Status
Available
Publication
New York, NY : Little, Brown and Co., 2019.
Description
"With his international bestsellers Guns, Germs and Steel and Collapse, Jared Diamond transformed our understanding of why civilizations rise and fall. Now, in his third book in this monumental trilogy, he reveals how some nations successfully recover from crises while adopting selective changes--a coping mechanism more commonly associated with individuals recovering from personal crises. Diamond compares how six countries have survived recent upheavals--ranging from the forced opening of Japan by U.S. Commodore Perry's fleet, to the Soviet Union's attack on Finland, to a murderous coup or countercoup in Chile and Indonesia, to the transformations of Germany and Austria after World War Two. Because Diamond has lived and spoken the language in five of these six countries, he can present gut-wrenching histories experienced firsthand. These nations coped, to varying degrees, through mechanisms such as acknowledgment of responsibility, painfully honest self-appraisal, and learning from models of other nations. Looking to the future, Diamond examines whether the United States, Japan, and the whole world are successfully coping with the grave crises they currently face. Can we learn from lessons of the past? Adding a psychological dimension to the in-depth history, geography, biology, and anthropology that mark all of Diamond's books, Upheaval reveals factors influencing how both whole nations and individual people can respond to big challenges. The result is a book epic in scope, but also his most personal book yet."--… (more)
Media reviews
Jared Diamond is back, now with the final installment of what his publisher describes as his “monumental trilogy.” Where Collapse explored places that failed, the new volume, Upheaval, asks about those that survived. It takes Diamond far from the sorts of societies where he’s felt most alive:
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the closed-off tribes, the “Stone Age” peoples. Upheaval examines such large countries as the United States, Finland, Japan, and Chile, and mainly in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Through them, Diamond hopes to show how nations have made it through destabilizing crises. But what we see instead is how poorly suited his approach—honed on nonindustrial and isolated societies—is for large, connected ones in an age of globalization. Show Less
Sometimes the book feels written from a drying well of lifelong research rather than from the latest facts. For example, Diamond tells us Americans have always been a highly mobile people and are “unlikely” to “move less often.” He must be unfamiliar with the rather well-publicized new data
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declaring the opposite: “Fewer Americans Are Moving to Pursue Better Jobs Across the Nation,” NPR says, citing the Census Bureau’s research that the number of Americans who move in a given year has dropped by half since the 1940s.
There are far more of these errors than I have space to list, too many to dismiss this calling-out as nit-picking. And they matter because of the book’s nature. If we can’t trust you on the little and medium things, how can we trust you where authors of 30,000-foot books really need our trust — on the big, hard-to-check claims?
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User reviews
LibraryThing member DavidWineberg
Diamond in the Rough
Albert Einstein spent the last half of his life trying to fit the universe into one elegant formula. He did not succeed. Jared Diamond is trying to do the same with national political crises in Upheaval. He has developed a list of 12 factors that show up in times of crisis at
The book exists at three levels: the individual, the nation and the world. The factors relating to their crises can be quite similar. The bulk of the book is on seven countries Diamond has had relationships with, having lived and/or worked in them. They are Indonesia, Japan, Germany, USA, Australia, Chile and Finland. They’re all different, and they all handled their crises differently. Some are still in crisis.
A crisis is a serious challenge that cannot be solved by existing methods of coping, Diamond says. The examples include foreign invasion, internal revolution, evolving past previous bad policy, externalizing problems, and denial of problems.
As for the US, Diamond sees it entering a crisis of identity and survival, riven by self-centered Americans who only care about themselves and today – right up to the top. Perspective, reflection and especially co-operation and compromise are absent from this crisis.
