese communist moment (itself of major historical importance in the 1920s and 30s), came to produce one of the most vibrant decades of political organization, political thought, and political aesthetics in the global twentieth century. In the present volume, major thinkers of the Left in Japan alongside scholars of the 1968 movements reexamine the theoretical sources, historical background, cultural productions, and major organizational problems of the 1968 revolutions in Japan.Trade ReviewPraise for The Sublime Perversion of Capital:"What is capital? What is its relation with the 'world' and with the nation? What is its origin, its limit, and its 'other'? Reading the 'debate on Japanese capitalism' in the 1920s and 1930s against the grain of contemporary concerns, Gavin Walker invites us to a breathtaking intellectual journey. He provides a masterful interpretation of a crucial historical debate and makes a landmark contribution to our understanding of global capitalism and to the forging of a new project of liberation." -- Sandro Mezzadra, coauthor of, Border as Method, or, The Multiplication of LaborPraise for The Sublime Perversion of Capital: "Gavin Walker's superb The Sublime Perversion of Capital is a brilliantly imaginative recovery of Marx's worldly vocation and the original premises of historical materialism dedicated to combining the immediacy of local contemporary circumstances with the global reach of capital. He realizes this singularly vital program by reflecting on the writings of the economist Uno Kozo, especially his thinking on logic and history, as they intervened and culminated in the famous Marxian debate on capitalism in Japan's 1920s and 1930s in a context sparked by a rapidly uneven passage into capitalist modernity and its spillover into imperialism." -- Harry Harootunian, author of, Marx After Marx: History and Time in the Expansion of Capitalism

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Book SynopsisFor over twelve years in the first half of the nineteenth century, Giuseppe Garibaldi, the hero of Italian unification, lived, learned and fought in South America. He was tortured, escaped death on countless occasions, and met his Brazilian wife, Anita, who eloped with him in 1839. From then on, she would share in Garibaldi's personal and political odyssey, first in the breakaway republic of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil, and then as Montevideo's admiral and general in the Uruguayan civil war. Richard Bourne breathes life and understanding into these spectacular South American adventures, which also shed light on the creation of Italy. Garibaldi's Redshirts liberated Sicily and Naples wearing ponchos adopted by his Italian Legion in Montevideo. His ideas, his charismatic command of volunteers, and his naive dislike of politicking were all infused by his earlier experiences in South America. Bourne combines historical research with his travels in Uruguay and southern Brazil to explore contemporary awareness of and reflection on how the past can influence or be transformed by the needs of today. Now, at a time of narrow identity politics, Garibaldi's unifying zeal and advocacy for subjugated peoples everywhere offer an exemplary lesson in transnational political idealism.Trade Review‘Bourne writes with attractive, straightforward enthusiasm … this is a useful history of Garibaldi’s unusual apprenticeship among the cowboys of South America.’ -- Literary Review'Offers a detailed account of Italian military general Garibaldi’s life, and how he later came to be known as a 'hero of two worlds'. …learned and informative.' -- The Wire‘Bourne succeeds in vividly describing what Garibaldi did during these formative years, what he learnt and brought back with him to Europe, what happened after he left South America and how he and Anita are remembered in South America and Italy.’ -- Cold Type'While chronicling Garibaldi's South American wars, this book analyses, in lively style, his reckless charisma, his marriage to the rebellious Anita and their controversial political legacies. Bourne reveals one of the most adventurous and inspiring characters of the nineteenth century.' -- David McLean, Emeritus Professor of History, King's College London'Bourne's personal, wide-ranging book illuminates Garibaldi's career as "Hero of Two Worlds": how he and fellow Italian exiles fought for freedom in South America, the impact on the struggle for Italian liberation, and Garibaldi's emergence as a European freedom fighter.' -- Spencer M. Di Scala, Professor of History Emeritus, University of Massachusetts Boston'Richard Bourne has written a vibrant book on General Garibaldi's stay in South America. Written with clarity and elegance, the author describes Garibaldi's life in Brazil and Uruguay and his participation in some important historical events that occurred in both countries during the XIX century. Then the author links the past with the present, in such a way that allows the reader to appreciate Garibaldi's legacy and makes very interesting reflections on the influence and controversies that Garibaldi still awakens in Brazil Uruguay.' -- Adjunct Professor Dr Enrique Hernandez Sierra, Faculty of Law, University of the Republic of Uruguay.

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Book SynopsisThis book offers a novel, incisive and wide- ranging account of Libya's '17 February Revolution' by tracing how critical towns, communities and political groups helped to shape its course. Each community, whether geographical (e.g. Misrata, Zintan), tribal/communal (e.g. Beni Walid) or political (e.g. the Muslim Brotherhood) took its own path into the uprisings and subsequent conflict of 2011, according to their own histories and relationship to Muammar Qadhafi's regime. The story of each group is told by the authors, based on reportage and expert analysis, from the outbreak of protests in Benghazi in February 2011 through to the transitional period following the end of fighting in October 2011. They describe the emergence of Libya's new politics through the unique stories of those who made it happen, or those who fought against it. The Libyan Revolution and its Aftermath brings together leading journalists, academics, and specialists, each with extensive field experience amidst the constituencies they depict, drawing on interviews with fighters, politicians and civil society leaders who have contributed their own account of events to this volume.Trade Review'By explaining the mosaic of Libya's various sub-national loyalties and identities and their origins, The Libyan Revolution and its Aftermath provides a useful antidote to day-to-day media coverage, which sometimes reduces Libyan political disputes to a binary struggle between Islamists and secularists, or East and West, or to tribal differences. It underlines the difficulty of forging a new political and economic framework that recognizes these differences but channels them into a pluralistic and tolerant vision.' * The Times Literary Supplement *'... a timely acknowledgment that Libya's chemistry is older than the laboratory Qaddafi fashioned. The book traces not only the colonel's demise, as many others have done, but the appearance of a lesser-known new cast. Written almost entirely by foreign experts, some of whom know the different factions intimately, it is the most detailed account I have read of the old forces shaping new Libya.' * Nicholas Pelham, New York Review of Books *'This is an important book that deserves a wide readership. With more than a dozen books published on the Libyan revolution, this is the first in which the contributors share extensive professional experience, a thorough knowledge of the literature, and recent fieldwork in Libya. The result is a detailed, nuanced account of the revolution and its aftermath.' * Ronald Bruce St John, author Libya: Continuity and Change and Libya: From Colony to Revolution *'The most complete picture we have yet had of the Libyan revolution and its aftermath ... a compelling and troubling read.' * Justin Marozzi, The National *'Libya's revolution was a complex story of multiple uprisings from geographically, ideologically and tribally distinct areas...Cole and McQuinn's contributors offer compelling narratives that portray the main actors and the rivalries within and between each of these camps.' * Survival journal *

