Age of Revolutions
Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.
Check link for latest rating. ( 2,575 ratings, 312 reviews)Found a better price? Request a price match
Age of Revolutions
Age of Revolutions
The international best-selling author explores the revolutions—past and present—that define the chaotic, polarised and unstable age in which we live.
Fareed Zakaria first warned of the threat of "illiberal democracy" two decades ago. Now comes Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present. A decade in the making, the book is based on deep research and conversations with world leaders from Emmanuel Macron to Lee Kuan Yew. In it, Zakaria sets our era of populist chaos into the sweep of history.
Age of Revolutions tells the story of progress and backlash, of the rise of classical liberalism and of the many periods of rage and counter-revolution that followed seismic change. It begins with the upstart Dutch Republic, the first modern republic and techno-superpower where refugees and rebels flocked for individual liberty. That haven for liberalism was almost snuffed out by force—until Dutch ideas leapt across the English Channel in the so-called "Glorious Revolution."
Not all revolutions were so glorious, however. The French Revolution shows us the dangers of radical change that is imposed top-down. Lasting change comes bottom-up, like the Industrial Revolution in Britain and the United States, which fuelled the rise of the world's modern superpowers and gave birth to the political divides we know today. Even as Britain and America boomed, technology unsettled society and caused backlash from machine-smashing Luddites and others who felt threatened by this new world.
In the second half of the book, Zakaria details the revolutions that have convulsed our times—globalisation in overdrive, digital transformation, the rise of identity politics, and the return of great power politics with a vengeful Russia and an ascendant China. Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping see a world upended by liberalism—and want to turn back the clock on democracy, women's rights, and open societies. Even more dangerous than aggression abroad is democratic decay at home. This populist and cultural backlash that has infected the West threatens the very foundations of the world that the Enlightenment built—and that we all take too easily for granted.
The book warns us that liberalism's great strength has been freeing people from arbitrary constraints—but its great weakness has been leaving individuals isolated, to figure out for themselves what makes for a good life. This void—the hole in the heart—can all too easily be filled by tribalism, populism, and identity politics. Today's revolutions in technology and culture can even leave people so adrift that they turn against modernity itself.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780241692417
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 11 April 2024
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Allen Lane
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 34.0mm
Width: 161.0mm
Height: 241.0mm
Weight: 614g
Pages: 400
About the Author
Fareed Zakaria hosts CNN's flagship international affairs show, Fareed Zakaria GPS, which airs across the world to 220 million households. He writes a weekly column for the Washington Post, which reaches between 80-100 million readers every month. He is the author of The Future of Freedom (2003), The Post-American World (2008) and Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World (2020),
Also by Fareed Zakaria
View allMore from History & Military
View allWhy buy from us?
Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent specialist on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!
Service & Delivery
Our cozy 200m2 warehouse in Auckland holds over 10,000 books in-stock so you're not waiting for books to arrive from overseas.
Auckland Pick Ups
We're an online-only store but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our warehouse in Hobsonville.
Our Gifting Service
Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.