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1956: The World in Revolt
1956 was one of the most remarkable years of the twentieth century. All across the globe, ordinary people spoke out, filled the streets and city squares, and took up arms in an attempt to win their freedom.
In this dramatic, page-turning history, Simon Hall takes the long view of the year's events—putting them in their post-war context and looking toward their influence on the counterculture movements of the 1960s—to tell the story of the year's epic, global struggles from the point of view of the freedom fighters, dissidents, and countless ordinary people who worked to overturn oppressive and authoritarian systems in order to build a brave new world. It was an epic contest.
1956 is the first narrative history of the year as a whole—and the first to frame its tumultuous events as part of an interconnected, global story of revolution.
In this dramatic, page-turning history, Simon Hall takes the long view of the year's events—putting them in their post-war context and looking toward their influence on the counterculture movements of the 1960s—to tell the story of the year's epic, global struggles from the point of view of the freedom fighters, dissidents, and countless ordinary people who worked to overturn oppressive and authoritarian systems in order to build a brave new world. It was an epic contest.
1956 is the first narrative history of the year as a whole—and the first to frame its tumultuous events as part of an interconnected, global story of revolution.
528 pages, Hardcover
First published January 5, 2016
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About the author
Simon Hall
72 books43 followersSimon Hall, is best known as the BBC’s Crime Correspondent and the author of The TV Detective novels. He describes some of the remarkable events he has witnessed in his time as a television reporter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
November 26, 2016
During my forty two year teaching career my students repeatedly complained when I used the term “watershed date” in class. There are certain dates in history that deserve that characterization, i.e.; 1648 the dividing line between the Medieval and the modern, 1789 the year of revolution and of course 1989 the collapse of the Soviet Union, among many others. Often historians seem to come up with new dates, arguing its historical significance, and in Simon Hall’s new book 1956: THE WORLD IN REVOLT, the author chooses a year that probably qualifies as a “watershed date.” The year 1956 witnessed a number of important events that include the Suez War, the Soviet invasion of Hungary, the Montgomery bus boycott in Alabama, the Polish uprising, the Algerian Civil War, Nikita Khrushchev’s destalinization speech, the independence of Ghana, and important events in South Africa, Cuba among many others. Trying to write a complete history of all of these events is a daunting task that for Hall, falls a little bit short. The author makes a valiant attempt by introducing the main characters through biographical sketches and goes on to explain what has occurred and why it is important. The problem for Hall is carrying out his theme of anti-colonialism and the rise of independence movements, while trying to effectively link them all together globally, a truly difficult task.
Today we acknowledge the sixtieth anniversary of the Suez War and the Hungarian Revolution with a number of new books appearing particularly monographs by Michael Doran and Alex von Tunzelmann, which are narrower in focus than Hall’s work. The author teaches at the University of Leeds and has published a number of works on civil rights and the protest movements of 1960s. Hall sees 1956 through a much wider lens in which the European powers refused to fully relinquish their imperial ambitions, the so called “people’s democracies” of eastern Europe were confronted by further Soviet oppression, and in the United States and South Africa white supremacists tried their best to retain racial control. The book is broken down into a series of chapters that seem to jump from one topic to another with a closing paragraph that tries to create continuity with the next chapter. This technique is very informative from a narrative perspective, but linking the history of Rock n’ Roll to civil rights and independence movements is a bit of a stretch. At times this technique does work as the Algerian Civil War impacted other colonial struggles in Cyprus, Ghana and other areas.
