Blood of Revolution: From the Reign of Terror to the Rise of Khomeini [Paperback]

Erik Durschmied (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 10, 2003

What do revolutionsóalmost always made in the name of freedomóreally change? In this engaging survey, Durschmied looks at major revolts, upheavals, and revolutions over the last 200 years, describing and enriching our understanding of each of these historic and dramatic events. Using historical texts and eyewitness accounts, he analyzes the French, Mexican, and Russian revolutions; the 1919 Germany uprising and the failed ìputschî against Hitler in 1944; Japanís ìlongest dayî during the abolishment of the emperor cult; 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 well-researched work shows, the end result is the same: mayhem, betrayal, glory, and death.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The former Newsweek correspondent who has toyed about with variations on the theme of "What if?" in his speculative histories The Hinge Factor and The Weather Factor settles down here to look at the actual record of the great political revolutions of the last two centuries. It is not a happy story, nor a heroic one. "Genius, courage and creativity are powerful forces," Durschmied concedes; "but so is evil." And, indeed, every one of the great cataclysms described here seems, at some (fairly early) point in its development, to have been transformed into a mad witch's Sabbath of fanatics, opportunists, sadists, conmen and outright lunatics whose single-minded lust for power would have taken Machiavelli's breath away. Durschmied illustrates it all with vivid, journalistic detail: a Parisian hairdresser arranging the coiffure of the Princesse de Lamballe's severed head; the drunken turkey-shoot in which the Bolsheviks assassinated the tsar's family; Pancho Villa's sport of lining up hostages atop railway cars and gunning them down like bowling pins; the snuff films made of the hangings of resistance leaders for Hitler's personal amusement. The author's intent is not primarily analytical, but he makes it clear that political collapses as complete as those detailed here are never the result of simple conquest, militarily or ideologically, and that no ruler is ever overthrown unless he or she is profoundly inept, weak-willed or stupid (e.g., Louis XVI, Nicholas II, the shah of Iran). Durschmied writes wonderfully fluid and engaging accounts. The final chapter, on the Khomeinite revolution in Iran, is particularly timely now. 16 pages of b&w photos not seen by PW. First printing 15,000.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

A journalist and military historian based in France, Durschmied here presents an engaging account of selected revolutions in modern history. "Revolution is born of hope and its philosophy is formally optimistic," he writes, but it is the strategic maneuvering and the aftermath of the revolution, when things fall apart, that fascinates this author. Beginning with a lengthy review of the French Revolution, he succinctly covers a succession of revolutionary movements, including the Mexican Revolution of 1910, the Russian Revolution, the death of Che Guevara, Ayatollah Khomeini's revolution in Iran, and others. He draws upon interviews, field reporting, and research in French, German, and Russian archives for his material. The light and lively narrative serves as a useful introduction for the general reader. A selective bibliography identifies the major titles for each revolution covered. First published in Britain as Whisper of the Blade, this book is best suited for public libraries and is recommended chiefly as a companion to Durschmied's previous works, such as The Hinge Factor: How Chance and Stupidity Have Changed History (LJ 3/1/00). Thomas A. Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, PA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: Arcade Publishing (January 10, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559706562
• ISBN-13: 978-1559706568
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,409,747 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars History as Melodrama, February 9, 2002

By 

William Holmes "semloh2287" (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blood of Revolution: From the Reign of Terror to the Rise of Khomeini (Hardcover)

Erik Durschmied is one of those authors who provokes passionate views among his critics and a certain enthusiasm among his fans. I happen to like his books, though I can understand why others might disagree.

First, the strong points of "Blood of Revolution": Durschmied knows how to tell an exciting story, and he has picked some dramatic tales to work with. Some are well known: the climax of the French Revolution in 1792; the Russian Revolution of 1917; the plot to kill Hitler, which nearly succeeded in July 1944; the palace coups that tried to prevent Japanese Emperor Hirohito from broadcasting the order that ended World War II; and the revolution in Iran, which brought the Ayatollah Khomeini to power and led to an international crisis in which 52 Americans were held hostage.

