Victorious Insurgencies: Four Rebellions that Shaped our World

by Anthony James Joes

Overview

The author of Resisting Rebellion examines four of the twentieth century’s most consequential rebellions—in China, Cuba, Afghanistan, and French Indochina.

While insurgencies continue to erupt across the globe, most of them fail to meet their intended aims. But in Four Rebellions that Shaped Our World, Anthony James Joes analyzes four successful rebellions which permanently altered the global political arena: the Maoists in China against Chiang Kai-shek and the Japanese in the 1930s and 1940s; the Viet Minh in French Indochina from 1945 to 1954; Castro's followers against Batista in Cuba from 1956 to 1959; and the mujahideen in Soviet Afghanistan from 1980 to 1989.

Joes illuminates patterns of failed counterinsurgencies, highlighting their avoidable political and military blunders as well as the critical influence of the international setting. Offering provocative insights that are applicable to twenty-first century geopolitics, this comprehensive study will be of great interest to policy-makers and concerned citizens alike.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813139869
Publisher:	University Press of Kentucky
Publication date:	07/07/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Anthony James Joes, professor of political science at Saint Joseph's University, is the author of Urban Guerrilla Warfare, Resisting Rebellion: The History and Politics of Counterinsurgency, America and Guerrilla Warfare, and many other books.

Editorial Reviews

Joes (Urban Guerrilla Warfare) looks at the causes, effects, and circumstances of 20th-century rebellions in China, where Chiang Kai-shek's nationalist forces were routed by Mao Tse-tung's troops; Vietnam, where the French were booted out by Ho Chi Min and General Vo Nugyen Giap; Cuba, where Castro overthrew the government of Fulgencio Batista; and Afghanistan, where freedom fighters defeated Soviet might. Joes adds a final chapter on the unlearned lessons of these insurgencies, with an eye towards the United States' current military situation. Underestimating the enemy, especially in military leadership, is a common thread. Another is the belief that entrenched powers fail to offer a peaceful road to change. While Joes is thorough in retelling the histories and raising salient points, he fails to establish a strong rationale for why he focused on these insurgencies and ignored others. All rebellions were inspired by the Russian communist revolution; perhaps because the domino theory has been discredited, Joes plays down the original motivator: the communist manifesto. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"An excellent book that takes four case studies of insurgency in the twentieth century and offers a concise and nuanced analysis as to why they succeeded." — Alastair Finlan, author of Special Forces, Strategy, and the War on Terror: Warfare by Other Means" —

"Professor Joes' international reputation as an astute analyst of revolutionary politics is reconfirmed by his latest work, Victorious Insurgencies: Four Rebellions that Shaped our World. The work is well crafted and insightful, and it affords a rare level of comprehension to intelligent laypersons, as well as recommendations to those responsible for counterinsurgency policy. The volume is highly recommended."—A. James Gregor, author of Marxism, Fascism, and Totalitarianism: Chapters in the Intellectual History of Radicalism" —

"After nine years of futile war in Afghanistan, Joes' insightful and cautionary Victorious Insurgencies is long overdue."—Jeffrey Record, author of Wanting War: Why the Bush Administration Invaded Iraq" —

"Provacative, stimulating, and often convincingly revisionist, this is a most useful work."— Choice" —

"[This book] pinpoints military and political blunders made by counterinsurgent forces that cost them vistoroy, and considers [the] influence of international communities on events. College-level and military holdings will consider this a fine analysis!"— The Midwest Book Review" —

"Teachers will profit from reading [this] book."—Teaching History" —

"In Victorious Insurgencies, Anthony James Joes examines four conflicts in which guerrillas exploited population grievances, counterinsurgents made mistakes, and foreign actors presented opportunities to defeat counter insurgents. The book's primary contribution is that it porvides the historical context missing in many cursory examinations." — Military Review" —

"A superb textbook for anyone—student, teacher, or specialist—who would learn from the historical record what makes some insurgencies successful and what factors rendered the ruling regimes unable to overcome them."— Parameters" —

"...rather an interesting counterpoint to the surge of literature arguing for the superiority of insurgency in the modern world...his narrative is sprinkled with clever phrasing that makes for a read that is anything but dull." — Brian R. Price, Journal of Military History

From the Publisher