Arms and the People: Popular Movements and the Military from the Paris Commune to the Arab Spring

This book examines the relationship between mass movements and military institutions. Some argue that it is impossible to achieve and protect a revolution without the support of the army, but how can the support of the army be won?

Using a broad range of examples from world history, Arms and the People explores the impact of profound social polarisation on the internal cohesion of the state's 'armed bodies of men'-and on the contested loyalties of soldiers. In this pioneering study of revolu...