Other events are a little more obscure, at least to me: the martyrdom of the Tyrolean folk hero Andreas Hofer in 1809; the Mexican Revolution of 1910-1919; the Spartcisit revolution in post-World War I Germany; and the capture and execution of Che Guevara in Bolvia in 1967.

Each of these stories is told with gusto. The people involved are cruel or kind, cowardly or bold, wise or foolish, without a lot of shading in between. The prose is often a bit lurid--Durschmied seems to be in love with all of the adjectives that Hemingway did without. And the author is always very certain of himself, which makes me a bit suspicious about his conclusions.

Although Durchmied has a vigorous writing style, it has some quirks that have irritated other reviewers. Keep in mind that the author is an Austrian-born journalist who emigrated to Canada during World War II and now lives in Paris and Provence--that's enough language experience to play havoc with anyone's syntax. As for me, his style kept me turning the pages (though I admit to wincing a few times).

If you're looking for a sober, scholarly history, this book probably isn't for you. And if you are already familiar with the events that Durschmied describes (as I was with the fall of Japan), you aren't going to learn a lot that's new. But if you think you would enjoy a quick and passionate survey of some interesting historical events, this book and its predecessors "The Hinge Factor" and "The Weather Factor" are definitely worth picking up.

And, for the Durschmied fan, here's a tip: for some reason or other, Durschmied's books appear in the United Kingdom about a year before they arrive in the United States. "Blood of Revolution," for instance, was published in February 2001 under the title "Whisper of the Blade" (see what I mean about melodrama?). And Durschmied just published "The Hinges of Battle: How Chance and Incompetence Have Changed the Face of History," which can be found on Amazon's UK site--I already have my copy in hand.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss, November 2, 2005

By 

Alan Rockman (Upland, California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blood of Revolution: From the Reign of Terror to the Rise of Khomeini (Paperback)

The Who's famous lyric from "Won't Get Fooled Again" is an apt beginning for a review of this very interesting and gripping book - definitely NOT one for the squeamish.

When I was much younger and read the "Classics Illustrated" "history" of the French Revolution, I had some admiration for those who, inflammed by the poverty of the French masses and sickened by the avarice and capriciousness of Louis and Marie Antoinette, led the people in open revolt. Over the years, I began to learn that Robespierre was nothing more that a self-righteous, bloodthirsty rodent, and that Danton, with all of his high words, and Marat of the skin disease and good words were no better - and essentially evil cowards. While Louis and Marie were stupid and greedy, they died game -and certainly did not deserve their fates, nor did their son, whom was torn from his gullotined mother to die half-insane at 10 in a rat-infested cell.

In France, the Revolution eventually devoured its own, but NOT until thousands were raped, robbed, and slaughtered for being middle class or not wishing to be part of the blood crazed mobs -Marat was killed in his cesspool bath by the woman who was the real heroine of the Revolution, Charlotte Corday; Danton denounced by Robespierre, and finally Robespierre and his drunk, debauched minions hunted down by other revolutionaries who feared for their own lives...and enter Napoleon Bonaparte.

Durschmied's main point is that revolutions begin often enough as a slapstick affair, but the will to put them down is usually not there. In the end, the revolution usually will devour its own.

The author writes in a European narrative style that can be a bit complicated for the American reader, and I'm not sure if the decision by the Japanese Generals to rise against their Emperor in 1945 could be considered a Revolution. But he does write full narratives of the 1910 Mexican Revolution, and shows how even those considered to be heroes, Villa and Zapata, were also bloodthirsty cowards and bandits who'd dragged the Chinese population through the streets of their village because one of their stupid lieutenants died of too much alcohol consumption in a Chinese restaurant. The Russian Revolution is covered in a concise but well-written detail. He writes of how in Germany Rosa Luxemborg and Karl Liebeknecht over-estimated the rise of reactionary forces following the First World War, and paid for it with their lives; and how, in one of the most illuminating chapters, shows how Che Guevara was sold out, not by the American Imperialists, but by his own Revolutionary brother, the pompous, pathetic Fidel Castro, because Che was a true revolutionary, and more of a Trotskyite and Anarchist than the guy who sold his soul to Soviet Communism. Fidel feared Che, especially after Guevara openly denounced the Soviets, and chose to send him to a Bolivia where as poor as the people were, they were anything but ripe for revolution.