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Book SynopsisAn illustrated account of one of the most pivotal events in modern history – the Russian revolution of 1917. In the early years of the twentieth century, Imperial Russia was an ethnically diverse empire, stretching from Ukraine and Belarus in the west to the Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk in the Far East. At the head of this profoundly dysfunctional polity was Tsar Nicholas II, whose Romanov successors had ruled Russia since the start of the seventeenth century with a lethal mixture of domestic cruelty, expansionist energy and reactionary incompetence – interspersed with occasional reformist spasms. By early 1917, Russia was unreformable, and the tsar's authority irreparably damaged. In March of that year, Nicholas II abdicated and the tsarist system was overthrown. The provisional government installed in its stead to organise democratic elections lasted just eight chaotic months before being ousted by Lenin's Bolsheviks in the October Revolution. Writing with crisp immediacy, Sebestyen narrates an unprecedented era of political and social convulsion. The Russian Revolution changed the course of history, and, more than a century later, their backwash continues to be deeply felt across the world.Trade ReviewPRAISE FOR VICTOR SEBESTYEN: 'Can first-rate history read like a thriller? With Lenin the Dictator the journalist Victor Sebestyen has pulled off this rarest of feats' New York Times. 'Sebestyen's attention to historical detail is flawless' Observer. 'Richly readable... Enthralling but appalling' Mail on Sunday. 'A magisterial but totally gripping and fresh account of the noble, violent, and doomed Hungarian revolution' Simon Sebag Montefiore. 'This is an exceptionally involving and horrifying book... Heaven knows [Sebestyen] can tell a story' * Spectator *

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Book SynopsisThe Golden Horde is a definitive work on the Italian revolutionary movements of the 1960s and ’70s. An anthology of texts and fragments woven together with an original commentary, The Golden Horde widens our understanding of the full complexity and richness of radical thought and practice in Italy during the 1960s and ’70s. The book covers the generational turbulence of Italy’s postwar period, the transformations of Italian capitalism, the new analyses by worker-focused intellectuals, the student movement of 1968, the Hot Autumn of 1969, the extra-parliamentary groups of the early 1970s, the Red Brigades, the formation of a radical women’s movement, the development of Autonomia, and the build-up to the watershed moment of the spontaneous political movement of 1977. Far from being merely a handbook of political history, The Golden Horde also sheds light on two decades of Italian culture, including the newspapers, songs, journals, festivals, comics, and philosophy that these movements produced. The book features writings by Sergio Bologna, Umberto Eco, Elvio Fachinelli, Lea Melandri, Danilo Montaldi, Toni Negri, Raniero Panzieri, Franco Piperno, Rossana Rossanda, Paolo Virno, and others, as well as an in-depth introduction by translator Richard Braude outlining the work’s composition and development. Trade Review"This classic book, now translated into English, uses eyewitness accounts from those decades to trace uprisings of workers and students in Italy, a country where the extreme left was particularly strong...This sprawling book vividly portrays the chaos, confusion, and contradictions of those years." * Foreign Affairs *"The Golden Horde figures as an anthology and rather than being a straight ‘political’ or ‘workerist’ recounting the two authors include much information and assessment of the counter-cultural movements in Italy as well as the widespread factory struggles that mark the period . . . Moroni and Balestrini offer up this book as both a tool mémoire and as a way of charting 'the epoch defining passage from one phase of capitalism to another.'" * Penniless Press Magazine *Table of ContentsTranslator?’s Introduction (2020)Preface to the Second Edition (1997) by Primo Moroni Editor’s Note (1997) by Sergio BianchiPreface to the First Edition (1988) by Primo Moroni and Nanni Balestrini1. In the Beginning There Were the Cities, the Youth, the Workers2. The 1960s: The Generation of Existential Revolt3. The Birth of the Mass Worker and the Break-Up of the Communist Movement24. From the Classroom to Anti-Authoritarianism5. The Explosion of ’686. 1969: The Hot Autumn7. The Extra-Parliamentary Groups8.. Armed Struggle and Workers’ Autonomy9.. The Revolution in Feminism10. The Movement of ’7711. Communication, Culture, Intellectuals12. Forward! How? And Where To?AppendixDiehards of the State by Rossana RossandaBibliography

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Book SynopsisWhy do we think of social struggles as movements? Have struggles been practiced otherwise, not as motion but as interruption, occupation, disturbance, arrest? Looking at three hundred years of Atlantic social struggle kinetically, Mehmet Dösemeci questions the axiomatic association that academics and activists have made between modern social struggles and the category of movement. Dösemeci argues that this movement politics has privileged some forms of historical struggle while obscuring others and, perhaps more damningly, reveals the complicity of social movements in the very forces they oppose.Dösemeci’s story begins with the eighteenth-century establishment of a transatlantic regime of movement that coerced goods and bodies into violent and ceaseless motion. He then details the long history of resistance to this regime, interweaving disparate social struggles such as food riots, Caribbean maroon communities, Atlantic pirates, secret societies and syndica

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Book Synopsis`Well, I’ve helped to wind up the clock – I might as well hear it strike.’ Michael Joseph O’Rahilly. The Easter Rising of 1916 was a seminal moment in Ireland’s turbulent history. For the combatants it was a no-holds-barred clash: the professional army of an empire against a highly motivated, well-drilled force of volunteers. What did the men and women who fought on the streets of Dublin endure during those brutal days after the clock struck on 24 April 1916? For them, the conflict was a mix of bloody fighting and energy-sapping waiting, with meagre supplies of food and water, little chance to rest and the terror of imminent attacks. The experiences recounted here include those of: 20-year-old Sean McLoughlin who went from Volunteer to Captain to Commandant-General in five days: his cool head under fire saved many of his comrades; Volunteer Robert Holland, a sharpshooter who continued to fire despite punishing rifle recoil; Volunteer Thomas Young’s mother, who acted as a scout, leading a section through enemy-infested streets; the 2/7th Sherwood Foresters NCO who died when the grenade he threw at Clanwilliam House bounced off the wall and exploded next to his head; 2nd Lieutenant Guy Vickery Pinfield of the 8th Royal Hussars, who led the charge on the main gate of Dublin Castle and became the first British officer to die in the Rising. This account of the major engagements of Easter Week 1916 takes us onto the shelled and bullet-ridden streets of Dublin with the foot soldiers on both sides of the conflict, into the collapsing buildings and through the gunsmoke.Trade Review'Reads like a gripping novel and is one of the standout recent books on the Rising.' * The Irish Times *'Outstanding book.' * Irish American News *'Fast paced, graphic retelling of events that will appeal to a new generation.' * An Cosantoir *'A fantastic book.' * The Last Word, Today FM *

