Overview

Kings to Comrades takes a unique look at one of the most successful revolutions of the 21st century: the Maoist revolution in Nepal. Nishchal Basnyat incorporates rare interviews with Nepal's Maoist leaders and newly discovered documentary evidence that help us better understand the Maoist war in Nepal and its outcome. In an accessible style, Basnyat explores the causes of the Maoist revolution and the characteristics of the decade-long war. He goes on to analyse the fascinating process by which the rebels were transformed into a political party and ultimately democratised. This book will provide invaluable material for anyone studying Nepal as well as students of communist movements, third-world revolutions and rebel-to-party transformations.

Full Product Details

Author:   Nishchal Basnyat
Publisher:   Pluto Press
Imprint:   Pluto Press
Dimensions:   Width: 13.50cm , Height: 2.80cm , Length: 21.50cm
Weight:   0.454kg
ISBN:  

9780745330976

ISBN 10:   0745330975
Pages:   360
Publication Date:   01 December 2019
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Unknown
Availability:   Awaiting stock  

Table of Contents

Introduction Part I 1 Roots of Revolt: The Long-Term Causes of Nepal's Maoist Revolution 2 From Crowns to Comrades: Communist Revolt and the Birth of Mao in Nepal 3 Hammers, Sickles and Guns: The Maoist ""People's War"" Part II 4 The Royal Miscalculation and the Maoist Transformation 5 King's Gambit: The Sultanistic King and the Success of Revolution Part III 6 Democratic Radicals: The Moderation of Revolutionaries in the Post-Cold War Era 7 From Maoists to Moderates Part IV 8 Shining a New Path: Maoist Moderation and the Evolution of Revolution 9 The Red Ballot Box: Nepal's Constituent Assembly Election and Maoist Victory 10 The India Question: Nepal's Big Brother and the Maoists 11 The Unfinished Revolution Notes Index

Reviews

An important book on what may be the most extraordinary case of rebel-to-party transformation in the modern era. Not only does it provide an excellent account of the Nepalese Maoists' violent rise, subsequent moderation, and eventual ascent to power via electoral means, but it makes a significant contribution to theoretical debates over why and how such rebel-to-party transformations occur and what they mean for democracy. -- Steven Levitsky, Professor of Government, Harvard University A pioneering study of the puzzling period in recent Nepalese history encompassing the end of its monarchy and the surprisingly rapid ascent to power of the country's Maoist party. The author has provided a highly readable and persuasive set of comparisons between Nepal's Maoists and revolutionary movements ranging from Peru's 'Shining Path' to others in Latin America and Africa. -- Richard W. Murphy, U.S. Asst. Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs,1983-89 A brilliant and much-needed overview ... from the radicals' humble beginnings in the hinterlands, to their ten-year armed conflict with Nepali security forces, to capturing the prime ministry in a post-monarchal republic. Essential reading for anyone grappling with the baffling, unique and dangerously fluid political situation in Nepal. -- Mikel Dunham, author of Buddha's Warriors The author combines an insider's passion and understanding with a social scientist's objectivity to produce a study of Nepal's remarkable Maoist insurgency that is as engaging and informative as it is analytically persuasive ... This book belongs on the reading list of anyone interested in questions of political transition - revolutionary and democratic alike. -- Elizabeth J. Perry, Henry Rosovsky Professor of Government, Harvard University Director, Harvard-Yenching Institute A well-argued, theoretically and historically contextualized, and authoritatively documented work. Basnyat offers an intimate and balanced account, from the cause and inception of the Maoist movement to the inherent contradictions and tenuous stability of Nepal's present. -- Ajai Sahni, Executive Director of the Institute for Conflict Management and editor of the South Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR)

An important book on what may be the most extraordinary case of rebel-to-party transformation in the modern era. Not only does it provide an excellent account of the Nepalese Maoists' violent rise, subsequent moderation, and eventual ascent to power via electoral means, but it makes a significant contribution to theoretical debates over why and how such rebel-to-party transformations occur and what they mean for democracy. -- Steven Levitsky, Professor of Government, Harvard University A pioneering study of the puzzling period in recent Nepalese history encompassing the end of its monarchy and the surprisingly rapid ascent to power of the country's Maoist party. The author has provided a highly readable and persuasive set of comparisons between Nepal's Maoists and revolutionary movements ranging from Peru's 'Shining Path' to others in Latin America and Africa. -- Richard W. Murphy, U.S. Asst. Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs,1983-89 A brilliant and much-needed overview ... from the radicals' humble beginnings in the hinterlands, to their ten-year armed conflict with Nepali security forces, to capturing the prime ministry in a post-monarchal republic. Essential reading for anyone grappling with the baffling, unique and dangerously fluid political situation in Nepal. -- Mikel Dunham, author of Buddha's Warriors The author combines an insider's passion and understanding with a social scientist's objectivity to produce a study of Nepal's remarkable Maoist insurgency that is as engaging and informative as it is analytically persuasive ... This book belongs on the reading list of anyone interested in questions of political transition - revolutionary and democratic alike. -- Elizabeth J. Perry, Henry Rosovsky Professor of Government, Harvard University Director, Harvard-Yenching Institute A well-argued, theoretically and historically contextualized, and authoritatively documented work. Basnyat offers an intimate and balanced account, from the cause and inception of the Maoist movement to the inherent contradictions and tenuous stability of Nepal's present. -- Ajai Sahni, Executive Director of the Institute for Conflict Management and editor of the South Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR) This is a rare work built on rigorous scholarship infused with empathy...Written with clarity, yet packed with statistical information and rich in context, it is accessible to a wide readership, and serves as an authoritative guide to the tangled politics of modern Nepal. -- Barbara Crossette, The Nation, Former South Asia and UN bureau chief of The New York Times Recent events in Nepal, including the overthrow of a long-lived monarchy and the incorporation of a violent Maoist movement into a new democracy, have been as astonishing as they have been obscure. This thoughtful study unravels much of the mystery, while also drawing lessons of considerable significance for other complex and highly conflicted situations around the world. -- Noam Chomsky, MIT

Author Information

Nishchal Basnyat is Charles Fiske III Harvard Scholar at Trinity College, Cambridge University. He writes on Nepalese politics for national and international newspapers.

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