Blood of Revolution

Book excerpt: Starting on the eve of the French Revolution in the late 1780s, Durschmied not only describes the dramatic events but enriches each of these historic upheavals by quoting the protagonists on both sides. Letting facts and quotations speak for themselves, he sets forth and analyzes the French, Mexican, and Russian revolutions, the failed putsch against Hitler in 1944, the Cuban Revolution, and finally the Iranian Revolution that ousted the Shah in 1979. Each revolution has its own dynamic and fascinating cast of characters, but all too often, as this wonderfully researched work shows, the end result is the same: mayhem, betrayal, and death.