Arms and the People Popular Movements and the Military from the Paris Commune to the Arab Spring

by Gonzalez, Mike; Barekat, Houman

• ISBN13: 9780745332970
• ISBN10: 0745332978
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-12-24
• Publisher: PLUTO PRESS

Summary

Looking at a range of global historical experiences, Arms and the People examines the relationship between mass movements and military institutions. Some argue that it is impossible to achieve and protect a revolution without the support of the army, but how can the support of the army be won?*BR**BR*Arms and the People explores the impact of profound social polarisation on the internal cohesion of the state's 'armed bodies of men' and on the contested loyalties of soldiers. The different contributors examine a series of historical moments in which a crisis in the military institution has reflected a deeper social crisis which has penetrated that institution and threatened to disable it.*BR**BR*With a range of international contributors who have either studied or been directly involved in such social upheavals, Arms and the People is a pioneering contribution to the study of revolutionary change and will appeal to students and academics in history, politics and sociology.

Author Biography

Mike Gonzalez is Emeritus Professor of Latin American Studies at the University of Glasgow. He is the author of A Rebel's Guide to Marx (2006), Che Guevara and the Cuban Revolution (2004) and co-editor of the Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century Latin American and Caribbean Literature, 1900-2002 (2004).

Houman Barekat is a London-based writer and editor of the literary magazine Review 31. He has contributed to various journals including The Spokesman, International Relations and Capital and Class, as well as magazines such as Art & Music and Tribune.

Table of Contents

Introduction * Soldiers and Revolution * 1. Soldiers, Sailors and Revolution: Russia 1917 / Mike Haynes * 2. An Army in Revolt: Germany 1918-19 / Volkard Moser * 3. Nation against Nation: Italy 1919-21 / Megan Trudell * 4. Soldiers on the Side of the People: Portugal 1974 / Peter Robinson * The Popular Forces Mobilise * 5. Militia and Workers' State: Paris 1871 / Donny Gluckstein * 6. The People in Arms: Spain 1936 / Andy Durgan * 7. Never 'One Hand': Egypt 2011 / Philip Marfleet * Guerrilla Wars and the Limits of Imperial Power * 8. People Change: American Solidiers and Marines in Vietnam / Jonathan Neale * 9. Crazy Little Armies: Guerrilla Strategy in Latin America, 1958 - 1990 / Mike Gonzalez * Counter-Revolution and the Military * 10. The Iron Fist: Chile 1973 / Mike Gonzalez * 11. Reaction and Slaughter: Indonesia 1965-66 / Nathaniel Mehr * The Civic-Military Alliance * 12. Storming the Ramparts of Tyranny: Egypt & Iraq 1945-63 / Anne Alexander * 13. The Civic-Military Alliance: Venezuela 1958-1990 / Douglas Bravo & Mike Gonzalez * Index