21 Speeches That Shaped Our World The People and Ideas That Changed the Way We Think

by Abbott, Chris

• ISBN13: 9781846042720
• ISBN10: 1846042720
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-04-01
• Publisher: Random House UK

Summary

A thought-provoking collection of 21 speeches that have shaped the modern world In this fascinating book, a political analyst takes a close look at 21 key speeches which have shaped the world today. He examines the power of the arguments embedded in these speeches to inspire people to achieve great things, or do great harm, and he draws upon his political expertise to explain how our current understanding of the world is rooted in pivotal moments of history. These moments are captured in the words of a range of influential speakers including: Emmeline Pankhurst, Martin Luther King, Jr., Enoch Powell, Napoleon Beazley, Kevin Rudd, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Osama bin Laden, Margaret Beckett, Winston Churchill, Salvador Allende, Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, Tim Collins, Mohandas Gandhi, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Robin Cook, and Barack Obama. The speeches in this book are arranged thematically, linked by concepts such as "might is right," "with us or against us," and "give peace a chance." Each transcript is accompanied by an insightful commentary that analyzes how the words relate to contemporary society.

Author Biography

Chris Abbott is a writer and researcher specializing in international security and foreign affairs. He is the founder and executive director of Open Briefing, the world's first civil society intelligence agency, and the coauthor of Beyond Terror.