Revolutionary World: Global Upheaval in the Modern Age

by David Motadel (Editor)

Throughout the modern age, revolutions have spread across state borders, engulfing entire regions, continents, and, at times, the globe. Revolutionary World examines the spread of upheavals during the major revolutionary moments in modern history: the Atlantic Revolutions, Europe's 1848 revolts, the commune movement of the 1870s, the 1905-15 upheavals in Asia, the communist revolutions around 1917, the 'Wilsonian' uprisings of 1919, the 'Third World' revolutions, the global Islamic revolt of 1978-79, the events of 1989, and the rise and fall of the 'Arab Spring'. The chapters explore the nature of these revolutionary waves, tracing the exchange of radical ideas and the movements of revolutionaries around the world. Bringing together a group of distinguished historians, Revolutionary World shows that the major revolutions of the modern age, which have so often been studied as isolated national or imperial events, were almost never contained within state borders and were usually part of broader revolutionary moments.

Genres: History

285 pages, Hardcover

Published March 25, 2021

Reviews

[Eren Buğlalılar · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series of articles about the structural, economic and ideological interconnections between various global revolutionary episodes.

Starting from the 18th century, concrete links were established between the revolutionary movements: Militants, arms and money moved from place to place. Revolutionary ideas and news of other revolutions spread thanks to developing technologies and mobility. Capitalist world economy tied different regions together, which underpinned the global economic, social and political crises.

All these make a global perspective on modern revolutions indispensable: Enlightenment, American Revolutionary War, French Revolution, South American independence, Irish revolts, 1848 revolutions, Paris Commune of 1871, constitutional revolutions of 1905-1915, Soviet Revolution, Cuban revolution had international dynamics, causes and factors as well as domestic.

Best articles of this volume are Motadel's Introduction, Deluermoz's article on the World of Paris Commune and Westad's Third World Revolutions. The others are either under-researched or contain more opinions than facts.