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Book SynopsisAmid the turbulence of the 2011 Arab uprisings, the revolutionary uprising that played out in Cairo's Tahrir Square created high expectations before dashing the hopes of its participants. The upheaval led to a sequence of events in Egypt that scarcely anyone could have predicted, and precious few have understood: five years on, the status of Egypt's unfinished revolution remains shrouded in confusion. Power shifted hands rapidly, first from protesters to the army leadership, then to the politicians of the Muslim Brotherhood, and then back to the army. The politics of the street has given way to the politics of Islamist-military detentes and the undoing of the democratic experiment. Meanwhile, a burgeoning Islamist insurgency occupies the army in Sinai and compounds the nation's sense of uncertainty. A Revolution Undone blends analysis and narrative, charting Egypt's journey from Tahrir to Sisi from the perspective of an author and analyst who lived it all. H.A. Hellyer brings his first-hand experience to bear in his assessment of Egypt's experiment with protest and democracy.And by scrutinising Egyptian society and public opinion, Islamism and Islam, the military and government, as well as the West's reaction to events, Hellyer provides a much-needed appraisal of Egypt's future prospects.Trade ReviewHellyer meticulously unpicks the struggle for power that began after Mubarak stepped down, going beyond simplistic depiction of Egypt's post-revolutionary politics as a battle between a (secular) military and so-called deep state against an Islamist or religious opposition. * Financial Times *'A Revolution Undone: Egypt's Road Beyond Revolt ... is informative, concise and interwoven with personal anecdotes and stories by the author, making the read all the more enjoyable ... [T]he thoroughness and richness of the book constitutes not only one of the first comprehensive attempts at a history of post-2011 Egypt, but also provides ample empirical material for a deeper reflection on structure, agency and contingency, thereby making the read worthwhile.' -- LSE, Middle East Centre blog'H.A. Hellyer has written an inimitable book. Specialists and general readers alike will benefit hugely from the accounts exquisitely related by an insider and a fair observer in one. Hellyer's organic link to Egypt and consciously impartial perspective produce a unique combination that we should appreciate, as many of the books published on the subject tend to lean towards one view or one side. His writings have long made clear his consistent and balanced insight -- and in this book, Hellyer lets no one off the hook, calling all to account.' * Hassan Hassan, Associate Fellow of Chatham House; author of the New York Times bestseller ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror *'H.A. Hellyer is eminently qualified to inform, and interpret these punishing years since 2011 which have polarised Egypt and left many searching for certainties. There's an academic's rigour, a pollster's precision, and a journalist's compelling anecdotes in his chronicle of Egypt's 'unfinished revolution.' Committed to the principles of that peaceful protest, he doesn't shirk from holding everyone to account: from the revolutionaries who failed to follow through; the Muslim Brotherhood which fell from grace and power; and a military which played a pivotal role throughout. Egypt's story is still being written. But five years on, this book puts down an important marker.' * Lyse Doucet, Chief International Correspondent, BBC *'Attempting to follow the extraordinary tumult in Egypt has often felt like wading through a dense fog. It takes an assured and skilful navigator to plot a constructive path through the gloom and shine a light where it is needed most. Hellyer is just such a navigator: thoughtful, perceptive and above all committed to the promise of revolution, even as he spells out with intellectual honesty and historical nuance where those fighting for a more democratic Egypt have gone wrong. His analysis is an antidote to lazy stereotypes and reductive binaries, and today it is more important than ever.' * Jack Shenker, former Egypt correspondent for The Guardian; author of The Egyptians: A Radical Story *'A Revolution Undone represents the most authoritative, thoughtful, and nuanced account to date of Egypt's 2011 revolution and its aftermath. The book is replete with the kind of unique insight that emerges only from direct proximity to the events it describes. Hellyer's is a voice of studious integrity, allowing the book to achieve the near impossible when it comes to analysing Egyptian politics today: balance and perspective. A bold, defining, and -- ultimately -- hopeful statement on the Arab Spring that should be read by anyone interested in the future of the Middle East.' * Peter Mandaville, Professor of International Affairs at George Mason University; author of Islam and Politics *'Throughout the tumultuous events of 2011-2015, H.A. Hellyer has been a lucid but hardly dispassionate analyst. Now he has written a book presenting that period that draws on the same assets as his contemporaneous analyses: he writes from the heart but without losing a touch of his clear-headed thinking. Those who remember only a confused tumble of events will find a sure guide, but even those who recall these events well will learn from his book.' * Nathan J Brown, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University *'It is hard to imagine a better qualified analyst of recent Egyptian history than H.A. Hellyer: a British political scientist of Egyptian heritage, conversant in the modern history of Islamic thought, equipped with the most credible public opinion polling, well-connected with a broad circle of activists and diplomats, and a Cairo resident who personally lived through the upheavals of both 2011 and 2013. Hellyer started out cautious about the first protests in 2011 but he came to identify what he calls Egypt's 'revolutionary current' as its best hope, and his honest and probing account of those events will be a great resource for future students of that history.' * David D. Kirkpatrick, correspondent for The New York Times and its Cairo bureau chief from 2011-2015 *'H.A. Hellyer has written a deeply knowledgeable and personal set of reflections on the Egyptian revolution and its grim aftermath. It is impossible to read this book and not come away with a sense of the spirit that drove the young people of Tahrir Square in the early days of 2011, and which drives many Egyptians still. Many books have been written with the words 'Egypt' and 'Revolution' in their titles, but this is the only one worth reading.' * Tarek Masoud, Sultan of Oman Associate Professor of International Relations at Harvard University; author of Counting Islam: Religion, Class and Elections in Egypt *'A Revolution Undone combines in the most revealing of ways both the author's participatory observations and his analytical skill in tackling questions of politics, religion and human rights. This is a persuasive analysis of the structural realities hindering democratic governance in this most populous country in the Middle East.' * Amr Hamzawy, Associate Professor, Department of Public Policy and Administration at the American University in Cairo; author of A Margin for Democracy in Egypt: The Story of An Unsuccessful Transition *'To see Egypt through H.A. Hellyer's eyes is to observe with rare immediacy the turmoil, excitement, lost hopes, and ultimate uncertainty since the heady days of protest in 2011. Engage but never one-sided, affecting but also clear-headed, he powerfully demonstrates how an Islamist right and authoritarian military have each tried to highjack the post-Mubarak order. That this will be a successful revolution in the long term depends, in this eloquent and unflinching analysis, on whether the precipitating search for dignity is not betrayed.' * James Piscatori, Professor of International Relations, Durham University *'Hellyer combines an engaging personal memoir with insightful and balanced analyses to present a clear portrayal of the Arab Spring revolution in Egypt. His account departs from the all-too-common treatment of the major elements as monolithic, and instead, provides an understanding of the complex mosaic of Arab Spring politics in Egypt. One strength of his analysis is his coverage of the evolution of coverage of the changing political scene. As he shows, observers played important roles in constructing the various narratives of the revolution. In the growing library of books on the Arab Spring, Hellyer provides a refreshingly intimate perspective that will be of use to all interested in twenty-first century political developments.' * John Voll, Professor Emeritus of Islamic History, Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University *'Part personal narrative, part contemporary history, H.A. Hellyer's A Revolution Undone provides a brilliant, gripping account of Egypt's 2011 revolution and its aftermath. Told from the unique perspective of someone who lived through and bore witness to these historic events, the book is most notable for its analytical and moral clarity. Ultimately, the author's conclusion is an uplifting one: the young revolutionaries who flooded Tahrir Square may have failed to change the political order in Egypt, but the idea of the revolution continues to inspire and have resonance in that country and far beyond.' * Stephen R. Grand, Executive Director, The Middle East Strategy Task Force, The Atlantic Council; author of Understanding Tahrir Square *

