In The Quiet Revolution, leading political commentator Colin James analyses New Zealand's market-based reforms of the 1980s as they are happening. Writing a first draft of history, he examines how the 'quiet revolution' is seen alternately as a betrayal, a dangerous experiment and a liberation.Combining economic and political analysis, he describes the behind-the-scenes manoeuvring that formed the backdrop to the reforms and the effects of the reform programme itself. He also sees a groundswell of optimism that, he argues, could forge a new and very different society in New Zealand.