Hall devotes a great deal of time to the Suez Crisis that resulted in war at the end of October into November 1956. His narrative is spot on but he does not add anything new to historical analysis. His discussion of Gamal Abdul Nasser, Guy Mollet, Anthony Eden, President Dwight D. Eisenhower and David Ben-Gurion are accurate and provide insights into how the drama unfolded and was settled. Hall relates Suez to events in Poland and Hungary as the war provided cover for the Soviets to crush descent in its satellites. It was able to avert a military incursion of Poland through threats, and in Hungary the Soviet army crushed the revolution with tanks and infantry. Hall introduces Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, Wladislaw Gomulka, Imre Nagy, and the workers and intellectuals who stood up for their principles as best they could. These events were fostered by Khrushchev’s February 20, 1956 Speech to the Soviet Party Congress where he denounced Stalin and his “cult of personality” and argued that countries could take a different path to socialism. The Soviets let the genie of freedom out of the bottle and throughout the Soviet bloc people began to call for greater rights. As events in Hungary showed the forces of freedom went too far for Soviet tastes. As Marxist historian Eric Hobsbawn stated “the October Revolution created a world communist movement, the Twentieth Congress destroyed it.” (381)
Hall makes many astute comments in the narrative. His discussion of the strategy employed behind the scenes during the Montgomery bus boycott and the leadership of Martin Luther King and how he relates the strategy of non-violence pursued by civil rights leaders in America and its impact on events in Africa and Asia are important. The strategies and ideology of the white supremacists blaming calls of integration and greater civil rights for all citizens as a communist plot, just played into the hands of Soviet propaganda as it was crushing the citizens of Budapest with tanks. Hall is perhaps at his best when discussing the origin and the course of the Algerian Civil War. His explanation of how one million European settlers living in Algeria dominated a Muslim population of over nine million reflects the basic problem. Of these one million Europeans, about 12,000 owned most of the industry, media and fertile land in Algeria. Hall explains the creation of the Front de Liberation Nationale (FLN) and describes its leadership and strategy as the bloody civil war that Alistair Horne calls the “A Savage War of Peace” in his excellent study of the conflict progresses from its origin in November 1954 and would not end until 1962.
Hall’s final chapter is very timely as he describes the rise of Fidel Castro and his 26 July movement. It is especially relevant today as this morning we learned that Fidel passed away at the age of ninety. Hall explores Fidel’s rise and how he created his movement with his brother Raul, Che Guevara and eighty Marxist guerillas, and why it was so successful, in addition to its impact in the western hemisphere and Africa.
Overall, the book is extremely well written, though it relies too often on secondary sources. If you are looking for a general history of world events with a global perspective that seems to come together in the mid-1950s that impacts Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas for decades, then Hall’s effort might prove a satisfactory read.
Today we acknowledge the sixtieth anniversary of the Suez War and the Hungarian Revolution with a number of new books appearing particularly monographs by Michael Doran and Alex von Tunzelmann, which are narrower in focus than Hall’s work. The author teaches at the University of Leeds and has published a number of works on civil rights and the protest movements of 1960s. Hall sees 1956 through a much wider lens in which the European powers refused to fully relinquish their imperial ambitions, the so called “people’s democracies” of eastern Europe were confronted by further Soviet oppression, and in the United States and South Africa white supremacists tried their best to retain racial control. The book is broken down into a series of chapters that seem to jump from one topic to another with a closing paragraph that tries to create continuity with the next chapter. This technique is very informative from a narrative perspective, but linking the history of Rock n’ Roll to civil rights and independence movements is a bit of a stretch. At times this technique does work as the Algerian Civil War impacted other colonial struggles in Cyprus, Ghana and other areas.
Hall devotes a great deal of time to the Suez Crisis that resulted in war at the end of October into November 1956. His narrative is spot on but he does not add anything new to historical analysis. His discussion of Gamal Abdul Nasser, Guy Mollet, Anthony Eden, President Dwight D. Eisenhower and David Ben-Gurion are accurate and provide insights into how the drama unfolded and was settled. Hall relates Suez to events in Poland and Hungary as the war provided cover for the Soviets to crush descent in its satellites. It was able to avert a military incursion of Poland through threats, and in Hungary the Soviet army crushed the revolution with tanks and infantry. Hall introduces Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, Wladislaw Gomulka, Imre Nagy, and the workers and intellectuals who stood up for their principles as best they could. These events were fostered by Khrushchev’s February 20, 1956 Speech to the Soviet Party Congress where he denounced Stalin and his “cult of personality” and argued that countries could take a different path to socialism. The Soviets let the genie of freedom out of the bottle and throughout the Soviet bloc people began to call for greater rights. As events in Hungary showed the forces of freedom went too far for Soviet tastes. As Marxist historian Eric Hobsbawn stated “the October Revolution created a world communist movement, the Twentieth Congress destroyed it.” (381)
Hall makes many astute comments in the narrative. His discussion of the strategy employed behind the scenes during the Montgomery bus boycott and the leadership of Martin Luther King and how he relates the strategy of non-violence pursued by civil rights leaders in America and its impact on events in Africa and Asia are important. The strategies and ideology of the white supremacists blaming calls of integration and greater civil rights for all citizens as a communist plot, just played into the hands of Soviet propaganda as it was crushing the citizens of Budapest with tanks. Hall is perhaps at his best when discussing the origin and the course of the Algerian Civil War. His explanation of how one million European settlers living in Algeria dominated a Muslim population of over nine million reflects the basic problem. Of these one million Europeans, about 12,000 owned most of the industry, media and fertile land in Algeria. Hall explains the creation of the Front de Liberation Nationale (FLN) and describes its leadership and strategy as the bloody civil war that Alistair Horne calls the “A Savage War of Peace” in his excellent study of the conflict progresses from its origin in November 1954 and would not end until 1962.