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Book SynopsisBetween 1760 and 1815, British troops campaigned from Manila to Montreal, Cape Town to Copenhagen, Washington to Waterloo. The naval dimension of Britain’s expansion has been superbly covered by a number of excellent studies, but there has not been a single volume that does the same for the army and, in particular, looks at how and why it became a world-operating force, one capable of beating the Marathas as well as the French. This book will both offer a new perspective, one that concentrates on the global role of the army and its central part in imperial expansion and preservation, and as such will be a major book for military history and world history. There will be a focus on what the army brought to power equations and how this made it a world-level force. The multi-purpose character of the army emerges as the key point, one seen in particular in the career of Wellington: while referred to disparagingly by Napoleon as a ‘sepoy general,’ Wellington’s ability to operate successfully in India and Europe was not only impressive but also reflected synergies in experience and acquired skill that characterised the British army. No other army matched this. The closest capability was that of Russia able, in 1806-14, to defeat both the Turks and Napoleon, but without having the trans-oceanic capability and experience enjoyed by the British army. The experience was a matter in part of debate, including over doctrine, as in the tension between the ‘Americans’ and ‘Germans,’ a reference to fields of British campaigning concentration during the Seven Years War. This synergy proved best developed in the operations in Iberia in 1809-14, with logistical and combat skills utilised in India employed in a European context in which they were of particular value. The books aims to further to address the question of how this army was achieved despite the strong anti-army ideology/practice derived from the hostile response to Oliver Cromwell and to James II. Thus, perception and politics are both part of the story, as well as the exigencies and practicalities of conflict, including force structure, command issues, and institutional developments. At the same time, there was no inevitability about British success over this period, and it is necessary to consider developments in the context of other states and, in particular, the reasons why British forces did well and that Britain was not dependent alone on naval effectiveness.Trade Review…detailed and illuminating […] in the light of Iraq and Afghanistan, including the recent debacle in Kabul, and the Integrated Review, which has favoured the Navy and RAF at the expense of the Army, this section of the book becomes immediately pertinent for defence planners and senior officers today. * Chair of War Studies, Warwick University 31/08/2021 *...a majestic study of the British Army’s evolution from essentially a royal bodyguard in the 17th century to a formal, highly disciplined, well-trained, and militarily effective standing force by the early 19th century. […] Historians and military history enthusiasts will find this book fundamentally important for understanding the rise of the modern British Army. * Stanley D.M. Carpenter, Emeritus Professor of Strategy, U.S. Naval War College 17/05/2021 *...challenges hoary impressions of the British military while encouraging readers to dig more deeply into the origins, meanings, and consequences of Britain’s increasingly hybrid army. * NYMAS Review 02/11/2022 *One strength is a focus on the experiences of individual officers, demonstrating just how varied the experiences of individual army officers could be. This often comes across in histories of the Royal Navy, but not so often in accounts of the army. […] a useful account of the role of the British army, with a deliberate effort to focus on how the army, and the individuals within in, found themselves operating all around the world, and fighting in very different wars. * History of War 13/09/2021 *First-class, stimulating and provocative, I really do think this book is a significant addition to the literature. * Professor Emeritus Charles J. Esdaile, FRHistS 17/05/2021 *Table of ContentsAbbreviations Preface 1. Introduction 2. Winning the Home Base, 1688–1746 3. Fighting the French on the Continent, 1689–1748 4. Fighting for Empire, 1689–1753 5. Winning Empire, 1749–63 6. Fighting for America, 1763–83 7. Winning another Empire: India, 1746–1815 8. Fighting in Europe, 1793–1815 9. The Army around the World, 1793–1815 10. A Political Force 11. Culmination, 1815 12. Conclusions Selected Further Reading

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Book SynopsisFew island nations have stirred the soul like Cuba. From Hemingway’s intoxicating Havana to Ry Cooder’s Buena Vista Social Club, outsiders have persistently been fascinated by Cuba for its music (jazz to rumba), its rich literature, its art and dance (danzón to mambo) and perhaps above all for its bold experiment of a socialist revolution in action. Antoni Kapcia shows how the thaw in relations between Cuba and the USA now makes a fresh appraisal of the country and its modern history essential. He authoritatively explores the ‘essence’ of the Cuban revolution, revealing it to be a maverick phenomenon tied not so much to socialism or Communism for their own sakes but instead to an idealistic vision of postcolonial nationalism. Reassessing the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, the author examines the central personalities: not just the famous trio of Che Guevara, Fidel and Raúl Castro in shaping the ideas of the revolution but, still further back, the visionary ideology of José Martí. Kapcia’s book reflects on the future of the revolution as Raúl and his government begin to cede power to a new generation.Trade ReviewAs with all the work that Antoni Kapcia has produced on Cuba “A Short History of the Cuban Revolution. Revolution, Power, Authority and the State” is excellent, superbly researched and highly nuanced in its approach. Kapcia both charts Cuban history from the colonial period, while also addressing the enduring nature of the Cuban Revolution. In doing this Kapcia contests many long-held assumptions concerning the Cuban Revolution and expertly examines the myriad of actors within the Cuban decision-making process with its vertical structures of power, participation and governance and horizontal processes of negotiation and consultation. Kapcia also examines the evolution of the word “revolution” within Cuba and its significance for Cuban history since January 1959. In sum, this work is essential reading for anyone with an interest in Cuba. * Mervyn Bain, Professor of International Relations, University of Aberdeen, UK *

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Book SynopsisBased on detailed research in archival collections, this book establishes Sofia Panina as an astute eyewitness to and passionate participant in the historical events that shaped her life. Her experiences shed light on the evolution of the European nobility, women's emancipation and political influence, and the fate of Russian liberalism.

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Book SynopsisHistory writing at its glorious best.--The New York TimesA triumphant success. [Blanning] brings knowledge, expertise, sound judgment and a colorful narrative style.--The EconomistThe New York Times bestselling volume in the Penguin History of Europe seriesBetween the end of the Thirty Years' War and the Battle of Waterloo, Europe underwent an extraordinary transformatoin that saw five of the modern world's great revolutions--scientific, industrial, American, French, and romantic. In this much-admired addition to the monumental Penguin History of Europe series, Tim Blanning brilliantly investigates the forces that transformed Europe from a medieval society into a vigorous powerhose of the modern world. Blanning renders this vast subject immediate and absorbing by making fresh connections between the most mundane details of life and the major cultural, political, and technological transformations that birthed the modern age.

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Book SynopsisA magnificent and timely examination of an age of fear, subversion, suppression and espionage, Adam Zamoyski explores the attempts of the governments of Europe to police the world in a struggle against obscure forces, seemingly dedicated to the overthrow of civilisation.The advent of the French Revolution confirmed the worst fears of the rulers of Europe. They saw their states as storm-tossed vessels battered by terrible waves coming from every quarter and threatened by horrific monsters from the deep. Rulers'' nerves were further unsettled by the voices of the Enlightenment, envisaging improvement only through a radical transformation of existing structures, with undeniable implications for the future role of the monarchy and the Church.Napoleon''s arrival on the European stage intensified these fears, and the changes he wrought across Europe fully justified them. Yet he also brought some comfort to those rulers who managed to survive: he had tamed the revolution in France and the hegTrade Review‘Vivid, terrifying and often quite funny … an interesting take on 1848 … this superbly drawn story is full of painful allegories’ The Times ‘Splendidly provocative … perceptive and often amusing … full of arresting details and sharp asides … Adam Zamoyski writes like a dancer at a court ball: gracious, patrician, masterful, sure-footed … Phantom Terror is a thumping great pleasure to read … history at its best’ Spectator ‘Scintillating and original’ Economist ‘We know the Napoleonic era well, but the Decades after Napoleon’s fall are often neglected. Adam Zamoyski covers those years, showing how fear of revolution caused the autocrats of Europe to repress freedom on an unprecedented scale’ Simon Sebag Montefiore, Mail on Sunday

