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Christian Caryl

Strange Rebels: 1979 and the Birth of the 21st Century Hardcover – 30 April 2013

by Christian Caryl (Author)

4.4 97 ratings

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Few moments in history have seen as many seismic transformations as 1979. That single year marked the emergence of revolutionary Islam as a political force on the world stage, the beginning of market revolutions in China and Britain that would fuel globalization and radically alter the international economy, and the first stirrings of the resistance movements in Eastern Europe and Afghanistan that ultimately led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. More than any other year in the latter half of the twentieth century, 1979 heralded the economic, political, and religious realities that define the twenty-first.
In "Strange Rebels," veteran journalist Christian Caryl shows how the world we live in today--and the problems that plague it--began to take shape in this pivotal year. 1979, he explains, saw a series of counterrevolutions against the progressive consensus that had dominated the postwar era. The year's epic upheavals embodied a startling conservative challenge to communist and socialist systems around the globe, fundamentally transforming politics and economics worldwide. In China, 1979 marked the start of sweeping market-oriented reforms that have made the country the economic powerhouse it is today. 1979 was also the year that Pope John Paul II traveled to Poland, confronting communism in Eastern Europe by reigniting its people's suppressed Catholic faith. In Iran, meanwhile, an Islamic Revolution transformed the nation into a theocracy almost overnight, overthrowing the Shah's modernizing monarchy. Further west, Margaret Thatcher became prime minister of Britain, returning it to a purer form of free-market capitalism and opening the way for Ronald Reagan to do the same in the US. And in Afghanistan, a Soviet invasion fueled an Islamic holy war with global consequences; the Afghan mujahedin presaged the rise of al-Qaeda and served as a key factor--along with John Paul's journey to Poland--in the fall of communism.
Weaving the story of each of these counterrevolutions into a brisk, gripping narrative, "Strange Rebels" is a groundbreaking account of how these far-flung events and disparate actors and movements gave birth to our modern age.

Print length

432 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Basic Books
Publication date

30 April 2013
Dimensions

16.51 x 3.81 x 24.13 cm
ISBN-10

0465018386
ISBN-13

978-0465018383
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Product description

Review

"At the end of the 20th century, two coiled forces, religion and markets, sprung onto the world stage. From China's reforms to Margaret Thatcher's rise to Ayatollah Khomeini's revolution, they all began in 1979 and have been shaping international life ever since. Christian Caryl tells the story of that pivotal year--and its consequences--with intelligence, grace and lucidity."
Anne Applebaum, author of "Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1944-1956" --Fareed Zakaria

About the Author

Christian Caryl, a Senior Fellow at the Legatum Institute, is also a contributing editor at "Foreign Policy," a regular contributor to the "New York Review of Books," and a former "Newsweek" correspondent. A senior fellow of the Center for International Studies at MIT and winner of an Overseas Press Club Award, Caryl lives in Bethesda, Maryland.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Basic Books; First Edition (30 April 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0465018386
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0465018383
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 16.51 x 3.81 x 24.13 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 940,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 1,874 in Political History of Revolutions & Coups
- 48,440 in Government & Politics

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4.4 97 ratings

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shufti

40th anniversary of 1979 is approaching.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 January 2018

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1979 was the most significant year when I was growing up in Britain. I turned 13 years old in the March. In November we had the first axis-of-evil reality TV show - the Iranian hostage crisis. This stunned viewers and had a convulsive effect on the peaceful, 'untroubled' years of the late 1970s. The old certainties were about to disappear more profoundly than anyone could have foreseen at the time. Then on Christmas day, December 25th 1979 - Russia invaded Afghanistan. The 20th Century was over. There was no turning back. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Today we are two years away from the 40th anniversary. Then we had Thatcher, Khomeni, Pope John Paul II and Deng Xiaoping. (Reagan arrived a year later). Today we have Brexit, Trump, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. Stir together and you have a new world for the next 40 years. The end of the EU, Russia having sway over the Middle East. And China inheriting Uncle Sam's post WW2 mantle. What a 40 year roller coaster it has been and what an awesome read this book is.

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Reverend D. C. Macdonald

How to understand the politics of the 1970's in one easy read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 August 2016

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A compelling, page turning account of the turmoil's of the 1970's and a lucid, exemplary examination of the upheavals and changes, both , political, social and religious. This book provides a comprehensive, accessible and detailed analysis of the period and contextualises the processes of change across several contents that facilitates easy cross-reference and interpretation of the interaction of states, leaders and resistance to change.
I found the narrative gripping and fast moving, with many insights and interpretations of the events. A magisterial work which, although taking a broad overview, never fails to support its arguments or fight shy of necessary detail. Here are portraits of international leaders, compared and contrasted in ways that help the reader to understand what was happening and why. Altogether an excellent read and highly recommended.

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GwydionM

The Rise of the Radical Right

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 March 2014

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The parallel developments of Thatcherism, the Polish Pope, Islamists in Iran, the anti-Soviet resistance in Afghanistan and Deng in China. Showing parallels and differences, a useful reminder of events.

2 people found this helpful

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S.J. Webber

Strange Rebels

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 June 2013

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An excellent book. Well researched. A fantastic read. I recommend it without hesitation. Well done and thank you Christian Caryl.

3 people found this helpful

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Strange Rebels: 1979 and the Birth of the 21st Century Hardcover – 30 April 2013

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