The first comprehensive political history of the communist party Vanguard of the Revolution is a sweeping history of one of the most significant political institutions of the modern world. The communist party was a revolutionary idea long before its supporters came to power. A. James McAdams argues that the rise and fall of communism can be understood only by taking into account the origins and evolution of this compelling idea. He shows how the leaders of parties in countries as diverse as the Soviet Union, China, Germany, Yugoslavia, Cuba, and North Korea adapted the original ideas of revolutionaries like Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin to profoundly different social and cultural settings. Vanguard of the Revolution is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand world communism and the captivating idea that gave it life.

The twentieth-century history of Cuba borders on fantasy. This diminutive country boldly and repeatedly exercises the foreign policy of a major power. Although closely tied to the United States through most of its modern history, Cuba successfully defied the U.S. government after 1959, consolidated its own power, and defeated an invasion of U.S.-backed exiles at the Bay of Pigs in 1961. Fidel Castro then brought the world alarmingly close to nuclear war in 1962. Jorge Domínguez presents a comprehensive survey of Cuban international relations since Castro came to power. Domínguez unravels Cuba's response to the 1962 missile crisis and the U.S.-Soviet understandings that emerged from that. He explores the ties that link Cuba to the U.S.S.R. and other Communist countries; analyzes Cuban support for revolutionary movements throughout the world, especially in Latin America and Africa; and assesses the significance of Cuban political and economic relations with Western Europe, Canada, and Japan. Some have charged that Cuba does not have a foreign policy, that Fidel Castro merely takes orders from his Soviet bosses. Domínguez argues that there is indeed a specifically Cuban foreign policy, poised not only between hegemony and autonomy, between compliance and self-assertion, but also between militancy and pragmatism. He believes that within the context of Soviet hegemony Cuba's foreign policy is very much its own, and he marshals impressive evidence to support this belief. His book is based on extensive documentation from Cuba, the United States, and other countries, as well as from many in-depth interviews carried out during trips to Cuba.

"To many thousands of readers in the United States and abroad, Herbert L. Matthews is known as an outstanding correspondent who covered the news, and made news as well. 'A World in Revolution' is the first-hand story of Mr. Matthews' extraordinary and controversial career and also an analysis of the current world situation. With 'The New York Times' from 1922 to 1967, the author served as reporter, correspondent, bureau chief, editorial writer and member of the editorial board. He covered events ranging from Mussolini's invasion of Ethiopia to the Spanish Civil War to Fidel Castro's Cuban revolution. He held posts in Paris, Rome, London, India, and other key world centers. For the first time, Mr. Matthews tells the whole story of his involvement with Fidel Castro and his subsequent conflict with the Government and the Press when Castro appeared to contradict Matthews' claims that Castro was not at first a communist. In 1957, when the world believed Castro to be dead and his movement destroyed, the author found and interviewed him in the Sierra Maestra. Interviews and subsequent articles and editorials by Mr. Matthews published in the 'Times' helped shape American policy toward Cuba. Mr. Matthews describes how error was piled on error as the nation sought a scapegoat for the 'selling out' of that island. Also controversial was the author's coverage of the Spanish Civil War, which was for him, as it was for writers such as Hemingway, Orwell and others, a turning point in understanding the gathering battle between the powers of freedom and totalitarianism. In a thrilling chapter Mr. Matthews describes the perils of covering that war and the difficulties of getting the truth into print. 'A World in Revolution is also a book about the nation's most controversial newspaper, 'The New York Times'--its virtues and flaws, its people and politics. Calling upon his more than half-century of experience Mr. Matthews sums up his views on the revolutionary course the world is taking, particularly in Latin America, an area which has long been of special interest to him. For anyone concerned about America's place in world affairs or interested in how the news is made and reported, this book will be of enduring value."--Font and back flaps of book jacket.

What can the great crises of the past teach us about contemporary revolutions? Arguing from an exciting and original perspective, Goldstone suggests that great revolutions were the product of 'ecological crises' that occurred when inflexible political, economic, and social institutions were overwhelmed by the cumulative pressure of population growth on limited available resources. Moreover, he contends that the causes of the great revolutions of Europe—the English and French revolutions—were similar to those of the great rebellions of Asia, which shattered dynasties in Ottoman Turkey, China, and Japan. The author observes that revolutions and rebellions have more often produced a crushing state orthodoxy than liberal institutions, leading to the conclusion that perhaps it is vain to expect revolution to bring democracy and economic progress. Instead, contends Goldstone, the path to these goals must begin with respect for individual liberty rather than authoritarian movements of 'national liberation.' Arguing that the threat of revolution is still with us, Goldstone urges us to heed the lessons of the past. He sees in the United States a repetition of the behavior patterns that have led to internal decay and international decline in the past, a situation calling for new leadership and careful attention to the balance between our consumption and our resources. Meticulously researched, forcefully argued, and strikingly original, Revolutions and Rebellions in the Early Modern World is a tour de force by a brilliant young scholar. It is a book that will surely engender much discussion and debate.

Reassesses the role of revolution as a force that has shaped the development of world politics.

The first truly global history of revolutions and revolutionary waves in the modern age, from Atlantic Revolutions to Arab Spring.

Laurent Dubois weaves the stories of slaves, free people of African descent, wealthy whites and French administrators into an unforgettable tale of insurrection, war, heroism and victory.