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Book SynopsisA haunting ode to those who paid the ultimate price-through the prism of the Maoist insurgency, Ashutosh Bhardwaj meditates on larger questions of violence and betrayal, love and obsession, and what it means to live with and write about death. From 2011 to 2015, Ashutosh lived in the Red Corridor in India wherein the Ultra-Left Naxalites, taking inspiration from the Russian revolution and Mao's tactics, work to overthrow the Indian government by the barrel of the gun. He made several trips thereafter reporting on the insurgents, on police and governmental atrocities, and on the lives caught in the crossfire. Ashutosh chronicles his experiences and bears witness to the lives and deaths of the unforgettable men and women he meets from both sides of the struggle, bringing home the human cost of conflict with astonishing power. Narrated in multiple voices, the book is a creative biography of the region, Dandakaranya, that combines the rigour of journalism, the intimacy of a diary, the musings of a travelogue, and the craft of a novel. The Death Script is one of the most significant works of non-fiction to be published in recent times, bringing often overlooked perspectives and events to light with empathy. Praised by India's topmost scholars and critics, the book has already won various awards.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Peter Linebaugh is acknowledged as a chronicler with a left-wing view. He is also described as a historian of genius. His book presents us with the facts, and what a glorious luxury that is. But of course we have a choice about which facts we want to examine, and he assiduously takes us up neglected side roads on a journey to America, England, Haiti, Honduras, Ireland and Nicaragua. And to prison. In Red Round Globe Hot Burning he invites us to benefit from his lifetime of reading and writing.” * Irish Times *“Offers unconventional biography and unconventional history. Linebaugh goes where biographers and historians are often taught not to go: to places where there are no archival records and where a writer has to be inventive and imaginative. . . . Few tomes are as much fun to read." * Counterpunch *"Red Round Globe Hot Burning is a disturbing and challenging book. It kept me awake and note-taking through a whole night. . . . Linebaugh’s exploration of the assault on the Commons and how our antecedents struggled to resist the depredations is an invaluable education." * International Socialism *"While it is nearly impossible to convey the flow of subjects embodied in Red Round Globe Hot Burning, the sweep of interracial history, the place of seemingly ordinary people in challenging the very basis of class society, will be understood better by those reading this worthy volume." * Truthout *“Peter Linebaugh has produced another masterful history ‘from below' . . . . In language that is sometimes visceral, imaginative and often sublimely eloquent he analyses the conditions in which people were living and working, making connections, while leaving the reader with a global overview of the struggle against colonial and imperial power.” * Socialist Review *“Once more, Peter Linebaugh highlights uncomfortable truths.” * Monthly Review *“An erudite work by a scholar who adapted classic ‘history from below’ to more diverse subjects, while integrating environmental history and literary studies . . . Red Round Globe Hot Burning will hold the interest of a wide array of historians. The vignettes collected in the book display the burning power of ideas in a period of tumultuous change.” * Journal of Interdisciplinary History *“Red Round Globe Hot Burning is [Linebaugh's] greatest masterpiece yet in a lifetime of triumphs. It is a mind-blowing contribution to his lifelong quest for the commons. . . . You have a writer of such extraordinary power that reading him can move you to tears (and will always lift your spirits).” * Independent Left *"A live, immediate, textured portrait." * World History Connected *“Far-ranging and fascinating. . . . It is impossible to summarize briefly the enormously rich content of this work.” * Fifth Estate *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Foreword Introduction PART ONE • THE QUEST SECTION A • THE QUEST 1 • The Grave of a Woman 2 • Quest for the Commons SECTION B • THANATOCRACY 3 • Despard at the Gallows 4 • Gallows Humor and the Gibbets of Civilization 5 • Apples from the Green Tree of Liberty SECTION C • UNDERGROUND 6 • The Anthropocene and the Stages of History 7 • E. P. Thompson and the Irish Commons PART TWO • ATLANTIC MOUNTAINS SECTION D • IRELAND 8 • Habendum and the Anglo-Irish Ascendancy 9 • Hotchpot, or Celtic Communism 10 • “That’s True Anyhow” 11 • A Boy amid the Whiteboys 12 • The Same Cont. SECTION E • AMERICA 13 • America! Utopia! Equality! Crap. 14 • Cooperation and Survival in Jamaica 15 • Nicaragua and the Miskito Commons 16 • Honduras and the Mayan Commons SECTION F • HAITI 17 • Haiti and Thelwall 18 • Ireland and Volney 19 • A Spot in Time 20 • Their Son SECTION G • ENGLAND 21 • “A System of Man-Eaters” 22 • The Goose and the Commons, c. 1802 23 • “The Den of Thieves” 24 • Commons or True Commons PART THREE • LOVE AND STRUGGLE SECTION H • THE "BUSINESS" 25 • “The Business” 26 • The Kiss of Love and Equalization 27 • Criminalization in the Labor Process 28 • Irish Labor, English Coal SECTION I • PRISON 29 • In Debt in Prison 30 • In Prison without a Spoon: The Commons of the Meal 31 • Rackets in King’s Bench Prison: The Commons of Play 32 • Catherine Despard Confronts the Penitentiary SECTION J • TWO STORIES 33 • “The Whole Business of Man” 34 • The Red Cap of Liberty 35 • The Red-Crested Bird and Black Duck 36 • What Is the Human Race? Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisA well-known novelist and journalist from the coastal city of Jableh, Samar Yazbek witnessed the beginning four months of the uprising first-hand and actively participated in a variety of public actions and budding social movements. Throughout this period she kept a diary of personal reflections on, and observations of, this historic time. Because of the outspoken views she published in print and online, Yazbek quickly attracted the attention and fury of the regime, vicious rumours started to spread about her disloyalty to the homeland and the Alawite community to which she belongs. The lyrical narrative describes her struggle to protect herself and her young daughter, even as her activism propels her into a horrifying labyrinth of insecurity after she is forced into living on the run and detained multiple times, excluded from the Alawite community and renounced by her family, her hometown and even her childhood friends. With rare empathy and journalistic prowess Samar Yazbek compiled oral testimonies from ordinary Syrians all over the country. Filled with snapshots of exhilarating hope and horrifying atrocities, she offers us a wholly unique perspective on the Syrian uprising. Hers is a modest yet powerful testament to the strength and commitment of countless unnamed Syrians who have united to fight for their freedom. These diaries will inspire all those who read them, and challenge the world to look anew at the trials and tribulations of the Syrian uprising.Trade Review'An essential eyewitness account, and with luck an inaugural document in a Syrian literature that is uncensored and unchained.' 20120415 'She has the novelist's eye for telling detail... Hers is the urgent task of showing the world what is happening. Thanks to her, we can read about the appalling things that go on in secret, underground places.' -- Francis Beckett 20120622 'Well before the Syrian uprising, Samar Yazbek was challenging the existing taboos of Syrian society in her novels. Since the early days of the revolution, she was involved in the pro-revolutionary movements on the ground, despite the daily threats she was submitted to. On four occasions, Yazbek was taken to detention centres in order to "improve her writing" as one regime officer once put it. A Woman in the Crossfire is her diary of the first four months of the revolution, in which she mixes first-person chronicles of her everyday life and exclusive testimonies of various eye-witnesses (doctors, officers, activists). Some of her chronicles were initially published in the Arab press as early as during spring 2011; hence Yazbek was one of the first voices to describe the reality of the Syrian uprising from the inside.' -- Isabelle Mayault 20120702 "A Woman in the Crossfire" is elevated beyond politics or reportage by Yazbek's intimate style and her willingness to reveal and involve herself in the book... The book is not about any particular party or movement, but about freely telling Syria's stories. It is a stand against all the forces silencing and misrepresenting Syrians... Many people, including Yazbek, risked their lives to bring us this book. "A Woman in the Crossfire" is thus an act of fierce resistance against the forces of silencing and simplification. It is anything but an effortless read, but it does wedge open a space wherein, for a moment, it feels possible to genuinely listen. -- Marcia Lynx Qualey 20120709 'Yazbek writes that "intellectuals live in a frozen environment, the world has passed them by. And the mobilisation that has taken place in Syria, what spurred people into the street, was not the writers or the poets or the intellectuals." But they can still bear witness, and Samar Yazbek's document does that with courage, lyricism and mordant wit.' -- Max Dunbar The Siege Diaries: Samar Yazbek's Syria 20120718 'This is a handbook for nonviolent activists.' -- Mary Russell 20120728 'Thanks to her [Yazbek] skills as a fiction writer, her book is infused with a hauntingly poetic narrative style. Chilling, disturbing, but irresistibly compelling, "A Woman in the Crossfire" paints a picture of how, in four months, a peaceful uprising turned into a bloodbath.' -- India Stoughton 20120804 '[F]our new books confront the [Syrian] revolution head-on... Of the four writers, Samar Yazbek provides the most arresting, novelistic prose... In its uncompromising reportage from a doomed capital, Yazbek's book recalls the late Iraqi artist Nuha al Radi's Baghdad Diaries, a searing chronicle of the disintegration of Saddam's Iraq during the embargo of the Nineties.' -- Justin Marozzi 20120809 'Impassioned and harrowing memoir of the early revolt...' 20120829 'The heartbreaking diary of... a Syrian who risked her life to document the regime's brutal attacks on peaceful demonstrators.' 20120907 'Yazbek's is not a crafted memoir but an immediate record of three months of fear, torture, intimidation and, eventually, flight from her home told through diaries that stop and start, sometimes repeat, and always offer another detail of popular will and regime cruelty. Its importance is in its existence, the effort of so many Syrians to share their stories and Yazbek's own courage and ability to record them. It is a hard, painful read, not only for what Yazbek witnesses and suffers but also for that of the other Syrians that she interviews. Their testimonies come through on the page as atrocities happen all around her.' 20120915 'It's heavy and horrible, like so much related to the war. But the book also reminds that Syria is -- was -- utterly beautiful. Yazbek takes us to its mountains. We can smell its lemon trees and ride along its country roads.' 20120916 'Samar Yazbek is excellent on the dress and behaviour of the demonstrations. Pro-Bashar demonstrations were supported by well-dressed young people who looked as if they were off to a party... [she] is eloquent on the dehumanising brutality of the security forces.' 20121029 'A powerful account conveying the idealism and fear that united diverse religious and ethnic groups in Syria to rise against their autocratic government, with the outcome still uncertain.' 'A unique window into the anguish of Syria: an intimate journey into the head and heart of a woman trying to maintain her sanity, humanity and, above all, love for her deeply wounded nation...' '[A]n unvarnished and sobering account of what she describes as the abuse and violence against the Syrian people.' '[A] powerful narrative which contains many insights drawn from her closeness to what was happening, and knowledge of Syrian society.'

