PDF King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild in History

Description

Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Barbara W. Tuchman; author of the World War I masterpiece The Guns of August; grapples with her boldest subject: the pervasive presence; through the ages; of failure; mismanagement; and delusion in government. Drawing on a comprehensive array of examples; from Montezuma’s senseless surrender of his empire in 1520 to Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor; Barbara W. Tuchman defines folly as the pursuit by government of policies contrary to their own interests; despite the availability of feasible alternatives. In brilliant detail; Tuchman illuminates four decisive turning points in history that illustrate the very heights of folly: the Trojan War; the breakup of the Holy See provoked by the Renaissance popes; the loss of the American colonies by Britain’s George III; and the United States’ own persistent mistakes in Vietnam. Throughout The March of Folly; Tuchman’s incomparable talent for animating the people; places; and events of history is on spectacular display. Praise for The March of Folly “A glittering narrative . . . a moral [book] on the crimes and follies of governments and the misfortunes the governed suffer in consequence.”—The New York Times Book Review “An admirable survey . . . I haven’t read a more relevant book in years.”—John Kenneth Galbraith; The Boston Sunday Globe “A superb chronicle . . . a masterly examination.”—Chicago Sun-Times