These are Diamond’s 12 factors for national crises:
1. National consensus that one’s nation is in crisis
2. Acceptance of national responsibility to do something
3. Building fence, to delineate the national problems needing to be solved
4. Getting material and financial help from other nations
5. Using other nations as models of how to solve the problems
6. National identity
7. Honest national self-appraisal
8. Historical experience of previous national crises
9. Dealing with national failure
10. Situation-specific national flexibility
11. National core values
12. Freedom from geopolitical constraints
The Chinese word weiji means crisis. It component characters are wei for danger and ji for opportunity. As in many clouds have silver linings. The example he gives first is Finland’s stunningly rapid industrialization when faced with $300M in war reparations after negotiating peace with the invading Soviet Union. Finland only had four million people at the time.
Things get dicier at the global level. Looking forward to potential crises like nuclear winter and climate change, Diamond’s model shows the nations of the world, and in particular the USA, are not set, ready or equipped to make the efforts the model stipulates to come out the other side of the crisis decently.
The structure of the book is standardized: a lot of history, some insight from personal relationships, and how the historical crisis fits the parameters Diamond set out. Mostly, it’s a lot of international history; interesting, and probably new to most readers. By far the best chapter is the epilogue, where he tackles the real issues: do national leaders make a difference in crises, and do nations need a crisis to act, or can they anticipate. The answers are sometimes to all the questions.
Diamond has created an interesting matrix for future study, but its application to the real world remains a question mark. It was a good exercise, but of indeterminate value.
David Wineberg
Albert Einstein spent the last half of his life trying to fit the universe into one elegant formula. He did not succeed. Jared Diamond is trying to do the same with national political crises in Upheaval. He has developed a list of 12 factors that show up in times of crisis at
Show More
the nation level. The degree to which the nation deals with those factors (if at all) determines how successful it will likely be in dealing with it.The book exists at three levels: the individual, the nation and the world. The factors relating to their crises can be quite similar. The bulk of the book is on seven countries Diamond has had relationships with, having lived and/or worked in them. They are Indonesia, Japan, Germany, USA, Australia, Chile and Finland. They’re all different, and they all handled their crises differently. Some are still in crisis.
A crisis is a serious challenge that cannot be solved by existing methods of coping, Diamond says. The examples include foreign invasion, internal revolution, evolving past previous bad policy, externalizing problems, and denial of problems.
As for the US, Diamond sees it entering a crisis of identity and survival, riven by self-centered Americans who only care about themselves and today – right up to the top. Perspective, reflection and especially co-operation and compromise are absent from this crisis.
These are Diamond’s 12 factors for national crises:
1. National consensus that one’s nation is in crisis
2. Acceptance of national responsibility to do something
3. Building fence, to delineate the national problems needing to be solved
4. Getting material and financial help from other nations
5. Using other nations as models of how to solve the problems
6. National identity
7. Honest national self-appraisal
8. Historical experience of previous national crises
9. Dealing with national failure
10. Situation-specific national flexibility
11. National core values
12. Freedom from geopolitical constraints
The Chinese word weiji means crisis. It component characters are wei for danger and ji for opportunity. As in many clouds have silver linings. The example he gives first is Finland’s stunningly rapid industrialization when faced with $300M in war reparations after negotiating peace with the invading Soviet Union. Finland only had four million people at the time.
Things get dicier at the global level. Looking forward to potential crises like nuclear winter and climate change, Diamond’s model shows the nations of the world, and in particular the USA, are not set, ready or equipped to make the efforts the model stipulates to come out the other side of the crisis decently.
The structure of the book is standardized: a lot of history, some insight from personal relationships, and how the historical crisis fits the parameters Diamond set out. Mostly, it’s a lot of international history; interesting, and probably new to most readers. By far the best chapter is the epilogue, where he tackles the real issues: do national leaders make a difference in crises, and do nations need a crisis to act, or can they anticipate. The answers are sometimes to all the questions.
Diamond has created an interesting matrix for future study, but its application to the real world remains a question mark. It was a good exercise, but of indeterminate value.