Hall’s final chapter is very timely as he describes the rise of Fidel Castro and his 26 July movement. It is especially relevant today as this morning we learned that Fidel passed away at the age of ninety. Hall explores Fidel’s rise and how he created his movement with his brother Raul, Che Guevara and eighty Marxist guerillas, and why it was so successful, in addition to its impact in the western hemisphere and Africa.
Overall, the book is extremely well written, though it relies too often on secondary sources. If you are looking for a general history of world events with a global perspective that seems to come together in the mid-1950s that impacts Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas for decades, then Hall’s effort might prove a satisfactory read.
December 7, 2015
Wide ranging and very readable look at an epic year of the Cold War.
1956 is well known for the Hungarian Uprising and the Suez Crisis which to some extent overshadowed other key events that were equally seismic in their impact.
Simon Hall’s book pulls together many seemingly disparate events including Polish uprising in Posnan, the struggle for equal rights in the US and South Africa, the colonial struggles in Algeria and Cyprus, the rise of Fidel Castro in Cuba as well as the rise of rock and roll to tell a story of people battling against seemingly omnipotent powers. Whilst the final results of these battles are open to interpretation, they are all undoubtedly important milestones in the history of the 20th century.
Hall doesn’t get bogged down in too much detail, but provides just enough to understand the larger picture whilst ensuring that the personal stories get told too.
An excellent primer for anyone wanting to understand more about an epic year of the Cold War.
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
1956 is well known for the Hungarian Uprising and the Suez Crisis which to some extent overshadowed other key events that were equally seismic in their impact.
Simon Hall’s book pulls together many seemingly disparate events including Polish uprising in Posnan, the struggle for equal rights in the US and South Africa, the colonial struggles in Algeria and Cyprus, the rise of Fidel Castro in Cuba as well as the rise of rock and roll to tell a story of people battling against seemingly omnipotent powers. Whilst the final results of these battles are open to interpretation, they are all undoubtedly important milestones in the history of the 20th century.
Hall doesn’t get bogged down in too much detail, but provides just enough to understand the larger picture whilst ensuring that the personal stories get told too.
An excellent primer for anyone wanting to understand more about an epic year of the Cold War.
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
September 18, 2016
found it by chance and then couldn't put down; while we know how things turned out, the author manages a lot of suspense plus many details one usually learns only in specialized books
the current fashion for year books (1945, 1946, now 1956) or short periods with a thematic (outside the usual WW1/WW2/etc ones) seems to have been working very well so far and I am looking forward for similar books written in the same "powerful narrative" like this one
highly recommended
the current fashion for year books (1945, 1946, now 1956) or short periods with a thematic (outside the usual WW1/WW2/etc ones) seems to have been working very well so far and I am looking forward for similar books written in the same "powerful narrative" like this one
highly recommended
June 24, 2024
(corrected but not altered in June 2024).
1956 may have been a remarkable year but this is not a remarkable book. In fact it is a absolutely unremarkable book. I would recommend reading almost any other book on the events that took place/began in that year - the whole concentration on the year 1956 is clearly nothing more than a tag for selling the idea to a publisher - events in Cuba, Hungary, Suez, etc. deserve so much more than this rubbish.
