Patriots and Tyrants [Paperback]

Ross Marlay (Author), Clark Neher (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0847684423 | ISBN-13: 978-0847684427 | Publication Date: March 1999

This innovative text explores the extraordinary personal and political lives of ten leaders who profoundly changed twentieth-century Asian history. China, India, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia are interpreted through the lives of Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Mohandas Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Ho Chi Minh, Ngo Dinh Diem, Norodom Sihanouk, Pol Pot, Sukarno, and Suharto. Some recast their countries by force of arms, others by the power of their ideology. Some were born into poverty, others into privilege. Some were democrats, some autocrats, some communists. But however great their differences, each can claim to be an authentic nationalist. Using a biographical approach, this book will stimulate students to think about the relationship between political leadership and nationalism.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A superb job of objectively summarizing the lives of each leader by providing fact-based, often critical, biographies. The descriptions of each country are also extremely useful; the authors offer much more information about the five countries covered than simply the political and economic impact of the leaders chosen for this study. The level of detail and clear organization would make this an excellent textbook for a college-level class concerned with Asian history. (Mike McKeon Current History )

About the Author

Ross Marlay is professor of political science at Arkansas State University.

Clark Neher is professor of political science at Northern Illinois University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (March 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847684423
• ISBN-13: 978-0847684427
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #687,482 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #82 in Books > History > Asia > Cambodia
  • #90 in Books > History > Asia > Indonesia

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent work on Asian leaders in this century., June 10, 2000

By 

L. Troy Beals (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Patriots and Tyrants (Paperback)

The authors take ten Asian leaders from five countries (China, Indonesia, India, Cambodia and Vietnam)and studies their lives and their leadership qualities. After a wonderful introduction of each country the authors attempt to answer such questions as: What motivates people? Is their an "Asian" way to lead? What makes a leader good or bad? Often in each country they take leaders of opposite viewpoints such as Diem and Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam. Diem was the Anti-Communist leader of South Vietnam and Minh was the communist leader of North Vietnam. The book also looks into why people follow certain brutal leaders such as Mao and Pol Pot. It looks at the establishing of personality cults and how the leader used that to his advantage.