1956: The World in Revolt

Well researched and well written account of many of the important and pivotal international events of 1956. I disagree with the author's contention that it was a more important year in modern world history than 1968 (absolutely not). I lived through both years, and 1968 was absolutely chaotic and tumultuous, and stands alone. He sheds some light on events that many Americans are perhaps not sufficiently aware of, and that in and of itself is worth reading this for. My opinion. Thanks

You may think that the 1950's were sleepy times full of American consumerism & conformity, but 1956 was anything but dull. In fact the year was full of tumult and a harbinger of what was to come in the next decade.

Overseas, the European colonial empires were starting to crumble, and the efforts of the colonial powers to hang on to the territories and spheres of influence were met with disaster - as evidenced in the British and French efforts in Suez. The satellites of the Soviet Union were also restless culminating in revolutionary revolts in both Poland and Hungary, and even inside the USSR, there was a turning away from Stalinism to a milder form of Communism.

Here at home, the Civil Rights movement began with the Montgomery bus show more boycott, and the first stirrings of what would become the "youthquake" of the 1960's could be seen the first time Elvis Presley appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show.

As I have frequently told people, the "good old days" were never as calm or peaceful as our memories would like us to believe. It's always good to revisit the recent past to be reminded of that fact. show less

Reading this book reminded me of Billy Joel's great song "We Didn't Start the Fire".
1956, to my mind was the year that people all over the world learned how to protest the injustices that were being perpetrated allegedly in their name.
This should be compulsory reading in schools.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Faber and Faber Ltd., via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.