Editorial Reviews:
It is an era that redefined history. As the 1790s began, a fragile America teetered on the brink of oblivion, Russia towered as a vast imperial power, and France plunged into revolution. But in contrast to the way conventional histories tell it, none of these remarkable events occurred in isolation. Now, for the first time, in The Great Upheaval, acclaimed historian Jay Winik masterfully illuminates how their fates combined in one extraordinary moment to change the course of civilization. In this sweeping, magisterial drama, Winik brings his vast, meticulous research and narrative genius to the cold, dark battlefields and deadly clashes of ideologies that defined this age. Here is a savage world war, the top-pling of a great dynasty, and an America struggling to survive at home and abroad. Here, too, is the first modern holy war between Islam and a resurgent Christian empire. And here is the richest cast of characters to walk upon the world stage: Washington and Jefferson, Louis XVI and Robespierre, Catherine the Great, Adams, Napoleon, and Selim III. With powerful echoes for understanding the international chaos that confronts the globe today, we see them all fighting desperately for the ideals they believed in, whether man-made democracy or divinely inspired autocracy, whether republicanism or Allah's law. Exquisitely written and utterly compelling, The Great Upheaval vividly depicts an arc of revolutionary fervor stretching from Philadelphia and Paris to St. Petersburg and Cairo?with fateful results. A landmark in historical literature, Winik's gripping, epic portrait of this tumultuous decade will forever transform the way we see America's beginnings and our world.
Fresh and brilliant, this is the book that completely redefines the founding era. As the 1790s began, America was struggling to survive at home and abroad, and the world was gripped by an arc of revolutionary fervor stretching from Philadelphia and Paris to St. Petersburg and Cairo--with fatal results. While a fragile United States teetered on the brink of oblivion, Russia towered as a vast imperial power, the Islamic peoples were gearing for war, and France plunged into monumental revolution. In The Great Upheaval, acclaimed historian Jay Winik masterfully illuminates how their fates combined in one extraordinary moment to change the course of civilization and bequeath us the nation--indeed, the world--we've inherited. Below we see a brief taste of the incredible events and people who shaped this most memorable of decades. A Timeline of The Great Upheaval | 1787 | | George Washington and the founders gather in Philadelphia to create the Constitution. Meanwhile, Russia's Empress Catherine the Great prepares her bloody assault on the Islamic Ottoman Empire, thus unleashing the first modern holy war between Islam and Christianity. | | 1789 | | When the Bastille falls, it is a sound heard around the world: George Washington is sent the key to the fortress, while upon the hearing the news, Russians dance in the streets. King Louis XVI asks, "Is this a revolt?" and is told, "No sire, it's a revolution." | | 1791-92 | | Having helped midwife the American rebels to independence, an outraged Catherine seeks to stamp out the French Revolutionary menace. Undaunted, a radicalized France soon declares, "war on the castles, peace on the cottages," triggering a savage world war that lasts 21 years and costs millions of lives. | | |  | | President George Washington | | | 1793 | | George Washington receives Revolutionary France's new envoy, Citizen Genet, who audaciously seeks to foment insurrection at America's borders, pitting American against American.
An ocean away, the French king, who had been America's staunchest ally, is beheaded. | | 1794 | | The Whiskey Rebellion begins, threatening civil war in America. To Washington's chagrin, as the Terror heats up in France, the Whiskey Rebels in Pennsylvania carry mock guillotines, shoot up likenesses of George Washington, and threaten to march on Philadelphia. Washington frantically assembles a force larger than used at Yorktown. | | |  | | The excecution of King Louis XVI | | | 1795 | | Catherine's armies carve up the ancient kingdom of Poland, where the rebellion was led by a hero of the American revolution, Thaddeus Kosiusko, sending a dire signal to the infant American Republic about the perils of military weakness. | | 1797-98 | | As Napoleon's armies ominously devour Europe "leaf by leaf," president John Adams fears the young republic will be invaded next. With war fever gripping the country, the administration harshly represses civil liberties. | | 1800 | | In the most contested election in U.S. history, military forces are mobilized and the nation again hangs on the precipice of civil war. But unlike in France and Russia, America manages an unprecedented first--a peaceful transfer of power between antagonists, making Thomas Jefferson America's third president. | | |  | | Empress Catherine the Great | |
Customer Reviews:
Displaying 1 to 5 of 49 total reviews (Page 1 of 10):
 Astounding
Who cares about 1788-1800? After reading this book you'll see the incredible impact on today's world let alone the exciting events and personalities during this incredibly important era. I teach history and found this book enlightening. Insights into the French Revolution and it's impact on Europe and the infant United States stand out in this book. Easily a 5 star production. It does leave you wanting more but isn't that what history does to a curious person? Great book. A Difficult Topis Made Easy To Read
I totally enjoyed reading Mr. Winik's book "The Great Upheaval". I was some what put off by the length of the book; however, when I opened it and read the first page I was caught. He took a boring topic and made it a page-turner. I could not wait to find out what happened next. I gave this book to three friend as gifts.  Quickly Becoming a Favorite
The Great Upheaval: America and the Birth of the Modern World, 1788-1800 (P.S.)
