This thrilling book tells the full story of the an iconic episode in American history; the Boston Tea Party—exploding myths; exploring the unique city life of eighteenth-century Boston; and setting this audacious prelude to the American Revolution in a global context for the first time. Bringing vividly to life the diverse array of people and places that the Tea Party brought together—from Chinese tea-pickers to English businessmen; Native American tribes; sugar plantation slaves; and Boston’s ladies of leisure—Benjamin L. Carp illuminates how a determined group of New Englanders shook the foundations of the British Empire; and what this has meant for Americans since. As he reveals many little-known historical facts and considers the Tea Party’s uncertain legacy; he presents a compelling and expansive history of an iconic event in America’s tempestuous past.
#650676 in Books imusti 2015-05-19Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.25 x 1.13 x 6.13l; .0 #File Name: 0300163886408 pagesYale University Press
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Pretty Good worth what I paidBy Brian BunceI read the book through and through and I will give it 5 stars.The most memorable part for me. And it's well know Stalin was a general tyrant.That when Israel started pointing more towards the US Stalin started to not like Molotovs wife's freindship with the Israeli ambassador. So Stalin had his wife fired from her high end government job then told Molotov to divorce her and then she was sent to prison.And Molotov was one of Stalins closest relationships!After Stalin died Lavantry Beria went to the prison and got Molotovs wife. When they reunited she asked "How is Comrad Stalin" they told her that Stalin died of a stroke. She then fainted! Probably not out of happiness but an insane level of loyalty to the man that put her in prison.Hopefully I wrote that accuratelyAnother part of the book that I found interesting is how quickly after his death they reversed his decisions; released prisoners; and returned allot of the wealth to the countryside where Stalin historically plundered the resources for allot of his grand projects.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Newer insights into StalinBy MORRIS M. WELLSIt is a major rehash of Stalin's years in office except for one major point....Stalin's actions in the 1930 decade while abhorrent to most people may have been driven by information he had that the population was close to a counter revolution. Also the purge of the Army in the late 1930s was focused in large part in the new armored corps officer Corp many of whom were trained in Germany. I read this in another book about the tank warfare in 1941 on the Eastern Front. Also another interesting point is that the Russian Army was concentrated right up on the border...No defense in depth. Maybe an offensive against Germany was planned?? Maybe as more documents are declassified in Russia.....Yes many are still to be declassified....Will lead to greater insight.3 of 4 people found the following review helpful. King KobaBy Keith A. ComessEvil is endlessly fascinating. Explaining and contextualizing it preoccupies legions of theologians and historians. Two of the worst of the bad bunch inflicted themselves on millions of hapless people in the near-term past: Hitler and Stalin. These two seem to be the epitomes of ruthless and rationalized mass murder and their acolytes are still active and; in some cases; gaining traction. Shortly after the demise of the USSR; ripples of nostalgia for Comrade Stalin and the earth-shaking power of the "Evil Empire" have; under Putin; become small waves. So; this is a source of concern for many who worry that "history repeats itself" and they'd best "know the enemy" by reading about him Likely; there's no better starting point than Khlevniuk's brief biography.The space between heavy academic tomes and fluffy overviews of historical figures oftentimes isn't too big. In the case of Stalin; there are plenty of both the former and the latter generally aren't worth bothering to read. Historical novels convey some useful impressions; but the fictionalized aspects tend to be judgemental or sensational or simple fantasy. The real beauty of Khlevniuk's work is its brevity. As the author acknowledges in the informative introductory section; many editorial decisions were required on what to include; what to omit and how much detail to provide. He seems to have found the perfect balance.The author employs an interesting structure; using the framework of Stalin's death in 1953 as the touch-point for the narrative. Stalin's life and career unfold in detail but Khlevniuk avoids the pitfall of psychological analysis ("Why did Stalin turn out that way?") because that crucial question can never really be answered any more than a categorical explanation of "Why did Hitler turn out that way?" can be found. There were certain influences and contemporary events for context; but there were others in similar circumstances that didn't "turn out that way"; too.Stalin's legacy is thoroughly polluted by his crimes; but what of his accomplishments? He did rocket the near-feudal Russia of the tsars into the ranks of advanced industrialized countries in a very short time span. He created one of the most sophisticated and accomplished militaries in the world and expanded the Empire to cover a significant part of Europe and Asia. His ideology attracted sympathizers worldwide. He beat the Nazi war machine into dust. However; the accompanying crimes; the needless and grotesque waste of human lives and profligate squandering of resources coupled with the totalitarian police state he helmed tarnish all these accomplishments; as Khlevniuk carefully documents.One cannot detract from Stalin's brilliance as a dictator. He eliminated all rivals (real and imagined) and cemented his hold to the point where even his most trusted acolytes cowered at his death bed. More dubious were his skills as a military leader. Initially; Stalin handicapped the Red Army by destroying its founder (Trotsky); decapitating its leadership; decimating its ranks of experienced soldiers and ignoring capable professional advice. Thus; the debacle of the Nazi invasion was amplified by his incompetence (previously demonstrated during the Civil War); his arrogance and his loss of equilibrium in face of the Wehrmacht onslaught added to the disaster. Yet; as the war progressed; the soon-to-be Marshal of the Soviet Union gained confidence; experience and understanding...though he did not let up on his murderous proclivities visited on his own people: internal exile; deportations; arrests for captured soldiers; death for those who retreated and so on.As to Stalin's legacy; it's not a good one for his comrades (only Kaganovitch lived to see the near demise of the Bolshevik enterprise); his people or the subjugated nations . Maybe; like Mao; techniques like those used in Russia were needed to create the modern USSR. Maybe not; but this book helps the open-minded reader with the knowledge and context needed to establish his/her own judgement on the matter. Koba (as he was known to his closest comrades) remained King until the end. This is the "Goldilocks" of biographies: not too long; not too short...just right! I doubt there is a better balanced and more trenchantly presented biography of Comrade Marshal Stalin than this one.