David Wineberg
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LibraryThing member rivkat
Starting with an analogy to individual crisis, Diamond argues that 12 factors determine how a nation responds to a crisis (mostly successfully; even the authoritarian coups he covers have their good sides, he thinks, especially since it’s unknowable whether you could’ve gotten the
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good—market-based economic reforms—without the bad, which does not seem like a reason to read history). The book did not cohere very well, but if you want capsule histories of big events in Chile, Japan, Indonesia, Finland, Germany, and Australia, and an overview of global warming and other challenges facing the US/the world, then I guess you could read this. Show Less
LibraryThing member annbury
This is an interesting book, combining concise and insightful historical essays with an effort to approach a general theory of how nations deal with crisis. It is not, however, another "Guns, Germs, and Steel", Mr. Diamond's 1997 masterpiece. It is probably unfair to expect that it would be; one
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great book is more than most writers can dream of. But the comparison is unavoidable, and it is not flattering to "Upheaval". The first part of the book, dealing with crises in six countries (Finland, Japan, Chile, Indonesia, Germany, and Australia) is informative and interesting. Mr. Diamond's discussion of the current situation in the US is less so, because it is so familiar. But the next part of the book, in which Mr. Diamond attempts to apply a psychological framework based on individuals in crisis to these various national crisis, was far less satisfying. I had the feeling that individual countries' experiences had been jammed into a checklist that did not, at the end of it all, tell me very much. Also, the lack of more than peripheral discussion of countries where crisis was NOT surmounted seems to me a weakness. Mr. Diamond explicitly acknowledges that he is working towards an approach to analyzing nations' experience, and that much of what he has done is intended to point the way for other studies. All in all, an interesting read, but not a compelling book Show Less
LibraryThing member deusvitae
A well researched and well written exploration into considering how nations come to grips with crises and adapt.
The author uses personal crises and the way in which individuals manage them and seeks to see whether a similar process may play out with nations. He explores, in depth, nations which
The biggest challenge of the work is the cosmopolitan nature of the author and how he takes for granted most of the premises of cosmopolitanism. Such is not to say that he is wrong or anything of that sort; it just means that the work is unlikely to persuade a lot of people. Those who will agree will already share the general predisposition of the author; those who tend to be more nationalist or have skepticism about cosmopolitanism will not have their worldview sufficiently challenged by the portrayal of the author.
A fascinating deep dive into the modern history of the countries discussed, and an interesting way forward to consider when it comes to nations and crises.
The author uses personal crises and the way in which individuals manage them and seeks to see whether a similar process may play out with nations. He explores, in depth, nations which
Show More
underwent crisis and which he has some level of personal experience - Finland, Japan, Chile, Indonesia, Germany and Australia. He then considers the present challenges for Japan, the United States, and the world in general; he concludes with his conclusions, questions, and how it looks for the future. The biggest challenge of the work is the cosmopolitan nature of the author and how he takes for granted most of the premises of cosmopolitanism. Such is not to say that he is wrong or anything of that sort; it just means that the work is unlikely to persuade a lot of people. Those who will agree will already share the general predisposition of the author; those who tend to be more nationalist or have skepticism about cosmopolitanism will not have their worldview sufficiently challenged by the portrayal of the author.
A fascinating deep dive into the modern history of the countries discussed, and an interesting way forward to consider when it comes to nations and crises.
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LibraryThing member waltser1
For a select few nations the author lived in, he reviews crises that nation endured and how they responded and worked their way through threw them. He initially defined signs of crises.
LibraryThing member DinadansFriend
Mr. diamond does get around, and in this book he is telling us about seven examples of countries and how they cope with large stresses. His analogies are drawn to the psychological stages and strategies of humans in the face of crises. The terms are slightly different than the Arnold Toynbee
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approach, but they are similar. Not much in the way of maps, but his approach is not heavily visual, but argumentative. The effort is thoughtful, and there are some short snappers to be thrown into arguments. A pleasant read. Show Less
LibraryThing member Cstrickl
Too long winded.
LibraryThing member Steve_Walker
Excellent presentation on how nation states have come to deal with upheavals. This, as with his previous books, requires careful and thoughtful reading. The reader will not be disappointed.
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair reading and review.
