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outcolder's review
4.0
I decided to actually read this monster because Ian Bone recommended it so highly in [b:Bash The Rich|987128|Bash The Rich|Ian Bone|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1180021286l/987128._SY75_.jpg|972622]. 937 pages later (not the edition pictured), I feel like I climbed a mountain.
Thompson steers a course between older, "sentimental" historians who paint the English workers and artisans of the early 1800s as lovable sweethearts who never planned insurrections or sabotage and "ideological" historians who view the horrors of the industrial revolution and the development of modern capitalism as inevitable and resistance is not only futile but also just plain wrong. Instead of those poles, Thompson finds the half that's never been told and prepares the way for future "people's histories."
It's probably ridiculous to write a goodreads-sized review of this thing, so I'll just focus on the bits that impressed me the most. The oath taking stuff is cool. I think we should do more of that in our organizations today. The story of "Oliver," an agent provocateur whose import is large enough to occupy a sizable part of the book, is incredible. The Irish are, as always, awesome. The Luddites... man, nobody uses that word correctly nowadays... that was an exciting chapter. Finally, the concluding chapter had me looking in other reference sources for some of the fascinating demagogues Thompson analyzes.
Yeah, it's long, and jumps right in to details that seem strange if, like me, you don't already have some grounding in that period in England, but the subject matter is exciting stuff. Rebels and hangings and secret societies and cults and the occasional uprising... well worth the effort.
Thompson steers a course between older, "sentimental" historians who paint the English workers and artisans of the early 1800s as lovable sweethearts who never planned insurrections or sabotage and "ideological" historians who view the horrors of the industrial revolution and the development of modern capitalism as inevitable and resistance is not only futile but also just plain wrong. Instead of those poles, Thompson finds the half that's never been told and prepares the way for future "people's histories."
It's probably ridiculous to write a goodreads-sized review of this thing, so I'll just focus on the bits that impressed me the most. The oath taking stuff is cool. I think we should do more of that in our organizations today. The story of "Oliver," an agent provocateur whose import is large enough to occupy a sizable part of the book, is incredible. The Irish are, as always, awesome. The Luddites... man, nobody uses that word correctly nowadays... that was an exciting chapter. Finally, the concluding chapter had me looking in other reference sources for some of the fascinating demagogues Thompson analyzes.
Yeah, it's long, and jumps right in to details that seem strange if, like me, you don't already have some grounding in that period in England, but the subject matter is exciting stuff. Rebels and hangings and secret societies and cults and the occasional uprising... well worth the effort.
mild_confusion's review
4.0
So many bits of this book are incredible and it’s a classic and so important to history but also he can be painfully in-concise at times
jburnford's review
5.0
One of the greatest history books even if some of the content in part 2 is a slow read and doesn’t hold up particularly well.
luisvilla's review
4.0
Magisterial is a good word for it, I think. Can't call it a must-read, but definitely thought-provoking for anyone thinking about how social movements form.
the_dragon_starback's review against another edition
4.0
I did kind of skim the last half but i have spent so many hours of my life on this book so I'm going to say I read it.