Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present

Age of Revolutions by Fareed Zakaria, a New York Times bestseller and Wall Street Journal Best Book of 2024, explores the major upheavals shaping today’s turbulent world. Zakaria examines three transformative revolutions from history—the Dutch Golden Age, the French Revolution, and the Industrial Revolution—and draws lessons from them to understand four modern revolutions: globalization, technology, identity, and geopolitics. He explains how these forces have fueled progress but also deepened polarization and anxiety in the 21st century. Despite global instability and the decline of U.S. dominance, Zakaria argues that with wise leadership, the liberal international order can be renewed. Blending history, analysis, and foresight, this book offers a powerful guide to navigating our era of seismic change.