War and Revolution: Rethinking the Twentieth Century

Description

War and Revolution identifies and takes to task a reactionary trend among contemporary historians. It is a revisionist tendency discernible in the work of authors such as Ernst Nolte, who traces the impetus behind the Holocaust to the excesses of the Russian Revolution; or Francois Furet, who links the Stalinist purges to an "illness" originating with the French Revolution. In this vigorous riposte to those who would denigrate the history of emancipatory struggle, Losurdo captivates the reader with a tour de force account of modern revolt, providing a new perspective on the English, American, French and twentieth-century revolutions.

Domenico Losurdo is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Urbino, Italy. He is the author of many books in Italian, German, French and Spanish. In English he has published Hegel and the Freedom of Moderns, Heidegger and the Ideology of War, and Liberalism.

A brilliant exercise in unmasking liberal pretensions, surveying over three centuries with magisterial command of the sources. (In praise of Liberalism: A Counter-History) * Financial Times * Stimulatingly uncovers the contradictions of an ideology that is much too self-righteously invoked. (In praise of Liberalism: A Counter-History) -- Pankaj Mishra * Guardian * A book of wide reference and real erudition. (In praise of Liberalism: A Counter-History) * Times Literary Supplement * The book is a historically grounded, very accessible critique of liberalism, complementing a growing literature critical of liberalism. (In praise of Liberalism: A Counter-History) * Choice * Losurdo's book, fruit of a continuous intertwining of historical investigations and philosophical reflections, not only constitutes a criticism of historical revisionism but also does not want to be just an invitation to look to the past to better understand the century behind us: it contains precious tools for criticising the war ideology that the West seems to want to reinstate today. -- Stefano G. Azzara & Leonardo Pecoraro * International Critical Thought * War and Revolution: Rethinking the Twentieth Centuryis a relentless document. It is dense and disconcerting. This is precisely why it should be considered one of the most important history books written since [.] 9-11. -- Ron Jacobs * CounterPunch *