A revolutionary work since its publication; Black Power exposed the depths of systemic racism in this country and provided a radical political framework for reform: true and lasting social change would only be accomplished through unity among African-Americans and their independence from the preexisting order. An eloquent document of the civil rights movement that remains a work of profound social relevance 50 years after it was first published.
#45263 in Books Vintage 1989-01-15 1989-01-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.98 x 1.22 x 5.17l; 1.17 #File Name: 0679720197704 pagesGreat product!
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A book well worth readingBy GrouchyOldmanIn this book; Paul Kennedy is searching for a pattern to explain "the rise and fall of great powers".He studies and reports on economic and military factors that accompanied or caused previously dominant nations to lose their Great Power status. He divides the (1987) world into 5 principle actors: the US; the European Union (England; France; Germany only); the Soviet Union; China; and Japan. He discusses their economic and military strengths and weaknesses; and likely affects on their Great Power status. NOTE: This book was published in 1987; before the fall of the Soviet Union; before the fall of the Berlin Wall; and before China achieved its major economic transformation by adopting (somewhat) free-market policies. Thus; one might think that this book is well past its shelf life. However; what Kennedy undertakes to do is not to report on the world as it is in 1987; but to describe historical trends far predating 1987 and ending with the state of the would-be claimants to great power status as of 1987; and to show the role of interlocking factors of economic and military strength in trying to attain or preserve Great Power status.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The march of folly:The Rise and Fall of the Great PowersBy Phyllis Antebi Ph.DThe "Rise and Fall of the Great Powers" is a book full of interesting thoughts. I preferred to read this book not from the beginning to the end; but rather; from the end to the beginning. This book is dense; full of facts and figures; but signifying something very relevant. Today's geopolitical landscape is much more fragmented than polarized as it was when Kennedy first published his book; 1988. Still our world leaders are facing a similar set of complex variables. These variables relate to the strength of our security requirements and the rising cost of expenditures which outpace domestic growth.If you are interested in topics with far reaching global implications; I suggest you read at least the beginning and the end of Kennedy's 550 plus page thesis. I am reminded of Dorner's book; "The Logic of Failure". In it Dorner shows us how and why complex situations generate habits of thought which set failure in motion from the beginning. History seems to repeat itself. At least both Kennedy and Dorner agree on this!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Good history; bad predictionBy Leon LamThis is a classic study on the history of Great Powers. Kennedy provides a holistic and detailed analysis of the shifting power balance in the world. The first seven chapters; an overview of global politics and economy in the past five hundred years; are rigorously researched and articulately presented. The last chapter; a forecast of the development of the five future Great Powers (US; USSR; European Economic Community; Japan and China) is less effective. His argument on the EEC that success lies on its solidarity is quite precise. However; he overestimated Tokyo and to a lesser extent underestimated China. This again proves historians's somehow notorious inability of making predictions. Nevertheless; Kennedy's landmark study worth a reading.