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Book SynopsisBorn Lev Davidovich Bronstein in southern Ukraine, Trotsky was an effective military strategist and an adept diplomat, who staked the fate of the Bolshevik revolution on the meagre foundation of a Europe-wide Communist upheaval. In this book, Trotsky emerges as a brilliant yet flawed man.Trade Review"An accessible scholarly account of a man whose life spanned continents, whose charisma was legendary and whose ideas sparked a revolution and its backlash."—Kirkus Reviews * Kirkus Reviews *"This trim book . . . pulls together all the essentials of the life of Leon Trotsky and the revolution he so significantly shaped into a seamless, intelligent, and wonderfully accessible synopsis."—Robert Legvold, Foreign Affairs -- Robert Legvold * Foreign Affairs * “. . . this is both a good read and a balanced, plausible interpretation of the man in his times. Rubenstein sees things to admire and deplore, and achieves the mix of empathy and critical distance a good biographer needs.”—Sheila Fitzpatrick, The Guardian -- Sheila Fitzpatrick * The Guardian *"In this new, concise biography, Rubenstein offers a more balanced view of Trotsky. . . . There are many reasons to commend this work — among them, Rubenstein’s depoliticization of its subject and the book’s succinctness and readability."—Peter Ephross, The Forward -- Peter Ephross * The Forward *

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Book SynopsisA thorough examination of the manner in which three of the most unsettling modern writers-Aragon, Sartre, and Barthes-affirm their personal rebellion followed by Kristeva's own ideas on the future of rebellion.Trade ReviewKristeva... follows up The Sense and Non-Sense of Revolt with this important, interdisciplinary tour de force. Library Journal The reader will encounter in these pages the literary music of allusive, profound passages that uniquely characterize the expression of Kristeva's thoughts. Choice Kristeva's work is an intricate mix of cultural criticism and psychoanalysis... Kristeva's call to return to the intimate is salutory in a world given over to the dictates of production and consumption alone. The comments on patriotism, nationalism, hospitality and cosmopolitanism are politically astute and ethically humanist. -- Pramod K. Nayar Philosophy in ReviewTable of ContentsChapter 1. What Revolt Today? The Dignity of Revolt (The Novel) Man in Revolt (Retrospective Return) Revolt as Jouissance and Dispersion (Psychoanalysis) Negativity in Revolt (Philosophy and...Freud) Paradoxical Logics (Resistances to Psychoanalysis) Intimacy in Revolt (The Imaginary) Chapter 2. Can Forgiveness Heal? The Trilogy of Evil Donation or Sadness The Consciousness of Fault (Heidegger and Freud) Against Guilt: Rebirth The Poiesis of Interpretation Depression at the Edge of Words (the Story of Anne) Chapter 3. The Scandal of the Timeless Psychoanalysis is not Intersubjectivity The Subversion of Temporality The Freudian Scandal Three Figures of the Analytical Timeless: 1. The Memory-Trace (Erinnerungsspur or Errinnerungrest), Working-through (Durcharbeitung), The Dissolution of Transference-Homo natura and Homo analyticus Chapter 4. The Intimate: from Sense to the Sensible (Logics, Jouissance, Style) Once more, On the Soul (organic, animal, general) Images, loquela, Jouissance (Augustine, Loyola, Sade) Psychical Life as Jouissance Science and Experience: Counter-transference The Taste for the Singular Life (Style) Plato's Cave Hides a Sensory Cave The "Second Dwelling" (Proust's Dream) Writing, Therapy, Beauty Between word-signs and word fetishes: Interpretation Chapter 5. Fantasy and Cinema Organisms of Mixed Race (Didier, the Collages Man) Fear and Spectacular Seduction Fantasy and the Imaginary: The Specular The Representable Conflict Cinema and Evil Chapter 6. Barthes: The Savor of Disenchantment Iconoclasm A Position: Writing Against Modern Man in all his States: Vices and Affections Myth: A Type of Speech Chosen by History Chapter 7. Barthes: Constructor of Language, Constructor of the Sensory The Spiritual Exercises of Loyola Who is the Subject of this Polyphony? Images The loquela Indifference and Suspension Chapter 8. Barthes: The Intractable Lover Figures The Jardin du Luxembourg Abysses Outside Language Sensory vs. Sexual: The New Lovers N. W. P.: The Non-will-to-possess Chapter 9. Sartre: The Imaginary and Nothingness The Fatal Freedom of Consciousness Negativity, "I," "Bad Faith" What Transcendence? Who is of Bad Faith? or, Atheism The Realized Imaginary: The Totalizing Spectacle Chapter 10. Sartre: Freedom as Questioning Negation at its Origin Symbolic Castration: A Question (The Story of Martine) Before Judgment: Repulsion or Freedom? The Freudian Attempt to Articulate the Drive and the Symbol Childhood: Self-Destruction or the Power of Words: The Words Chapter 11. Sartre: Again, the Imaginary, Fantasy, Spectacle The Mental Image: Virtual Nonbelief The Consubstantiality of Image and Thought Lack or Lie? Body and Image: From Hallucination to Fantasy Back to the Unconscious Chapter 12. Giving the Game Away out of Anticipation From the Political to the Intimate, from the Feminine to the Impossible What's it about? Why "Blanche"? The Woman and the Linguist "Gaiffier! Gaiffier! Go back to your place. Where is he?" "And then I realized the trickery..." More on Communism and the Destiny of the Question

