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socraticgadfly 's review for:
Blood of Revolution: From the Reign of Terror to the Rise of Khomeini
by Erik Durschmied
Interesting, even informative in spots, but loaded with errors and also lacking focus.
First, the undoubtedly good.
First of all, I’d never heard of Andreas Höfer and Napoleon’s 1809-10 battles in the Tyrol. Good there.
Second, while I’d heard elsewhere that Fidel didn’t start as a hardline Communist (while brother Raul was), I had NOT heard of him reading Otto Skorzeny. The piece on Cuba and Che wasn’t bad, especially the part about Fidel likely deliberately cutting Che loose after he called out the USSR at a non-aligned movement event in Algiers in 1965.
Third, the piece on the downfall of the Shah wasn’t bad. It wasn't great, though. It oversimplified Iranian-Arab relations, among other things. And, it does worse than that on Zoroastrianism, which is not sun worship! That said, contra another reviewer, Khomenei was not nearly alone in protesting the White Revolution. He did inspire a march estimated at 100,000. I don't think he had 80,000 mullahs on his side, but many mullahs, often quiescently, did oppose the White Revolution.
OK, that’s about it, and I've already introduced you to errors.
Errors, beyond that?
First major one is claiming Napoleonic Wars were first modern or semi-modern “world war.” Nope. Seven Years War covered more territory with more continuous fighting.
Second? Calling Alix, not Nicky, George V’s cousin. Error was corrected later on the same page, but still. Something that shouldn’t have been made.
Third? Not discussing the fantasy thinking of the Bomb Plot group that they could really get a separate peace with the Western Allies. Also, I think by the time of the book, in 2001, per Trevor-Roper and others, it was known that Stalin had gotten Hitler’s skeleton.
Fourth? Multiple issues on the failed revolt against Hirohito over the rescript. First is a whitewashing of Hirohito himself, when a cousin commanded one of the armies at Nanking, Hirohito himself knew the basics of Unit 731, and was a hardliner until at least Iwo Jima in holding out for a piece that let Japan keep at least everything through 1905 if not through 1918. I mean, seriously. This chapter sounded like it was lifted from a Japanese high school history textbook. Also, contra a footnote? Oppenheimer was never charged with treason or even close to it. In fact, he was never criminally charged with anything.
Fourth, part two? This wasn’t a revolution, it was a mutiny, and a failed one. The Japanese officers’ corps gradual expansion of political power in the 1930s wasn’t a revolution either, at least not nearly as much a creeping revolution as an attempt at restoration of a modernized quasi-shogunate.
Fifth, where’s Mao? Nothing on either the original Revolution OR the Cultural Revolution? Especially when the fighting in the Tyrol wasn’t even a revolution?
Two stars for what’s missing and for lack of coherence.
First, the undoubtedly good.
First of all, I’d never heard of Andreas Höfer and Napoleon’s 1809-10 battles in the Tyrol. Good there.
Second, while I’d heard elsewhere that Fidel didn’t start as a hardline Communist (while brother Raul was), I had NOT heard of him reading Otto Skorzeny. The piece on Cuba and Che wasn’t bad, especially the part about Fidel likely deliberately cutting Che loose after he called out the USSR at a non-aligned movement event in Algiers in 1965.
Third, the piece on the downfall of the Shah wasn’t bad. It wasn't great, though. It oversimplified Iranian-Arab relations, among other things. And, it does worse than that on Zoroastrianism, which is not sun worship! That said, contra another reviewer, Khomenei was not nearly alone in protesting the White Revolution. He did inspire a march estimated at 100,000. I don't think he had 80,000 mullahs on his side, but many mullahs, often quiescently, did oppose the White Revolution.
OK, that’s about it, and I've already introduced you to errors.
Errors, beyond that?
First major one is claiming Napoleonic Wars were first modern or semi-modern “world war.” Nope. Seven Years War covered more territory with more continuous fighting.
Second? Calling Alix, not Nicky, George V’s cousin. Error was corrected later on the same page, but still. Something that shouldn’t have been made.
Third? Not discussing the fantasy thinking of the Bomb Plot group that they could really get a separate peace with the Western Allies. Also, I think by the time of the book, in 2001, per Trevor-Roper and others, it was known that Stalin had gotten Hitler’s skeleton.
Fourth? Multiple issues on the failed revolt against Hirohito over the rescript. First is a whitewashing of Hirohito himself, when a cousin commanded one of the armies at Nanking, Hirohito himself knew the basics of Unit 731, and was a hardliner until at least Iwo Jima in holding out for a piece that let Japan keep at least everything through 1905 if not through 1918. I mean, seriously. This chapter sounded like it was lifted from a Japanese high school history textbook. Also, contra a footnote? Oppenheimer was never charged with treason or even close to it. In fact, he was never criminally charged with anything.
Fourth, part two? This wasn’t a revolution, it was a mutiny, and a failed one. The Japanese officers’ corps gradual expansion of political power in the 1930s wasn’t a revolution either, at least not nearly as much a creeping revolution as an attempt at restoration of a modernized quasi-shogunate.
Fifth, where’s Mao? Nothing on either the original Revolution OR the Cultural Revolution? Especially when the fighting in the Tyrol wasn’t even a revolution?
Two stars for what’s missing and for lack of coherence.