In the Russian revolution of 1917, workers took control of a major country for the first time in history. To millions throughout the world, the Russian workers' state offered new hope. People everywhere turned from the grim alternatives of a declining capitalism - unemployment, poverty, the threat of new wars - to place their hopes in the government that the soviets, councils of working people, put into power in Russia. And for a short time, their hopes were realized. Never before had such sweeping changes in society been carried out in so short a time.

'The idea was simple - take the most impassioned speeches about the fight for what is right and bring them to life for a new generation' COLIN FIRTH The People Speak tells the story of Britain through the voices of the visionaries, dissenters, rebels and everyday folk who took on the Establishment and stood up for what they believed in. Here are their stories, letters, speeches and songs, from John Ball to Daniel Defoe; from Thomas Paine to Oscar Wilde; from the peasants' revolts to the suffragists to the anti-war demonstrators of today. Spanning almost 1,000 years and over 150 individual voices, these are some of the most powerful words in our history. Compiled by Academy Award-winning actor Colin Firth, influential writer Anthony Arnove and acclaimed historian David Horspool, The People Speak reminds us that history is not something gathering dust on a library shelf - and that democracy has never been a spectator sport.

"An urgent book."--Arundhati Roy
Three years after the start of the war in Iraq, violence and misery continue to plague the country, and conservatives and liberals alike are struggling with the question of when--and under what circumstances--U.S. and coalition forces should leave. In this cogent and compelling book, Anthony Arnove argues that the U.S. occupation is the major source of instability and suffering for the Iraqi people. Challenging the idea that George W. Bush was ever interested in bringing democracy to Iraq--and the view widely held across the political spectrum that it would be more damaging to leave prematurely--Arnove explores the real reasons behind the invasion. He shows why continuing the occupation is a wildly unrealistic and reckless strategy that makes the world a more dangerous place.
"" "Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal" concludes by laying out a clear vision for the antiwar movement, one that engages soldiers, military families, and the many communities affected by the occupation, who together, Arnove argues, can build the coalition needed to bring the troops home.

This updated edition examines the current drive to invade Iraq as part of George Bush's global "war on terrorism," even though no evidence exists that ties Iraq to the tragic events of September 11.

In this critically acclaimed col-lection, leading voices against the sanctions document the human, environmental, and social toll of the United States-led war against Iraq. Carefully documented, thoroughly researched, and written in clear language, Iraq Under Siege is invaluable for anyone wanting to understand the roots of US policy in Iraq and the Middle East.

"Here is a brilliantly collated body of unrelenting, undeniable evidence of the horrors that the U.S government sanctions are visiting upon the people, in particular the children, of Iraq."-Arundhati Roy, author of The God of Small Things