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Book SynopsisSurfing today evokes many things: thundering waves, warm beaches, bikinis and lifeguards, and carefree pleasure. But is the story of surfing really as simple as popular culture suggests? In this first international political history of the sport, Scott Laderman shows that while wave riding is indeed capable of stimulating tremendous pleasure, its globalization went hand in hand with the blood and repression of the long twentieth century. Emerging as an imperial instrument in post-annexation Hawaii, spawning a form of tourism that conquered the littoral Third World, tracing the struggle against South African apartheid, and employed as a diplomatic weapon in America's Cold War arsenal, the saga of modern surfing is only partially captured by Gidget, the Beach Boys, and the film Blue Crush. From nineteenth-century American empire-building in the Pacific to the low-wage labor of the surf industry today, Laderman argues that surfing in fact closely mirrored American foreign relations. Yet despite its less-than-golden past, the sport continues to captivate people worldwide. Whether in El Salvador or Indonesia or points between, the modern history of this cherished pastime is hardly an uncomplicated story of beachside bliss. Sometimes messy, occasionally contentious, but never dull, surfing offers us a whole new way of viewing our globalized world.Trade Review"What Laderman presents is a fascinating account of a sport whose proponents believed it to be apolitical, but facing the politics of a modern world." H-Net "Laderman's history offers intriguing moments in which he pulls together surfing narratives of soldiers and other state agents- illustrating the degree to which pleasure and power were intimately linked in the world that American foreign policy produced." -- Vernadette Vicuna Gonzalez The Journal of American History "An authoritative account of the intersection of politics and surfing." -- Brian Unger The Surfer's Journal "A richly documented and compactly written monograph." -- Richard O. Davies American Historical Review "Well-written and engaging." -- Glyn Ford Asian Review of Books "Empire in Waves deserves the widest possible audience... An excellent example of entertaining writing from a scholar." -- Ed Jaggard Journal of Sports History "Empire in Waves raises important and underanalysed issues in surfing history and culture. With its impressive notes and bibliography, it will contribute to university classrooms and aid academic research in future surfing scholarship." The Journal of Pacific History "Empire of Waves is the best (anti-)beach book I've read in a long time. I highly recommend taking Laderman on vacation with you-he'll absolutely ruin it." -- Tim Paulson Make Magazine "Laderman's highly-readable and broadly-documented analysis of surfing's political history is a timely arrival, not only to the rapidly-evolving scholarly index of surf studies, but also to a contemporary waveriding culture forcefully embracing the political potential of surf-driven initiatives in the form of non-profits, Enviro Business, and drives for sustainability across the surfing world." Canadian Journal of HistoryTable of ContentsACKNOWLEDGMENTS INTRODUCTION. A Political History of Surfing CHAPTER 1. How Surfing Became American: The Imperial Roots of Modern Surf Culture CHAPTER 2. A World Made Safe for Discovery: Travel, Cultural Diplomacy, and the Politics of Surf Exploration CHAPTER 3. Paradise Found: The Discovery of Indonesia and the Surfing Imagination CHAPTER 4. When Surfing Discovered It Was Political: Confronting South African Apartheid CHAPTER 5. Industrial Surfing: The Commodification of Experience EPILOGUE. A New Millennium NOTES INDEX

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Mammoth and profusely researched... A work begging to be debated; Slezkine aggregates mountains of detail for an enthralling account of the rise and fall of the revolutionary generation."--Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“A classic in subaltern studies as well as in postcolonial studies.”—José Rabasa, University of California, Berkeley“A remarkable achievement.”—Patricia Seed, Rice University“Full of sparkling ideas and written in vivid and compelling prose.”—Arjun Appadurai, University of Chicago“Guha’s contributions to historiography are fundamental to colonial and postcolonial studies. By directing our focus to the question of consciousness or self-awareness in the making of peasant rebellions in colonial India, he corrects and redirects the writing of history.”—Sara Castro-Klarén, Johns Hopkins University“The most significant—and potentially the most influential—work of social theory since Michel Foucault’s Dicipline and Punish.”—John Beverley, University of Pittsburgh“Very unusual and original. Guha presents a new set of conceptual categories to understand the peasant situation in the postcolonial era. His work has transcended the local boundaries of India and has inspired the foundation of similar research projects in the Latin American field such as the Latin American Subaltern Studies Group.”—Ileana Rodriguez, Ohio State University“Written in a concise, easy-to-read style and offering a wealth of examples to illustrate each point, Elementary Aspects of Peasant Insurgency in Colonial India is the kind of book that our students desperately crave.”—Marcia Stephenson, Purdue UniversityTable of ContentsForeward to the Duke Edition ix Preface xv Abbreviations xvii 1. Introduction 1 2. Negation 18 3. Ambiguity 77 4. Modality 109 5. Solidarity 167 6. Transmission 220 7. Territorality 278 8. Epilogue 333 Glossary 339 Bibliography 345 Index 355

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Book SynopsisGeorgian Portraits chronicles everyday life in the Republic of Georgia in the decade that followed the Rose Revolution of 2003. Recent anthropological developments argue for the use of "afterlives" as an analytical notion through which to understand processes of socio-political change. Based on a series of portraits, Martin Demant Frederiksen and Katrine Bendtsen Gotfredsen employ the theory of social afterlives to examine the role of revolution in the formation of a modern Georgia. The book contributes to a deeper understanding of life in the aftermath of political reform, depicting the hopefulness of the Georgian population, but also the subsequent return to political disillusionment which lead them to a revolution in the first place.

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Book SynopsisLondon was reborn in the fires of the Viking Age, transformed by immigrants and natives, kings and commoners, warriors and saints.In this short history, bestselling historian Thomas Williams explores the profound impact of the Vikings on London. Under the hammer of their assaults the city emerged as a hub of trade, a financial centre, a political prize, and a cauldron of voices and perspectives a place that, a thousand years ago, already embodied much of what London is today.Trade Review Praise for Viking Britain ‘Fresh, vivid and impeccably researched … the most rip-roaring work of nonfiction I read this year’ Tom Holland, Observer, Books of the Year ‘Williams’ infectiously enthusiastic book gives you everything you could want from a history of the Vikings’ Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times, Books of the Year ‘A debut that pulses with the author’s passion for his subject and his mastery of written sources, archaeology and legend. Williams narrates a complex story in enjoyable, lusty prose’ Dan Jones, Sunday Times ‘Viking Britain [is] an engrossing account … Williams is scrupulous to avoid the easy pub-chat message. He writes fluently and with feeling’ Thomas W. Hodgkinson, Spectator 'Williams is a master at conveying the atmosphere of Viking Britain … We are guests at a sensory feast, at times immersed … and at others guided by the comforting hand of firm historical evaluation. Viking Britain is a giddy ride … a real treat’ Philip Parker, Literary Review ‘Williams evocative prose puts flesh on sturdy academic bones. ‘Viking Britain’ is a pleasure to read… a lively, colourful book that explores in high definition what being a Viking really meant. Williams … succeeds where many have failed: to make the truth about the Vikings as entertaining as the fiction’ Giles Kristian, The Times ‘An exemplary work of popular history, at once full of the most up-to-date archaeology and international scholarly thought, and full of the literary flourishes which bring the past most vividly to life for readers: dramatic reconstruction, physical scene-setting and authorial intervention. It is a great success’ Ronald Hutton