The final chapter mirrors the first one - it shows how the Shah of Iran could have put down the Khomeinist revolt as easily as Louis, if he had been a strong ruler, could have blunted the French Revolution through a combination of reform - and using the revolutionary method of brute force. The Shah, wracked by illness and by the cowardice of Jimmy Carter, chose to let the Khomeinists take to the streets, with their revolution destroying a stable, prosperous Iran, and may, thanks to Khomeini's successors, may eventually see a destroyed Iran.

The book was written before 9/11, but it might have been interesting to see how the author described Bin Laden, another bloodthirsty coward and his coterie of cowards, outlaws, babykillers, and scum known as Al Qaeda. Or how we in the Western Democracies,lacking the will to decisively take on this brigands and thugs behave just as the hapless Louis and Marie, the hapless Kerensky, and the hapless Shah did, just wringing our hands over the treatment of killers at Abu Gharib and Git'mo, or foolishly debating whether or not those babykillers who kill Jews and Christians for the sake of their brand of Islamofascism should be treated as prisoners-of-war. Instead of spraying their barbaric and butchering corpses with Bacon fat, and feeding the live roaches the same. We behave, as Louis and Marie and the Shah did at our own peril.

Time for an update?

4.0 out of 5 stars Worthwhile, despite some problems, May 16, 2006

By 

Y. Sageev "a garden-variety dude" (Western NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blood of Revolution: From the Reign of Terror to the Rise of Khomeini (Paperback)

The theme of Durschmied's history is fairly mundane and straightforward -- with the largely singular exception of the American Revolution, revolutions and "progressive" revolutionaries more often than not create leadership that is more brutal than the old order. One would think that this theme is a truism until one observes so many young supporters of e.g. Che, Lenin, or Castro, either out of sheer ignorance or willful denial. For this reason "Blood of Revolution" has redeeming value, especially since it is readable and overwhelmingly accurate.

Durschmied covers, in order, The Jacobin Terror, The Mexican Revolution, The Russian Revolution, the Spartakus revolution of German socialists, the plot to assassinate Hitler, the plot to "save" Hirohito and forcibly prevent armistice, and the Iranian Revolution. In all cases he manages to maintain interest and make his case well. For example, Pancho Villa, whose revolutionary mystique made him a Hollywood darling, stopped a train of hundreds of Federales and massacred everyone on board, ordered the disappearance of entire village male populations and permitted rape of the women who remained, and lined up 400 Colorados three-deep to save precious bullets during execution. These are but a few from a vast litany of horrific acts perpetrated during most revolutions.

The narrative is quite interesting, particularly the background to the Mexican and Iranian Revolutions. At times however, it seems Durschmied is at loss for a segue between episodes and attempts to link them with the rather awkward "And then...".

Another problem is basic omission of worthy candidates for revolutionary terror. Instead of narrating the plot to assassinate Hitler by Colonel Stauffenberg, Durschmied would have done better to focus on the Nazi Party's rise and ultimate seizure of the Reichstag. Durschmied similarly ignores the rise and victory of Mao's Communists in China which resulted in the Cultural Revolution.

Perhaps the most irritating of the flaws is the sometimes dubious historical analysis. For example, Durschmied contends that Wilson erred by interfering in the Mexican power struggle. Why? Because it provided Germany a political entry point from which to encourage Mexico to attack the US during WWI, thereby involving the US in the world conflict after the interception of the "Zimmerman Telegram". One would think, judging from his reasoning, that Durschmied must think it a bad thing for the US to have entered WWI, when on the contrary it encouraged a speedier armistice and saved the allies. It still could be the case that US interference in Mexico was counter-productive, but not for the simplistic and basically wrong-headed rationale given by the author.

Despite these problems, "The Blood of Revolution" is a worthwhile and often gripping account of revolutionary terror from a good sampling of revolutions. Not only accurate but a good read, Durschmied's account is the perfect gift for today's misty-eyed radical in his Che Guevara t-shirt.