47 pages • 1 hour read
Fareed ZakariaAge of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2024A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
Why does Zakaria characterize the era from 1600 forward as the age of revolutions? How does this era distinguish itself from prior periods in history?
How would you characterize the author’s political stance? How are those values reflected in his presentation of the concept of revolutions? How might someone who holds a different position interpret those same events in history?
What is the dual definition of the word “revolution?” How do both versions of the term play out in the revolutions detailed in the book? Analyze at least two specific “revolutions” in your response.
Zakaria characterizes all revolutions as a cycle of progress and backlash. Explain how this cycle plays out in two of the revolutions in the book. Are there any cases in which backlash was minimized by circumstance?
Why is the book divided into two parts? How does the author’s treatment of current revolutions differ from his approach to those in the past?
Discuss Zakaria’s characterization of Left and Right approaches to progress. What elements of each approach does he value, and what does he dismiss?
The French Revolution breaks the pattern of other revolutions discussed in the book. Why does Zakaria consider it to be a “bad” revolution? Under what circumstances might a revolution have succeeded in France in 1789?
Consider the Dutch and English revolutions, paying particular attention to each country’s physical geography. What role did geography play in allowing each nation to launch a successful revolution? Additionally, discuss how the Dutch and English attitudes toward religion differed.
Does Zakaria depict technology as a benefit or a detriment? What role does technology play in The Paradigm Shift of Globalization?
Compare and contrast the tactics of realpolitik to strategies for the acquisition of political power in the 21st century. How does populism fit in as an effective tactic in a globalized economy?