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Book SynopsisOctober 1917, heralded as the culmination of the Russian Revolution, remains a defining moment in world history. Even a hundred years after the events that led to the emergence of the world''s first self-proclaimed socialist state, debate continues over whether, as historian E. H. Carr put it decades ago, these earth-shaking days were a landmark in the emancipation of mankind from past oppression or a crime and a disaster. Some things are clear. After the implosion of the three-hundred-year-old Romanov dynasty as a result of the First World War, Russia was in crisis--one interim government replaced another in the vacuum left by imperial collapse. In this monumental and sweeping new account, Laura Engelstein delves into the seven years of chaos surrounding 1917--the war, the revolutionary upheaval, and the civil strife it provoked. These were years of breakdown and brutal violence on all sides, punctuated by the decisive turning points of February and October. As Engelstein proves definitively, the struggle for power engaged not only civil society and party leaders, but the broad masses of the population and every corner of the far-reaching empire, well beyond Moscow and Petrograd. Yet in addition to the bloodshed they unleashed, the revolution and civil war revealed democratic yearnings, even if ideas of what constituted democracy differed dramatically. Into that vacuum left by the Romanov collapse rushed long-suppressed hopes and dreams about social justice and equality. But any possible experiment in self-rule was cut short by the October Revolution. Under the banner of true democracy, and against all odds, the Bolshevik triumph resulted in the ruthless repression of all opposition. The Bolsheviks managed to harness the social breakdown caused by the war and institutionalize violence as a method of state-building, creating a new society and a new form of power.Russia in Flames offers a compelling narrative of heroic effort and brutal disappointment, revealing that what happened during these seven years was both a landmark in the emancipation of Russia from past oppression and a world-shattering disaster. As regimes fall and rise, as civil wars erupt, as state violence targets civilian populations, it is a story that remains profoundly and enduringly relevant.Trade ReviewThe excellent Russia in Flames...covers not just the two revolutions and their prelude, but also the civil war that ensued... * Wall Street Journal *This is the first history of the Russian Revolution that takes seriously the fact that Russians were a minority in the multi-ethnic and multi-confessional Russian empire. With verve and ambition, Engelstein chronicles the history of war and revolution as they swept across this vast empire. In this centenary year there will be many books on 1917, but none will be as original in conception and as bold in argument as this. This is history written on an epic scale by a historian at the height of her powers. * S. A. Smith, All Souls College, Oxford, author of Russia in Revolution *A simultaneously sweeping and focused history of the Bolshevik Revolution . . . A comprehensive, ideologically detached, and enormously enlightening work of Russian history. * Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW *[Engelstein] succeeds in presenting a thorough history of these wars and revolutions in an understandable and engaging manner. In this full, richly detailed study, the author effectively argues the Bolsheviks were ultimately triumphant because they focused on power and were more willing to employ violence against their adversaries, and one another, with horrific results. * Library Journal *Engelstein delivers a clear-eyed . . . account of the difficulties confronting the population, now citizens of a country where "the dream of democracy had been abandoned," and everyone was subject to the "arbitrary swing of the sword." * Publishers Weekly *Destined to become the standard English language history of this period. * Mark Edele, Australian Book Review *Laura Engelstein's magnificent volume provides a fresh and comprehensive...vision of the Russian Revolution. Positives abound...most important is her powerful and metaphorical language. * Slavic Review *The past year has seen a considerable wave of books on revolutionary Russia, few as good as Russia in Flames, which is likely to become a standard work on the subject. * Los Angeles Review of Books *It is meticulously researched and brilliantly written. * Washington Book Reveiw *Magisterial . . . . Engelstein's monumental achievement is to have wrestled the sprawling ideological, ethnic and social conflicts, the shifting fronts, the coalescing and disintegrating armies and political fiefdoms, and the foreign entanglements into a compelling account of the disintegration of the old empire and the birth of the new. * Times Literary Supplement *Table of ContentsList of Maps Author's Note Introduction Part I: Last Years of the Old Empire, 1904-1914 Part II: The Great War: Imperial Self-Destruction 1: The Great War Begins 2: Germans, Jews, Armenians 3: Tearing Themselves Apart 4: Conflict and Collapse Part III: 1917: Contest for Control 1: Five Days that Shook the World 2: The War Continues 3: From Putsch to Coup 4: Bolshevik October 5: Death of the Constituent Assembly 6: Politics from Below Part IV: Sovereign Claims 1: The Peace that Wasn't 2: Treason and Terror 3: Finland's Civil War 4: Baltic Entanglements 5: Ukrainian Drama, Act I 6: Colonial Repercussions Part V: War Within 1: The Unquiet Don 2: Foreign Bodies 3: Trotsky Arms, Siberia Mobilizes 4: Kolchak-the Wild East 5: Ukraine, Act II 6: War Against the Cossacks 7: Miracle on the Vistula 8: War Against the Jews 9: The Last Page 10: War Against the Peasants Part VI: Victory and Retreat 1: The Proletariat in the Proletarian Dictatorship 2: The Revolution Turns Against Itself Conclusion: Revolution Against Itself Acknowledgements Bibliography

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Book SynopsisRe-issued with an introduction by Neil Jordan, 'The Big Fellow' is the 1937 biography of the famed Irish leader Michael Collins by acclaimed author Frank O'Connor. It is an uncompromising but humane study of Collins, whose stature and genius O’Connor recognised. A masterly, evocative portrait of one of Ireland’s most charismatic figures, 'The Big Fellow' covers the period of Collins' life from the Easter Rising in 1916 to his death in 1922 during the Irish Civil War. The author, having served with the Anti-Treaty IRA during the Irish Civil War, wrote 'The Big Fellow' as a form of reparation over the guilt he felt with regards to taking up arms against his fellow Irishmen and Collins' untimely death. Liam Neeson has said that he found the book of great assistance when preparing for the role of Collins in the 1996 film directed by Neil Jordan.

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Book SynopsisAt the turn of the century, the Russian economy was growing by about 10% annually and its population had reached 150 million. By 1920 the country was in desperate financial straits and more than 20 million Russians had died. And by 1950, a third of the globe had embraced communism. The triumph of Communism sets a profound puzzle. How did the Bolsheviks win power and then cling to it amid the chaos they had created? Traditional histories remain a captive to Marxist ideas about class struggle. Analysing never before used files from the Tsarist military archives, McMeekin argues that war is the answer. The revolutionaries were aided at nearly every step by Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland who sought to benefit - politically and economically - from the changes overtaking the country. To make sense of Russia's careening path the essential question is not Lenin's "who, whom?", but who benefits?Trade ReviewPraise for July 1914: 'Sean McMeekin's chronicle of these weeks in July 1914: Countdown to War is almost impossible to put down ... [McMeekin] delivers a punchy and riveting narrative of high politics and diplomacy over the five weeks after Sarajevo, more or less day by day, dwelling on small groups of decision-makers in and between the various capitals, and their interactions, by turns measured, perplexed, cordial, artful, angry, even tearful * New York Review of Books *

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Book SynopsisDavid Ramsay''s History of the American Revolution appeared in 1789 during an enthusiastic celebration of nationhood. It is the first American national history written by an American revolutionary. The first new, modern edition of the work.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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