In this fascinating book, the author of The Hinge Factor and The
Weather Factor surveys revolutions across the centuries, vividly
portraying the people and events that brought wrenching, often
enduring--and always bloody--change to countries and societies almost
overnight. Durschmied begins with the French Revolution and goes on to
examine the revolutions of Mexico in 1910, Russia in 1917, and Japan in
1945, as well as the failed putsch against Hitler in 1944. His account
of the Cuban Revolution is peppered with personal anecdotes--for he was
the first foreign correspondent to meet Castro when the future leader
was still in the Sierra Maestra. He concludes with the Iranian
Revolution that ousted the Shah in 1979--another that he personally
covered--and, in a new preface, extends his analysis to the Arab Spring.
Each revolution, Durschmied contends, has its own dynamic and memorable
cast of characters, but all too often the end result is the same:
mayhem, betrayal, glory, and death. Unlike the American Revolution,
which is the counterexample, few revolutions are spared the harsh
reality that most devour their own children.
"Durschmied is a supremely gifted reporter who has transformed the media
he works in."
--Newsweek
"[A] light and lively narrative that serves as a useful introduction
for the general reader."
--Library Journal