Don't read it and most certainly don't buy it. You might as well read Wikipedia articles, at least they might lead you to read some proper history books.
Like most books I rate as unable-to-rate I have given this one star to remind me that I have reviewed it because it saves time.
1956 may have been a remarkable year but this is not a remarkable book. In fact it is a absolutely unremarkable book. I would recommend reading almost any other book on the events that took place/began in that year - the whole concentration on the year 1956 is clearly nothing more than a tag for selling the idea to a publisher - events in Cuba, Hungary, Suez, etc. deserve so much more than this rubbish.
Don't read it and most certainly don't buy it. You might as well read Wikipedia articles, at least they might lead you to read some proper history books.
Like most books I rate as unable-to-rate I have given this one star to remind me that I have reviewed it because it saves time.
December 24, 2022
I had usually thought of the 1950s as a fairly quiet and conservative period of time. Possibly that was because I was only four years old when the 1950s began and 14 when they ended. Maybe I was not paying attention although I do remember listening to Fidel Castro in Cuba on my short wave radio.
This book has completely revised my mental vision of the 1950s with serious activism and events in Algeria and Egypt and elsewhere in northern Africa as well as in southern Africa with apartheid. And of course Eastern Europe was in foment during that decade with Hungary, being a focal point. And then there was Cuba and Castro. And lest we forget the Montgomery bus boycott in the southern US and the other efforts to battle Jim Crow.
This book goes into some reasonable detail about quite a few of the events, and has a substantial glossary of material at the end of the book for those who want to explore further. The material at the end of the book probably amounts to about 25% of the total content.
This book has completely revised my mental vision of the 1950s with serious activism and events in Algeria and Egypt and elsewhere in northern Africa as well as in southern Africa with apartheid. And of course Eastern Europe was in foment during that decade with Hungary, being a focal point. And then there was Cuba and Castro. And lest we forget the Montgomery bus boycott in the southern US and the other efforts to battle Jim Crow.
This book goes into some reasonable detail about quite a few of the events, and has a substantial glossary of material at the end of the book for those who want to explore further. The material at the end of the book probably amounts to about 25% of the total content.
May 6, 2024
A fascinating review of one of the most eventful years in history. 1956. It was a year of revolution, war, struggle and hope for the people living through it. War in Algeria and Egypt, revolution attempts in Poland and Hungary and civil rights struggles in America. One word that summarises the outcome is hypocrisy. The order of the world is not based on values of rights, freedom and progress, but of ‘might is right’.
America and the Soviet Union stood up for Egypt at the Suez Canal crisis against the colonial assault of Britain, France and Israel, not because of a higher cause, but because of their own power dynamics. Despite professing to be a beacon of freedom, America denied its own Black citizens dignity and equality. Eisenhower promised support to the Hungarian cause, but watched as the Red Army indiscriminately crushed the revolution.
Simon Hall has created a masterpiece of historical enquiry to document a year of great change and significance.
America and the Soviet Union stood up for Egypt at the Suez Canal crisis against the colonial assault of Britain, France and Israel, not because of a higher cause, but because of their own power dynamics. Despite professing to be a beacon of freedom, America denied its own Black citizens dignity and equality. Eisenhower promised support to the Hungarian cause, but watched as the Red Army indiscriminately crushed the revolution.
Simon Hall has created a masterpiece of historical enquiry to document a year of great change and significance.
June 28, 2022
a satisfying survey of a seminal year - from Montgomery bus boycotts to colonial struggles in Algeria, apartheid woes in South Africa, trouble in the Suez, Soviet drama in Hungary and Poland, and more. very readable.
March 26, 2016
I couldn't put it down. This book is both highly readable and intellectually engaging--not an easy task! My own background is European history with an emphasis on East Germany and the USSR, and for a couple of years I was teaching Korda's "Journey to a Revolution" to my AP students. It's difficult to make the politics of the Soviet bloc comprehensible to the lay reader since the communist world employed its own unique vocabulary nested within a Marxist-Leninist world view that’s no longer familiar to young people in the West. Simon Hall does an admirable job of relaying events in Poland and Hungary in a way that makes sense and communicates the urgency of events. Even more engaging for me were the chapters he wrote on the Montgomery bus boycott, MLK, and “Massive Resistance” by white supremacists. I couldn’t help but make connections to some of the echoes of that era we’ve continued to hear within the past decade. Simon’s got me thinking of how I can better restructure my Western Civilization course so that the 50s are more coherent. Thanks, Simon!
