Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis

Jared Diamond, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Guns, Germs, and Steel, examines how nations recover from major crises. Drawing on his previous works Guns, Germs and Steel and Collapse, Diamond explores the mechanisms by which successful nations survive upheavals while making selective changes—a coping strategy similar to how individuals recover from personal trauma. Diamond analyzes six countries that have endured recent crises: Japan following U.S. Commodore Perry's fleet arrival, Finland after the Soviet Union's attack, Chile and Indonesia following coups or countercoups, and Germany and Austria in the post-World War Two period. Having lived in and spoken the language of five of these nations, Diamond draws on firsthand experience to present their histories. These countries coped through mechanisms including acknowledgment of responsibility, honest self-assessment, and learning from other nations' examples. The book also considers whether the United States, Japan, and the world are successfully addressing current grave crises, and what lessons from the past might apply. By combining psychology with history, geography, biology, and anthropology, Diamond reveals factors that influence how nations and individuals respond to major challenges.