You Say You Want a Revolution? - by Daniel Chirot (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Why most modern revolutions have ended in bloodshed and failure--and what lessons they hold for today's world of growing extremism

Why have so many of the iconic revolutions of modern times ended in bloody tragedies? And what lessons can be drawn from these failures today, in a world where political extremism is on the rise and rational reform based on moderation and compromise often seems impossible to achieve? In You Say You Want a Revolution?, Daniel Chirot examines a wide range of right- and left-wing revolutions around the world--from the late eighteenth century to today--to provide important new answers to these critical questions.

From the French Revolution of the eighteenth century to the Mexican, Russian, German, Chinese, anticolonial, and Iranian revolutions of the twentieth, Chirot finds that moderate solutions to serious social, economic, and political problems were overwhelmed by radical ideologies that promised simpler, drastic remedies. But not all revolutions had this outcome. The American Revolution didn't, although its failure to resolve the problem of slavery eventually led to the Civil War, and the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe was relatively peaceful, except in Yugoslavia. From Japan, North Korea, Vietnam, and Cambodia to Algeria, Angola, Haiti, and Romania, You Say You Want a Revolution? explains why violent radicalism, corruption, and the betrayal of ideals won in so many crucial cases, why it didn't in some others--and what the long-term prospects for major social change are if liberals can't deliver needed reforms.

A powerful account of the unintended consequences of revolutionary change, You Say You Want a Revolution? is filled with critically important lessons for today's liberal democracies struggling with new forms of extremism.

Review Quotes

"For those seeking a quick, sharply written survey of how revolutions have so often brought violence, corruption, and authoritarian rule, Chirot has provided a clear and valuable book."---Jack Goldstone, Social Forces

"Historically dense, intelligently organized, and deeply analytical, You Say You Want a Revolution? offers a great deal to a wide array of audiences. . . . This book's cheeky title is at once a warning and a lament: those who foment discord as a vehicle for change very often find themselves in a situation more dire than the status quo ante, and the idealism inherent in such movements is exposed as a mirage."-- "Choice"

"This is an essential book."---Steven Simon, Survival: Global Politics and Strategy

About the Author

Daniel Chirot is the Herbert J. Ellison Professor of Russian and Eurasian Studies at the Henry Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. He is the author of many books, most recently, The Shape of the New: Four Big Ideas and How They Made the Modern World (with Scott L. Montgomery) (Princeton), which was named one of the New York Times Book Review's 100 Notable Books of the Year.