November 25, 2016
Another in a growing list of books that narrow the focus of history to a single influential year. In this instance 1956 is said to a year of global revolution - and it makes for a, partly, persuasive argument. Certainly 1956 on the evidence presented here saw the cracks appearing in Stalinist communism, the civil rights movement in America & the anti apartheid movement in South Africa making strides, and European colonialism taking a beating (most notably with the Suez crisis). That being said I came away with the view that 1956 may have lit the fuse on incidents that blew up later. This was an entertaining piece of social history, although I would have liked to see a bit more of a cultural perspective (one chapter on the rise of Rock & Roll was all there was).
October 19, 2016
Does an excellent job of connecting the dots between the Civil Rights movement featuring the Montgomery Bus Boycott and international events where there was a surge to oust colonial masters. Very good coverage of the Suez Crisis when the British tried to engineer the ouster of Nasser in Egypt and ended up scorned in the world community.
It does get more intricate and dense when dealing with Eastern Europe and Soviet oppression in Hungary and Poland. You have to be familiar with the major and minor players in that region to follow the narrative.
Closes very well tying all the strands together and showing the implications for future policy making and events. Very strong 4 rating.
It does get more intricate and dense when dealing with Eastern Europe and Soviet oppression in Hungary and Poland. You have to be familiar with the major and minor players in that region to follow the narrative.
Closes very well tying all the strands together and showing the implications for future policy making and events. Very strong 4 rating.
December 2, 2015
Reading this book reminded me of Billy Joel's great song "We Didn't Start the Fire".
1956, to my mind was the year that people all over the world learned how to protest the injustices that were being perpetrated allegedly in their name.
This should be compulsory reading in schools.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Faber and Faber Ltd., via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.
1956, to my mind was the year that people all over the world learned how to protest the injustices that were being perpetrated allegedly in their name.
This should be compulsory reading in schools.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Faber and Faber Ltd., via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.
June 27, 2016
Great history. Takes major happenings of 1956 in chronological order and reports on them. At the end of the book the author summarizes the happenings and comments on events that happened later based on these events.
I received this book free from Goodreads First Reads.
I received this book free from Goodreads First Reads.
February 21, 2021
(3.5 stars) (Audiobook) Some years will stand out more in human history than others. 1776, 1789, 1815, 1848, 1918, 1927, 1945, 1968, 2020...and some will stand out maybe not as vividly, but have no less significant on the course of human events. Such is the case with 1956. While any year will have its significant moments, 1956 saw many events occur that would have ramifications for the future. Granted, much of what is discussed in this book (the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the uprising in Algeria, etc) had been in the works before the calendar turned to 1956, but it was in that year that such events turned more significant.
Perhaps the biggest single area impacted during that year was the Communist Bloc. It was that year when Khrushchev gave the most significant speech in the history of post-war communism, with the denunciation of Stalinism and the cult of personality. It is from there that many other events were set in motion, from the furthering of the Sino-Soviet split to the uprisings in Poland and Hungary. The once idealized version of Soviet Communism fell from favor, and it became more a dictatorial power than idealized form of government. The idealism would shift to the West and Cuba during that year.
Overall, it was a readable book, and I did learn a few things, but I am not sure that it made the case that 1956 should rate higher than 1945 or something to that effect. Also, some minor aspects were missed (how could they talk of Castro and not mention his MLB-ambitions. Yes, he was a legal student and became a successful revolutionary, but he was also a pitching prospect that was invited for a MLB tryout/minor league contract. Minor, but that couldn't be completely discounted. Still, a solid read, good for at least a library checkout (audiobook would rate the same as e-book/hard-copy).
