It is an era that redefined history. As the 1790s began, a fragile America teetered on the brink, Russia was a vast imperial power, and France plunged into revolution. But in contrast to the way conventional histories tell it, none of these events occurred in isolation. Here, historian Winik shows how their fates combined to change the course of civilization. Here is a savage world war, the toppling of a great dynasty, and an America struggling to survive at home and abroad. Here, too, is the first modern holy war between Islam and a resurgent Christian empire. And what a cast of characters: Washington and Jefferson, Louis XVI and Robespierre, Catherine the Great, John Adams, Napoleon, and Selim III. With powerful echoes for the international chaos that confronts the globe today, we see an arc of revolutionary fervor stretching from Philadelphia and Paris to St. Petersburg and Cairo--with fateful results.--From publisher description.