Revolutions: A Very Short Introduction (VERY SHORT INTRODUCTIONS)

by: Jack A. Goldstone (Author)

Publisher: Oxford University Press
Edition: 2nd

Publication Date: December 1, 2023

Language: English

Print Length: 176 pages

ISBN-10: 0197666302

ISBN-13: 9780197666302

Book Description

In their pursuit of social justice, revolutionaries have taken on the assembled might of monarchies, empires, and dictatorships. They have often, though not always, sparked cataclysmic violence, and have at times won miraculous victories, though at other times suffered devastating defeat.This Very Short Introduction illuminates the revolutionaries, their strategies, their successes and failures, and the ways in which revolutions continue to dominate world events and the popular imagination. Starting with the city-states of ancient Greece and Rome, Jack Goldstone traces the development of revolutions through the Renaissance and Reformation, the Enlightenment and liberal constitutional revolutions such as in America, and their opposite–the communist revolutions of the 20th century. He shows how revolutions overtued dictators in Nicaragua and Iran and brought the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union and Easte Europe, and examines the new wave of non-violent “color” revolutions–the Philippines’ Yellow Revolution, Ukraine’s Orange Revolution–and the Arab Uprisings of 2011-12 that rocked the Middle East.In this new edition, Goldstone also sheds light on the major theories of revolution, exploring the causes of revolutionary waves, the role of revolutionary leaders, the strategies and processes of revolutionary change, and the intersection between revolutions and shifting pattes of global power. Further, he explores the role social media and nonviolence play in mode revolutions. Finally, he examines the reasons for diverse revolutionary outcomes, from democracy to civil war and authoritarian rule, and the likely future of revolution in years to come.
In their pursuit of social justice, revolutionaries have taken on the assembled might of monarchies, empires, and dictatorships. They have often, though not always, sparked cataclysmic violence, and have at times won miraculous victories, though at other times suffered devastating defeat.This Very Short Introduction illuminates the revolutionaries, their strategies, their successes and failures, and the ways in which revolutions continue to dominate world events and the popular imagination. Starting with the city-states of ancient Greece and Rome, Jack Goldstone traces the development of revolutions through the Renaissance and Reformation, the Enlightenment and liberal constitutional revolutions such as in America, and their opposite–the communist revolutions of the 20th century. He shows how revolutions overtued dictators in Nicaragua and Iran and brought the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union and Easte Europe, and examines the new wave of non-violent “color” revolutions–the Philippines’ Yellow Revolution, Ukraine’s Orange Revolution–and the Arab Uprisings of 2011-12 that rocked the Middle East.In this new edition, Goldstone also sheds light on the major theories of revolution, exploring the causes of revolutionary waves, the role of revolutionary leaders, the strategies and processes of revolutionary change, and the intersection between revolutions and shifting pattes of global power. Further, he explores the role social media and nonviolence play in mode revolutions. Finally, he examines the reasons for diverse revolutionary outcomes, from democracy to civil war and authoritarian rule, and the likely future of revolution in years to come. Read more