Perhaps the biggest single area impacted during that year was the Communist Bloc. It was that year when Khrushchev gave the most significant speech in the history of post-war communism, with the denunciation of Stalinism and the cult of personality. It is from there that many other events were set in motion, from the furthering of the Sino-Soviet split to the uprisings in Poland and Hungary. The once idealized version of Soviet Communism fell from favor, and it became more a dictatorial power than idealized form of government. The idealism would shift to the West and Cuba during that year.
Overall, it was a readable book, and I did learn a few things, but I am not sure that it made the case that 1956 should rate higher than 1945 or something to that effect. Also, some minor aspects were missed (how could they talk of Castro and not mention his MLB-ambitions. Yes, he was a legal student and became a successful revolutionary, but he was also a pitching prospect that was invited for a MLB tryout/minor league contract. Minor, but that couldn't be completely discounted. Still, a solid read, good for at least a library checkout (audiobook would rate the same as e-book/hard-copy).
March 11, 2021
The conventional view of the 1950's, at least in the United States, is that it was a boring time of rising consumerism, cultural stasis, and conformity. This view doesn't survive even a moment's serious scrutiny, especially when you take a more international view, as Simon Hall does in 1956: World in Revolt.
1956 was a year when a lot was going on. Colonialism was crumbling across the globe, and its collapse was manifesting itself in various ways as third world nations reached for independence or devolved into terrorism and brutal reprisals (Algeria). In the US the struggle for school desegregation continued against frequently violent opposition while Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King became heroes for their roles in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Change was also on the march in Easter Europe, as Nikita Khrushchev delivered his explosive Secret Speech, exposing the crimes of Stalin and setting in motion a chain of events that would lead to protest in the Soviet Sphere including a brutally crushed uprising in Hungary.
In Hall's telling, 1956 was a year when all across the globe oppressed people reached out for freedom in different ways and against different forms of repression. It's an exciting story, and Hall tells it well. This is a very readable piece of popular history.
1956 was a year when a lot was going on. Colonialism was crumbling across the globe, and its collapse was manifesting itself in various ways as third world nations reached for independence or devolved into terrorism and brutal reprisals (Algeria). In the US the struggle for school desegregation continued against frequently violent opposition while Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King became heroes for their roles in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Change was also on the march in Easter Europe, as Nikita Khrushchev delivered his explosive Secret Speech, exposing the crimes of Stalin and setting in motion a chain of events that would lead to protest in the Soviet Sphere including a brutally crushed uprising in Hungary.
In Hall's telling, 1956 was a year when all across the globe oppressed people reached out for freedom in different ways and against different forms of repression. It's an exciting story, and Hall tells it well. This is a very readable piece of popular history.
July 29, 2023
Drawing from numerous sources and arranged in approximately chronological order, the pivotal events of 1956 play out through a narrative divided into seasons, taking the reader through a year of turmoil, triumph, and change.
Hall has an excellent sense of pacing and proportion, providing enough background and postscript to properly contextualize the major players and circumstances of each conflict without losing the plot.
The highlights for me were the sections on the Hungarian Revolution, as I have a longstanding interest in it (I am Hungarian) but have yet to find a good history of it (several have been recommended to me, sadly not in English and I can't read the Hungarian language). I would have liked a bit more on Castro and his guerilla war to remove Fulgencio Batista from power. For some reason - and perhaps it's just my ignorance Cuban history - I didn't feel like there was as much meat here as in the rest of the book.
These events are now 67 years in the past but do continue to shape the world in which we live, and Hall - although not explicitly - demonstrates this. He also illustrates how protests and revolutions in disparate parts of the world drew support and inspiration from one another, interconnected against the backdrop of The Cold War.
Hall has an excellent sense of pacing and proportion, providing enough background and postscript to properly contextualize the major players and circumstances of each conflict without losing the plot.
The highlights for me were the sections on the Hungarian Revolution, as I have a longstanding interest in it (I am Hungarian) but have yet to find a good history of it (several have been recommended to me, sadly not in English and I can't read the Hungarian language). I would have liked a bit more on Castro and his guerilla war to remove Fulgencio Batista from power. For some reason - and perhaps it's just my ignorance Cuban history - I didn't feel like there was as much meat here as in the rest of the book.
