Abstract

This collection examines the relationship between mass movements and the military. Some argue that it is impossible to achieve and protect a revolution without the support of the army, but how can the support of the army be won?

Arms and the People explores the impact of social extremes on the solidarity within the state’s military, and on the changing loyalties of these soldiers. The authors examine a series of historical moments in which a crisis in the military has reflected deep instability in the wider world, including Russia in 1917, Egypt during the Arab Spring, the Paris Commune, as well as long-standing instability in Venezuela and Indonesia, amongst many others.

Including a range of international authors who have either studied or been directly involved in such social upheavals, Arms and the People is a pioneering contribution to the study of revolutionary change.
'These engaged case studies from some 150 years represent a very welcome review of both the popular armed struggle and the institutions of state violence'
James Dunkerley, Professor of Politics at Queen Mary, University of London, and the former Director of the Institute for the Study of the Americas.
'A most revealing study of some of the most dramatic moments of modern history'
Noam Chomsky