Praise for the fifth edition: The strengths, in my view, stem from the clear chronological overview that Defronzo provides of revolutionary movements and also the theoretical analysis he provides at the beginning as to the key factors which often precipitate revolutionary upsurges. He synthesizes a lot of scholarship on the topic and makes it accessible to undergraduates.
Jeremy Kuzmarov, University of Tulsa DeFronzo's writing style is nearly jargon free and very accessible to students and general readers. Students will find the writing engaging since the book moves at a rapid clip and never gets bogged down in historical minutia
which often puts students off. Likewise, the book's organization is very student friendly with each chapter containing helpful summaries, chronologies, and references.
John Dwyer, Duquesne University The book's strength lies in its sweeping historical survey of the most significant revolutions in the twentieth century. It is, by far, the most comprehensive in its coverage of cases and demonstrates the comparative method quite well.
Michael Cairo, Transylvania University I know of no more lucid analysis of revolution's role in remaking the modern world than James DeFronzo's Revolutions and Revolutionary Movements. By putting compelling portraits of specific revolutions into a global context, Professor DeFronzo helps college students and general readers alike anticipate revolutions to come and contemplate ways to deal with them. A comprehensive bibliography of print and other sources greatly enhances the value of this indispensable book.
P. Richard Bohr, College of St. Benedict's and St. John's University James DeFronzo provides an outstanding survey of twentieth-century revolutionary movements. This book broadly conceptualizes factors that led to these ruptures, and analyzes their significance and legacies. Its compelling interpretations make it an outstanding choice both for classes on modern revolutions as well as for general readers.
Marc Becker, Truman State University In Revolutions and Revolutionary Movements, James DeFronzo has provided an excellent overview of the complex subject of revolution in clear, concise language.
Mark N. Katz, Professor of Government and Politics, George Mason University Probably one of the major strengths of this text is the ability to present the issue of Islamic Fundamentalism in a coherent and scholarly format. The author does a great job of presenting this material without sinking into a discussion on religion or American foreign policy. The inclusion of this chapter and the ability to use this topic to illustrate aspects of structural theories of protest really sets this text apart from those that concentrate on a specific form of protest or only analyze the typical cases used in studies of political protest.
Steve Garrison, Midwestern State University This superbly accessible book offers a quick, comprehensive, and reliable treatment of modern revolutionary movements... [it] is likely the best college-level survey of revolutionary movements. Highly recommended.
Choice Praise for prior editions: