Revolutionary Spring: Fighting for a New World 1848-1849
Revolutionary Spring: Fighting for a New World 1848-1849
Revolutionary Spring: Fighting for a New World 1848-1849
Description
Description
'One of the best history books you will read this decade' History Today
'Fascinating, suspenseful, revelatory, alive' The Times There can be few more exciting or frightening moments in European history than the spring of 1848. As if by magic, in city after city, from Palermo to Paris to Venice, huge crowds gathered, sometimes peaceful and sometimes violent, and the political order that had held sway since the defeat of Napoleon simply collapsed. Christopher Clark's spectacular new book recreates with verve, wit and insight this extraordinary period. Some rulers gave up at once, others fought bitterly, but everywhere new politicians, beliefs and expectations surged forward. The role of women in society, the end of slavery, the right to work, national independence and the emancipation of the Jews all became live issues. Clark conjures up both this ferment of new ideas and then the increasingly ruthless and effective series of counter-attacks launched by regimes who still turned out to have many cards to play. But even in defeat, exiles spread the ideas of 1848 around the world and - for better and sometimes much worse - a new and very different Europe emerged from the wreckage.
About the Author
About the Author
Christopher Clark is a professor of modern European history and a fellow of St. Catharine's College at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of The Sleepwalkers, Time and Power, Iron Kingdom, and other books.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
"Refreshingly original . . . it's fascinating, suspenseful, revelatory, alive. Familiar characters are given vibrancy and previously unknown players emerge from the shadows. Clark's prose is beautiful but also crystal clear."--The Times "Magnificent, authoritative and deeply-researched . . . a supreme work of scholarship."--The Telegraph "Exhilarating, heroic, horrifying and tragic, the events of the mid-19th century in Europe invite a good retelling . . . Christopher Clark's new book is, arguably, the best to date . . . deeply researched, rich, engaging and though-provoking. There is now no better place to turn for readers who want to immerse themselves in this period and to reflect on how it resonates today."--Literary Review "An engrossing dissection of a revolutionary year in European society."--The Independent 'Full of characters, colour and story, but also makes the arresting case that the revolutions . . . changed Europe and the world in ways felt to this day . . .the history teacher you wished you'd had."--Daily Mail "Christopher Clark is that rare thing: a great historian who is also a brilliant storyteller, with a gift for sketching scenes and delineating characters with a few deft brushstrokes. Revolutionary Spring is a beautifully written, richly detailed account of a historical moment that rhymes and resonates, in many strange ways, with our own era of turmoil and disruption."--Amitav Ghosh, author of Sea of Poppies and The Great Derangement
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Crown Publishing Group (NY)
Pub date:
2024-06-11
Length:
896 pages
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