Barbara W. Tuchman
Paperback | Pages: 447 pages Rating: 4.02 | 5172 Users | 400 Reviews
Present Books To The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam
| Original Title: | The March Of Folly: From Troy To Vietnam |
| ISBN: | 0345308239 (ISBN13: 9780345308238) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Relation In Favor Of Books The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam
Twice a winner of the Pulitzer Prize, author Barbara Tuchman now tackles the pervasive presence of folly in governments thru the ages. Defining folly as the pursuit by governments of policies contrary to their own interests, despite the availability of feasible alternatives, Tuchman details four decisive turning points in history that illustrate the very heights of folly in government: the Trojan War, the breakup of the Holy See provoked by Renaissance Popes, the loss of the American colonies by Britain's George III & the USA's persistent folly in Vietnam. THE MARCH OF FOLLY brings the people, places & events of history alive for today's reader.Identify Based On Books The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam
| Title | : | The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam |
| Author | : | Barbara W. Tuchman |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 447 pages |
| Published | : | February 12th 1985 by Random House Trade Paperbacks (first published 1984) |
| Categories | : | History. Nonfiction. Politics. War. World History |
Rating Based On Books The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam
Ratings: 4.02 From 5172 Users | 400 ReviewsAssess Based On Books The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam
A highly readable account of four instances of human folly over the last 2800 years. These include the Trojans's unaccountable bringing of the Trojan horse into Troy; the transgressions of the Renaissance Popes which brought on the Reformation; the loss by Britain of the American colonies; and America's own pointless war in Vietnam. The last section reminds me very much of Neil Sheehan's A Bright Shining Lie, which was written several years later than Tuchman's narrative. Her book is vivid,In this book Tuchman takes a step beyond the traditional historian's story-telling role to provide color-commentary about a specific subset of examples of misgovernment that she classifies as "folly." Not all examples of misgovernment can be classified as folly as explained in the following quotation."Misgovernment is of four kinds, often in combination. They are: 1) tyranny or oppression ... , 2) excessive ambition ... , 3) incompetence or decadence ... , 4) folly or perversity. This books is
A fascinating attempt by Tuchman to explain or at least illustrate why governments choose the wrong path even when they know it's the wrong path. She begins with the story of the Trojan Horse to illustrate the first written example of governmental folly leading to disaster.The next three examples are of the Renaissance Popes, the British handling of the American Revolution and the American actions before and during the Vietnamese War.The popes, in spite of criticism from many clerics and kings
Man, talk about phoning it in....Years ago I read Barbara Tuchman's famous "Guns of August" and thought it was great. So I'd give this one a shot. Big mistake.She's just slumming it here; not trying very hard. The theme is times in history when a nation engaged in folly - self-defeating behavior. That's a pretty broad theme that in encapsulate tons of examples. She focuses on four items that don't really have much to do w/ each other, but she felt like talking about. Well, really three things
About 8 years ago when I read this book I would have given it 4 stars. It gets a 5 today simply because it is much more pertinent to read it now. Barbara Tuchman is one of the great writers of history. She remembers the first rule of history: Tell a story. In this one she tells several and keeps your attention better. The theme is imaginative and appropriate. It is also not a very long book so you can easily read it in a week. Barbara Tuchman has a way of viewing history as few can. Instead of
Babs is one crafty, talented instructor and this ranks highly among the BEST history books I've had the pleasure of reading. You should be reading it right now. Seriously, I mean it. This is the second gem by Barbara Tuchman that I've tackled, after the stellar The Guns of August), and the impressiveness of her work has led to my developing rather intense, and possibly inappropriate, feelings for her. I'm smitten. You see, Babs writes history in such a colorful, engaging manner that you don't
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