Overthrow

America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq

De: Stephen Kinzer

Narrado por: Michael Prichard

A fast-paced narrative history of the coups, revolutions, and invasions by which the United States has toppled 14 foreign governments, not always to its own benefit.

"Regime change" did not begin with the administration of George W. Bush, but has been an integral part of U.S. foreign policy for more than one hundred years. Starting with the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893 and continuing through the Spanish-American War and the Cold War and into our own time, the United States has not hesitated to overthrow governments that stood in the way of its political and economic goals. The invasion of Iraq in 2003 is the latest, though perhaps not the last, example of the dangers inherent in these operations.

In Overthrow, Stephen Kinzer tells the stories of the audacious politicians, spies, military commanders, and business executives who took it upon themselves to depose monarchs, presidents, and prime ministers. He also shows that the U.S. government has often pursued these operations without understanding the countries involved; as a result, many of them have had disastrous long-term consequences.

©2006 Stephen Kinzer (P)2006 Tantor Media, Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"[Kinzer] brings a rich narrative immediacy to all of his stories." (Publishers Weekly)
"Kinzer's narrative abounds with unusual anecdotes, vivid description, and fine detail, demonstrating why he ranks among the best in popular foreign policy storytelling." (The Washington Post's Book World)

an excellent read and important history for all

this book was very well written because of the details of the coups. I have read many books that go over this history but not with this kind of detail. this is a must read

Eye Opening and Entertaining History at it's best

Stephen Kinzer's Overthrow is an incredibly well written account of America's control of other nations throughout the 20th century and beyond. This book is a great read! It doesn't drag or get bogged down in tedious details. Rather, Mr. Kinzer uses jaw-dropping quotes, excerpts, and first-hand accounts from eyewitnesses to bring this history to life. Every American would do well to know this history as it is often not covered in schools. (I should know, I teach history for a living!)

A Great read.

Kinzer's books should be must reading for all high school kids so they can understand where the previous leaders of our country went completely wrong. My 14 year old is reading them and going to drive his History teacher crazy.

The History We All Need To Read

This is the best story of America's failed collective egotism and political greed and crimes.

Things we were not taught about in school

I must admit that I fell for the false narrative that Bush used to justify the Iraq War in 2003. For the most part, however, I have always been disturbed by America's endless wars. Nevertheless, I don't think I was fully aware of the extent of America's injustices until I listened to this book (and I still might not be fully aware). This book describes how America overthrew 14 governments by creating or supporting revolutions and coups, starting in the late 1800s with Hawaii and its queen. I learned about wars I never knew happened. I had no idea, for example, about the particularly brutal Philippine-American War that went from 1899 to 1902. I have also never heard the events that led to the Vietnam War that are described in this book. The sad part is that our actions have not stopped since this book was published in 2006. We can probably add Libya, Syria, and, yes, even Ukraine to this list. It is truly tragic how much suffering we have caused as a country for many people (although this book does acknowledge that there have been exceptions). I'm actually not surprised that we are not taught these things in school. It's easier to cover things up and pretend they never happened.