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Strange Rebels: 1979 And The Birth Of The 21st Century (2013)

by Christian Caryl(Favorite Author)

3.78 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1470879530 (ISBN13: 9781470879532)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Blackstone Audiobooks

review 1: "Strange Rebels" is a good read, not a great read. Author Christian Caryl focuses on 1979 as a year of dramatic awakening, a volatile and pivotal historical nexus at which point traditional values became reborn and were melded both into new experimental systems of governance and new political ideologies. Caryl persuasively argues the effects of this transformative year still ripple within the tributaries of today's interconnected world. But his examination of the factors that led up to and were integral to 1979 as a year of change fails to connect the year's many divergent events into a cohesive thesis.Caryl explores the earthshaking events of 1979 through five disparate nonfictional narratives. He endows each narrative with a convincing protagonist. So we see how Ma... morergaret Thatcher managed to divest an entire welfare state of consensus thought and impact British values and politics for decades to come. We learn how Ayatollah Khomeini exploited the myriad of divisions among the Iranian religious and secularists to his advantage in forging an entirely new, almost mystical based theocracy with borrowed socialist elements. We see how China managed to meld a market economy with authoritarian rule under the discerning guidance of Deng Xiaoping. We come to understand how Pope John Paul II captured the hearts and sensibilities of Eastern European Catholics, long forgotten by the church and who became awakened and inspired by his election and visit to Poland in 1979 -- so much so that they dismantled the Iron Curtain not with ironclad force but with near silent resistance. And we discovered the mysteries that divide the people of Afghanistan yet had them incongruously united in staving off Soviet occupation in the late 1970s and 1980s.Yet as intriguing and profound as these events were, Caryl fails to demonstrate their connectedness. He posits that all of these events were led by these titanic counterrevolutionary historical protagonists. But he never sews the connecting thread. Granted there are parallels. For example, he effectively shows how free-market thought came to prominence both in Britain and in China thanks to events of 1979. And he also relates the mythical ethos that can sometimes dominate politics across segments of society, as evidenced in the Iranian revolution as well as in the jihadi resistance in Afghanistan and concessions made by Communist rulers as the Cold War waned in Poland. Despite traces of commonalities, Caryl fails to deliver a convincing overarching thesis. While there's certainly merit to his characterization of his protagonists as true counterrevolutionaries and agents of change, the reader seeking unifying traits or principles would be left searching. It seems these topics, these figures, may have been explored better if chunked out into two or three separate works. There's certainly enough detail and intrigue among their scenarios and personalities to substantiate deeper exploration. But jumping seemingly haphazardly from one's story to another loosens the powerful grip these figures should hold in the reader's mind and in the historical consciousness.
review 2: A fascinating and original insight into 1979 -a momentous year of political and economic change. The book focusses on four key figures/events-the election of Margaret Thatcher, the Iranian revolution and rise of Khomeini, the impact of the Polish pope John Paul II and the rehabilitation and return to power of Deng Xiaoping.Caryl explores the backgrounds of each figures, their personalities and motivations and ideologies. His style is engaging and informative, and this helps to understand just how much impact these unique figures had on their respective countries. The main theme of the book is that modernising political ideologies such as Marxism and communism do not always lead to progress for mankind-hence Dengs economic reforms that lead to a huge increase of economic output following the catastrophic effects of collectivisation , the 79 election may have been a watershed in the UK in that Thatcher rolled back state intervention in the economy, and Blair/Brown did not reverse this .The book also explores the impact of religion and values, explaining why the Shah's Western modernising was rejected by Iranians and how the Pope's visit to Poland in 1979 lead the way to the eventual overthrow of communism.I think Caryl has a conservative viewpoint-the book skates over the socio-economic impact of Thatcherism for instance- but Its a very interesting exploration of the impact of political ideas that challenged prevailing consensus /Marxist politics. less

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