History's Locomotives: Revolutions and the Making of the Modern World - Hardcover

Malia, Martin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300113919 ISBN 13: 9780300113914

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2006

Synopsis

This masterful comparative history traces the West’s revolutionary tradition and its culmination in the Communist revolutions of the twentieth century. Unique in breadth and scope, History’s Locomotives offers a new interpretation of the origins and history of socialism as well as the meanings of the Russian Revolution, the rise of the Soviet regime, and the ultimate collapse of the Soviet Union.
History’s Locomotives is the masterwork of an esteemed historian in whom a fine sense of historical particularity never interfered with the ability to see the large picture.
Martin Malia explores religious conflicts in fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Europe, the revolutions in England, American, and France, and the twentieth-century Russian explosions into revolution. He concludes that twentieth-century revolutions have deep roots in European history and that revolutionary thought and action underwent a process of radicalization from one great revolution to the next. Malia offers an original view of the phenomenon of revolution and a fascinating assessment of its power as a driving force in history.

About this title

About the Author:

The late Martin Malia was respected as one of the great historians of Russia. Terence Emmons is professor of history, emeritus, Stanford University.

Review:

"This book is a history of revolutionary change in Europe, a history of how revolutions have been understood by their heirs, and a critical examination of theories of revolution. In all three tasks, Malia succeeds brilliantly."—James Sheehan, Stanford University

(James Sheehan)

"A brilliant survey and interpretation of the major revolutions in Western history, this book is a testament to the late Professor Malia's broad learning and his unique ability to identify by comparative analysis the distinctive characteristics of the Russian upheaval that shaped so much of twentieth-century history."—Bernard Bailyn, Harvard University (Bernard Bailyn)

About this edition

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0300113919
• ISBN 13: 9780300113914
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 384
• Editor: Emmons Terence