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Strange Rebels: 1979 and the Birth of the 21st Century
Strange Rebels 1979 and the Birth of the 21st Century Author:Christian Caryl After World War II, a secular, progressive consensus defined the international order. That changed in 1979, when a series of counterrevolutions swept the globe, blazing a path for a new era. China launched reforms that would make it the economic powerhouse it is today. Pope John Paul II traveled to Poland, challenging communism in Eastern Europe... more » by reigniting its people?s suppressed Catholic faith. An Islamic revolution transformed Iran into a theocracy almost overnight, while the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan gave rise to that country?s mujahedin resistance, the precursor to al-Qaeda. Margaret Thatcher became prime minister, returning Britain to a purer form of free-market capitalism—and inspiring Ronald Reagan to do the same.
Weaving these stories into a brisk and gripping narrative, award-winning journalist Christian Caryl?s Strange Rebels offers a groundbreaking explanation of the year that set the course for the twenty-first century.« less