These events are now 67 years in the past but do continue to shape the world in which we live, and Hall - although not explicitly - demonstrates this. He also illustrates how protests and revolutions in disparate parts of the world drew support and inspiration from one another, interconnected against the backdrop of The Cold War.
December 16, 2018
I was born in 1956 and have always seen it as the most pivotal year of the post-war world. Others besides Simon Hall clearly share my opinion (it's the one year that is always sold out from that series of historical videos covering each year's news). I was therefore delighted to buy myself this hefty treatise for my birthday but I have to admit, I've found it heavy going.
The main problem is that it is too American-centric. Hall starts with the attack on Martin Luther King's house, ostensibly because it happened in January; but I can't shake the feeling that this sets the tone for a treatment whose author is, after all, a teacher of American history. It may have been America's century but the events that were of international importance mostly happened elsewhere, with the USA being neither the initiator nor the leader. The one case where it really was - the bursting onto the world stage of Rock'n'Roll - is covered well but rather concisely.
The chapter on Suez is good and I will persevere with the rest but to me the Civil Rights movement in the USA was not central to the action in this most tumultuous of years.
The main problem is that it is too American-centric. Hall starts with the attack on Martin Luther King's house, ostensibly because it happened in January; but I can't shake the feeling that this sets the tone for a treatment whose author is, after all, a teacher of American history. It may have been America's century but the events that were of international importance mostly happened elsewhere, with the USA being neither the initiator nor the leader. The one case where it really was - the bursting onto the world stage of Rock'n'Roll - is covered well but rather concisely.
The chapter on Suez is good and I will persevere with the rest but to me the Civil Rights movement in the USA was not central to the action in this most tumultuous of years.
March 12, 2021
You may think that the 1950's were sleepy times full of American consumerism & conformity, but 1956 was anything but dull. In fact the year was full of tumult and a harbinger of what was to come in the next decade.
Overseas, the European colonial empires were starting to crumble, and the efforts of the colonial powers to hang on to the territories and spheres of influence were met with disaster - as evidenced in the British and French efforts in Suez. The satellites of the Soviet Union were also restless culminating in revolutionary revolts in both Poland and Hungary, and even inside the USSR, there was a turning away from Stalinism to a milder form of Communism.
Here at home, the Civil Rights movement began with the Montgomery bus boycott, and the first stirrings of what would become the "youthquake" of the 1960's could be seen the first time Elvis Presley appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show.
As I have frequently told people, the "good old days" were never as calm or peaceful as our memories would like us to believe. It's always good to revisit the recent past to be reminded of that fact.
Overseas, the European colonial empires were starting to crumble, and the efforts of the colonial powers to hang on to the territories and spheres of influence were met with disaster - as evidenced in the British and French efforts in Suez. The satellites of the Soviet Union were also restless culminating in revolutionary revolts in both Poland and Hungary, and even inside the USSR, there was a turning away from Stalinism to a milder form of Communism.
Here at home, the Civil Rights movement began with the Montgomery bus boycott, and the first stirrings of what would become the "youthquake" of the 1960's could be seen the first time Elvis Presley appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show.
As I have frequently told people, the "good old days" were never as calm or peaceful as our memories would like us to believe. It's always good to revisit the recent past to be reminded of that fact.
July 8, 2020
This book is an incredible historical text. Clean, accessible writing and diverse locations in focus (a rarity in historical writing). I bought this book because I knew a couple of things that interested me in 1956, but I finished it wanting to learn more about many other fascinating events of that year. It would have been nice if the book described what happened next for many of these events instead of alluding to them, and that is to say, I wanted more. The book does a wonderful job describing the world as it was in 1956, and even in its short descriptions of events, makes them feel incredibly real.
February 24, 2020
One would think that the 50s were a staid and boring decade. This book shows that that's not the case, as revolts against tyrannical regimes as varied as Jim Crow, Western Imperialism, and the Communist Empire itself, exploded or started to pick up steam all over the world in this decade. Dixie, the Iron Curtain, and the Third World all get plenty of focus in this book, as young people stood up to the powers that be all over the globe... and could again today, even though the world has changed so much.
Wish they had focused a bit more on Elvis, though.
Wish they had focused a bit more on Elvis, though.
