THE MARCH OF FOLLY: FROM TROY TO VIETNAM (hier online bestellen)
The story:
In The March of Folly the late Barbara Tuchman (one of America's foremost historians) examines an interesting
facet of history, namely the tendency of governments to act stubbornly and perversely against their own best
interests (this tendency is the "folly" referred to by the title). For Tuchman, a particular course of action
must meet three criteria to be considered folly; first, it must have been seen as such by contemporaries,
secondly, another, better, course of action must have been available, and lastly, the course of action must
have been pursued by a group rather than an individual over the course of more than one political generation.
These criteria serve to separate true folly from the incompetence and/or insanity of an individual
ruler. To illustrate folly in human history, Tuchman has chosen four "case studies":
1)The decision of the Trojans to bring the Trojan horse into their city,
2)The provocation of the Protestant uprising by the Renaissance Popes,
3)The loss of the American colonies by the British, and 4)The failures of U.S. policy in Vietnam.
Extract from book:
About the author:
A noted historian, Tuchman has combined meticulous scholarship with a highly readable style to win two Pulitzer
prizes for history. After graduating from Radcliffe College with a B.A. degree, she worked as a research
assistant for the Institute of Pacific Relations in New York and Tokyo and then as editorial assistant,
correspondent in Spain, and free-lance writer for the Nation. During World War II she worked at the Office
of War Information, handling Far Eastern news. Her first Pulitzer came in 1963, for her best-selling book
on the beginning of World War I, The Guns of August; the second was awarded in 1972, for Stilwell and the
American Experience in China, 1911-45. Her other books include The Zimmerman Telegram, The Proud Tower: A
Portrait of the World before the War, 1890-1914, A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century, The March of Folly,
and The First Salute. (deceased 2/6/89)
Buchdaten:
THE MARCH OF FOLLY: FROM TROY TO VIETNAM by Barbara W. Tuchman
Sprache: Englisch
Taschenbuch - 464 Seiten - Ballantine Books
Erscheinungsdatum: 1. Februar 1992
Auflage: Reissue
ISBN: 0345308239
Preis: € 14,95
More works from the same author:
zurück zur Übersicht
|