I stumbled upon this book while waiting for my tire installation at our local Costco and I'm glad I did. If you share a passion for this period Jay Winik brings a complete, world view to the times. He may not have the flair of Steven Ambrose or the captivating wonder of David McCullough yet his insight is keen. Reviewing the history as it played out in Russia, France, and a young United States he's provided an interlocking understanding of the world as it was prior to and through this tumultuous time. Although I've studied each story separately I'm enjoying anew the history while learning finite insights I didn't realize I had missed.  Falls Short
The Great Upheaval is nothing if not ambitious. In this author's very successful previous book, April 1865, the topic was extremely focused both in timeline and subject matter. Not so in The Great Upheaval. Technically it covers the years 1788-1800 and a majority of the civilized world at that time, attempting to link events globally by what occurred locally. I didn't realize this was a point of contention among historians, i.e. The American and French Revolution. So in breadth, scope and length it dwarfs its predecessor - except in readability. I applaud the effort and I really wanted to like but this book but it was a challenge to finish.
The title is somewhat of a misnomer. The goal may have been to center on the years 1788-1800 but the text/topics slip(s) chronologically back and forth by years, decades and even centuries - including the building of Versailles and Louis XIV, the history of Islam and Peter the Great. Also the United States is not the focus here either - the narrative changes from America to France to Russia - and Turkey, Great Britain, Poland, Vienna - and more. Although this may sound fascinating, it comes across as willy-nilly, confusing and at times exasperating - with a lack of coherency to the transitions and narrative. Major characters' bios are introduced pages and sometimes chapters after they enter the story adding to the reader's confusion/frustration, particularly when the specific characters provide the thread between the geographic narratives. There is also no balance in coverage of historic events. The French Revolution is covered in minute detail as well as Catherine the Great's march to the Crimea. On the other hand America finding its identity as a new independent country is given short shrift.
Compounding the readability issue is the writing - which is ponderous, repetitive, and at times painfully verbose - adjectives and adverbs abound - with nothing succinct. No one simply speaks - they mutter or exclaim or shriek or wail. Eyes flash, banquets are demolished and the blood - all the blood - drenching hills or soaking the ground or running through the streets. There are also a multitude of rhetorical questions throughout the book. Out of the ordinary? Yes. Necessarily bad? No. Frustrating? Well - you get the point.
Again I applaud the effort/attempt in writing an engaging book on a tumultuous period bringing events and historical figures to life for the "lay" reader. Unfortunately the author's attempt here in painting a dramatic picture accomplishes the exact opposite, bogging down in both detail and overwrought descriptions to the exclusion of a coherent narrative.
too much france
The first and last parts of the book (CD in my case) were quite interesting, and touched on issues seldom viewed. However, this history of the beginning of the US spent too much (4 of the 9 CDs) on the details of the life of Louis XVI. While the travails of Ann Bolyn (hour by hour leading to her death) are interesting, it really did not fit with the title and subject.
The part of the French era that was interesting was a discussion the time spent by the founding fathers (Jefferson in particular) in France. Having said that, their role in US/France diplomacy and how exposed their were in a perilous world was only hinted at.
Finally, the machinations of Catherine the Great has interesting parallels to Putin and the Russia of today. More Customer Reviews:
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