January 26, 2021
As a person who knows very little about the history, I must admit that the book was rather convenient to read. I enjoyed the fact that author provided the reader with necessary background and information. Nevertheless, sometimes I felt like there was too much detail about things that actually didn’t matter that much (at lest for my point of view) i.e. talking about types of guns. Overall, I would recommend this book to people who wants to expand their knowledge about the history in more detail.
April 18, 2018
A historical account written in a style not often used. A thin slice of time of one year looking at events going on across the globe where the backdrop of East Vs West, Communism Vs Western Democracy shapes almost everything.
The American and South African social segregation that was prevalent only 60 years ago is quite shocking to read about. Some lessons for my generation to learn in this book. Brexit/ Trump/ Xi Jinping - all indicators of us heading backwards to repeat mistakes of 1956.
The American and South African social segregation that was prevalent only 60 years ago is quite shocking to read about. Some lessons for my generation to learn in this book. Brexit/ Trump/ Xi Jinping - all indicators of us heading backwards to repeat mistakes of 1956.
July 2, 2018
A solid, straightforward & clear analysis of a pivotal year. This books is a sharp rejoinder to anyone who falls into the trap of thinking that the 1950s was a completely bland, conformist "Leave it to Beaver" world of women in pearls vacuuming the house, while the men folk drove to work from their suburban paradise home. It was so much more, and so much darker that usually imagined.
May 23, 2017
This was slow going even though I like reading history and am interested in the 1950's. What was memorable was the portrait of Nikita Khrushchev and how he really took the USSR in a new direction after Stalin and how he was an unknown and flew under the radar until; his rise to power.
April 18, 2021
I bought this out of idle curiosity as it's the year of my birth, but quickly became absorbed. A very well written account of a fascinating year. The history covers a wide range of global issues, from Moscow to Suez and from the short-lived Hungarian revolution to the birth of the Cuban revolution.
August 6, 2017
A fully global read.
January 23, 2021
Interessant!
August 9, 2021
Really interesting and informative - a great read and highly recommended! I learnt a lot from reading it, which is always good!
February 19, 2017
worthwhile reading.
It is a must read.
It is a must read.
April 12, 2016
I was aware of most of these event but to see them all occurring over a 12 month period made this book quite compelling.
Well written with a good balance of the big picture with some of the more minor people involved in the various events - France in trouble in Algiers and Tunisia, the US finally addressing segregation, Castro landing in Cuba, Poland and Hungary rebelling against Russia, the start of the long walk to freedom in South Africa, the Gold Coast seeking independence from England and Khrushchev's renouncing Stalin for the despot he was.
Well written with a good balance of the big picture with some of the more minor people involved in the various events - France in trouble in Algiers and Tunisia, the US finally addressing segregation, Castro landing in Cuba, Poland and Hungary rebelling against Russia, the start of the long walk to freedom in South Africa, the Gold Coast seeking independence from England and Khrushchev's renouncing Stalin for the despot he was.
June 6, 2018
8/10
Goed boek om je kennis van de na-oorlogse geschiedenis wat op te frissen. Uiteindelijk komt het erop neer dat mensen overal ter wereld opkwamen voor hun vrijheid: onafhankelijkheid in Afrika, revolutie in Cuba, de strijd tegen het communisme in Hongarije, het gevecht van zwarten voor gelijke burgerrechten in Amerika... Soms is de titel (1956) een beetje ver gezocht - Fidel Castro belandde eind 56 in Cuba om uiteindelijk pas in 59 de macht te grijpen - maar voor de rest een goed naslagwerk.
Goed boek om je kennis van de na-oorlogse geschiedenis wat op te frissen. Uiteindelijk komt het erop neer dat mensen overal ter wereld opkwamen voor hun vrijheid: onafhankelijkheid in Afrika, revolutie in Cuba, de strijd tegen het communisme in Hongarije, het gevecht van zwarten voor gelijke burgerrechten in Amerika... Soms is de titel (1956) een beetje ver gezocht - Fidel Castro belandde eind 56 in Cuba om uiteindelijk pas in 59 de macht te grijpen - maar voor de rest een goed naslagwerk.
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