Blood of Revolution: From the Reign of Terror to the Rise of Khomeini

by Erik Durschmied

Book Overview

In this fascinating book, the author of The Hinge Factor and The Weather Factor surveys revolutions across the centuries, vividly portraying the people and events that brought wrenching, often... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1559706074
• ISBN13: 9781559706070
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Arcade Publishing
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.3" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss

The Who's famous lyric from "Won't Get Fooled Again" is an apt beginning for a review of this very interesting and gripping book - definitely NOT one for the squeamish. When I was much younger and read the "Classics Illustrated" "history" of the French Revolution, I had some admiration for those who, inflammed by the poverty of the French masses and sickened by the avarice and capriciousness of Louis and Marie Antoinette, led the people in open revolt. Over the years, I began to learn that Robespierre was nothing more that a self-righteous, bloodthirsty rodent, and that Danton, with all of his high words, and Marat of the skin disease and good words were no better - and essentially evil cowards. While Louis and Marie were stupid and greedy, they died game -and certainly did not deserve their fates, nor did their son, whom was torn from his gullotined mother to die half-insane at 10 in a rat-infested cell. In France, the Revolution eventually devoured its own, but NOT until thousands were raped, robbed, and slaughtered for being middle class or not wishing to be part of the blood crazed mobs -Marat was killed in his cesspool bath by the woman who was the real heroine of the Revolution, Charlotte Corday; Danton denounced by Robespierre, and finally Robespierre and his drunk, debauched minions hunted down by other revolutionaries who feared for their own lives...and enter Napoleon Bonaparte. Durschmied's main point is that revolutions begin often enough as a slapstick affair, but the will to put them down is usually not there. In the end, the revolution usually will devour its own. The author writes in a European narrative style that can be a bit complicated for the American reader, and I'm not sure if the decision by the Japanese Generals to rise against their Emperor in 1945 could be considered a Revolution. But he does write full narratives of the 1910 Mexican Revolution, and shows how even those considered to be heroes, Villa and Zapata, were also bloodthirsty cowards and bandits who'd dragged the Chinese population through the streets of their village because one of their stupid lieutenants died of too much alcohol consumption in a Chinese restaurant. The Russian Revolution is covered in a concise but well-written detail. He writes of how in Germany Rosa Luxemborg and Karl Liebeknecht over-estimated the rise of reactionary forces following the First World War, and paid for it with their lives; and how, in one of the most illuminating chapters, shows how Che Guevara was sold out, not by the American Imperialists, but by his own Revolutionary brother, the pompous, pathetic Fidel Castro, because Che was a true revolutionary, and more of a Trotskyite and Anarchist than the guy who sold his soul to Soviet Communism. Fidel feared Che, especially after Guevara openly denounced the Soviets, and chose to send him to a Bolivia where as poor as the people were, they were anything but ripe for revolution. The final chapter mirrors the first one - it s

Five Stars for Sheer Entertainment

The "Whisper of the Blade" (The UK/ Canada title for this book) should serve as a cold shower for all of those who believe that revolutionary thought, processes or actions have ever added anything positive to the world. Healthy youth demands idealism (indeed one could say that a neo-conservative youth is by definition dysfunctional), but age and wisdome demands that cooler heads prevail and that the past serve as a guide to incremental change. When it does not, then the world goes out of whack very quickly and people get killed in ever increasing amounts as people try to pound people to fit their historical theories. Whether they be the forces of the French Revolution or those of Che Gueverra, they usually lead to the wholesale abuse of people and mass murder. It is this phenomemon that Durkschmied convey with great brilliance. As a youthful journalist he felt the allure of revolutionary politics. In later days after reporting over 4 decades he has come to see the boneyard that revolutionary ideals has heaped upon man in the 20th Century and their sometimes equally bloody reactionary backlash.The historical detail starts with the watchmaker King Louis XVI and his inability to change in any way to alleviate the suffering of his people early until it was too late. Even at the end when a little "whiff of grapeshot" and a reform policy would have staved off revolution, he ordered the Swiss Guard to lay down weapons to be torn to pieces by the French Mob. Equal tragedies such as the Spartikist Revolution, the Iranian Revolution, the last days of Che Gueverra, and the reactionay palace coup of the Japanese militarists and the courageous, yet fruitless resistence of the anti-Nazi forces in July 44 are all well documented. All of these events have been better written about by other academics and mass narrative historians. The real difference is that Durkschmeid is really looking for a time, sequence, event and decision, where the success or failure of a revolution or coup either failed or was made succeesful. In the French Revolution he does isolate the key role of the Swiss Guard. Frankly speaking, I think that Durkschmeid may be cutting history to fit his own personal dimensions. I really don't care. The narrative is so exciting. How exciting? I carried this book on an ice-climbing expedition and could not wait until we finished the route and returned to the tent.... there, dog-tired, I ploughed through another 50 pages until my eyelids slipped and the adventure would be continued on the morrow. (...)

A fascinating survey of world revolutionary influences

Historical texts, eyewitness accounts, and analysis blend in Blood Of Revolution, a survey of a range of revolutions and revolts, from the French revolution to those in the Middle East and Cuba. Each revolution has its own dynamic and cast of characters but all result in betrayal, glory and death. A fascinating survey of world revolutionary influences.

4 stars for Durschmied

I read the "WHISPER OF BLADES" which is the U.K / EU version of this book.I guees the most true and interesting sentance of the book on every chapter. The KING asked the adviser " WHY A REVOLUTION IS HAPPENING ON MY WATCH " adviser answers " YOU BROUGHTED ON YOUR SELF ".