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair reading and review.
LibraryThing member Dilip-Kumar
A fascinating book, which draws you on into its argument based on just seven countries that have had to face challenging circumstances. This does not of course constitute any type of random or representative sample, based as it is on the author's personal familiarity with those particular
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countries. However the 12 "factors related to the outcomes of national crises" provide a generalized and fairly acceptable framework to look at other situations, especially the reader's own country and its neighbors. On this basis, it is quite evident that successful countries (and individuals!) have generally been realistic, self-aware, flexible, willing to learn from others, and so on. It should be fairly simple and straight-forward to develop this sort of understanding into best-option suggestions for each country's or institution's leadership. Show Less
LibraryThing member ritaer
Diamond compares the crises nations endure with those of individuals and analyzes the qualities and actions that can lead to successful navigation. Finland's invasion by the Soviet Union, Japan's confrontation with Admiral Perry, the military dictatorship that took over previously democratic Chile,
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the formation of Indonesia, Germany's confrontation with its Nazi past and Australian' turn from White and British to mixed and part of Asian economic sphere are his examples. An interesting premise well illustrated followed by examination of current problems and speculation about how they will be resolved. Worth reading. Show Less
LibraryThing member RajivC
This book by Jared Diamond is better than his earlier book, "Collapse." My main critique of that book was that he focussed on what I thought were fragile lands.
He has focussed on how some nations deal with crises in this book. The link to the personal crisis is, in my view, tenuous. I like the
The second part of the book, focussing on the way forward, is good, with a strong emphasis on Japan and the USA. I like the part about Germany, which is excellent.
His concluding chapter and epilogue are the showpiece of the book.
He has focussed on how some nations deal with crises in this book. The link to the personal crisis is, in my view, tenuous. I like the
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manner in which he started by listing twelve factors, then analyzing seven nations along those factors. I am unsure where Australia fits in, except that he is familiar with the country. The second part of the book, focussing on the way forward, is good, with a strong emphasis on Japan and the USA. I like the part about Germany, which is excellent.
His concluding chapter and epilogue are the showpiece of the book.
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LibraryThing member zmagic69
Outstanding history book, loaded with so much I was never taught and subsequently have never learned.
This book is nowhere near boring life so much of his book Guns, Germs and Steel was. This was actually quite enjoyable to read.
The basic premise is how monumental situations in a number of countries
The initial 4 countries are
Finland - its war with Russia in at the beginning of WWII.
Japan- the forced opening of the country to the US and Europe in 1853
Chile- the coup and resulting dictatorship of Pinochet.
Indonesia- and its coup in 1965 and the atrocities that followed but to this day are ignored.
Then thee book looks at
Japan and Germany after WWII
Australia- and it working to decide who as a country they are.
The book closes with putting the USA under the microscope lays out what we have done well and where we fail, and details how a Chile like situation could happen here, and what we need to do to change.
The author closes the book by detailing 4 significant issues the world will need to come to grips with,
Written before the Covid pandemic.
Excellent book.
This book is nowhere near boring life so much of his book Guns, Germs and Steel was. This was actually quite enjoyable to read.
The basic premise is how monumental situations in a number of countries
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affected those countries and to some degrees various other parts of the world.The initial 4 countries are
Finland - its war with Russia in at the beginning of WWII.
Japan- the forced opening of the country to the US and Europe in 1853
Chile- the coup and resulting dictatorship of Pinochet.
Indonesia- and its coup in 1965 and the atrocities that followed but to this day are ignored.
Then thee book looks at
Japan and Germany after WWII
Australia- and it working to decide who as a country they are.
The book closes with putting the USA under the microscope lays out what we have done well and where we fail, and details how a Chile like situation could happen here, and what we need to do to change.
The author closes the book by detailing 4 significant issues the world will need to come to grips with,
Written before the Covid pandemic.
Excellent book.
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LibraryThing member BookListener
Not as powerful as Guns, Germs, and Steel but still very thought provoking
Language
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