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Pelican Books #27
A Political History of the World: Three Thousand Years of War and Peace
A three-thousand year history of the world that examines the causes of war and the search for peace In three thousand years of history, China has spent at least eleven centuries at war. The Roman Empire was in conflict during at least 50 per cent of its lifetime. Since 1776, the United States has spent over one hundred years at war. The dream of peace has been universal in the history of humanity. So why have we so rarely been able to achieve it? In A Political History of the World , Jonathan Holslag has produced a sweeping history of the world, from the Iron Age to the present, that investigates the causes of conflict between empires, nations and peoples and the attempts at diplomacy and cosmopolitanism. A birds-eye view of three thousand years of history, the book illuminates the forces shaping world politics from Ancient Egypt to the Han Dynasty, the Pax Romana to the rise of Islam, the Peace of Westphalia to the creation of the United Nations. This truly global approach enables Holslag to search for patterns across different eras and regions, and explore larger questions about war, diplomacy, and power. Has trade fostered peace? What are the limits of diplomacy? How does environmental change affect stability? Is war a universal sin of power? At a time when the threat of nuclear war looms again, this is a much-needed history intended for students of international politics, and anyone looking for a background on current events.
640 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2018
About the author
Jonathan Holslag
15 books91 followersJonathan Holslag is a professor of international politics at the Free University of Brussels, where he teaches diplomatic history and international politics. He also lectures on geopolitics at various defence academies in Europe and the Nato Defence College. He was invited as a guest lecturer to various universities, including the Central Party School of China, the Harvard Kennedy School, and Sciences Po, Paris.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
May 27, 2019
A concise summary of conflict, war and peace from the beginning of states to the present. Many wars are written, and many are left out. We learn It also briefly describes how about war and peace were thought about. I knew about most of it from prior reading, but it is always good to stay informed about the past. I’m a sucker for big history so I lapped it up. The author wrote it to cover the most important things that politicians, diplomats and other decision makers should know.
One shortcoming of the book is that the conquests of the Spanish Empire could have been dealt with a bit more thoroughly, as well as its defeat that was a significant step in the rise of American power.
In the epilogue, the author summarizes the book, quickly discusses the theories of international relations and how none of the conflict has been moral. But the author never considers the marked decline in violence and war, as documented in The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, which was disappointing.
I suggest you read this alongside War! What is it Good For?, which gives key information on the history of war and conflict.
One shortcoming of the book is that the conquests of the Spanish Empire could have been dealt with a bit more thoroughly, as well as its defeat that was a significant step in the rise of American power.
In the epilogue, the author summarizes the book, quickly discusses the theories of international relations and how none of the conflict has been moral. But the author never considers the marked decline in violence and war, as documented in The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, which was disappointing.
I suggest you read this alongside War! What is it Good For?, which gives key information on the history of war and conflict.
December 5, 2019
Τελικά αποδεικνύεται ότι βιβλία με φιλόδοξους τίτλους όπως αυτού του βιβλίου, ενίοτε λειτουργούν και ως εμπόδιο της ίδιας της κατανόησης της Παγκόσμιας Ιστορίας. Διότι είναι φύση αδύνατον τόσο συσσωρευμένη ιστορική πληροφόρηση με ημερομηνίες, ονόματα δύσκολα μπορούν να κατανοηθούν και να αφομοιωθούν. Πιθανός για κάποιο που ενδιαφέρεται για την Παγκόσμια Ιστορία να ... συρθεί δια μέσου πολλών βιβλίων όπου το καθένα θα τον οδηγεί στην κατανόηση της δεδομένης χρονικής περιόδου.
Εν πάση περιπτώση το βιβλίο αυτό προφανώς είναι χρήσιμο για τους μανιώδης όμως ένας απλός αναγνώστης θα δυσκολευθεί.
Εν πάση περιπτώση το βιβλίο αυτό προφανώς είναι χρήσιμο για τους μανιώδης όμως ένας απλός αναγνώστης θα δυσκολευθεί.
October 22, 2018
It's nice to think of oneself as an eclectic reader, and I think for the most part I genuinely am, but recently I've been experimenting with reading things that really are very off-brand for me, and a three thousand-year history of global diplomacy and warfare certainly qualifies. Jonathan Holslag is a professor of international politics in Brussels, which is both an occupation and a locale that would seem to equip him thoroughly to write this book. For the most part, it's delightfully informative, covering Asian pre-history and antiquity as well as the obvious Western empires. There's much less about North and South American civilisations, though Holslag acknowledges, occasionally, peoples like the Olmec and the Maya, with the addendum that the documentary evidence for civilisations in these places is thinner on the ground. (This is probably true, although it seems rather weak sauce.) The main problem, though, is that he covers so much in the way of historical event (kingdom A fought kingdom B; kingdom B, forced to defend against kingdoms C through E, declined until its overthrow by kingdom F, which had been quietly amassing strength for decades) that he leaves little room for analysis or exposition regarding diplomacy, which is, in theory, the purpose of the book. It's of little interest to know about the vacillations of power amongst kingdoms A through F when the rationale, or the psychology, behind those vacillations remains largely unexplained.
October 31, 2022
This book is rather a disappointment. Political scientist Jonathan Holslag tries to paint a picture of 3000 years of war and peace throughout the world and thereby to analyze the underlying dynamics. Covering the period roughly between 1000 B.C. and 2000 A.D. Holslag sketches the developments in Eurasia, leaving Africa and America (apart from the final 200 centuries) out of the picture. (To be fair, he defends this position with stating the fact that there is simply not much historical evidence to tell a scientifically founded tale.)
The main question: What do policy makers need in order to obtain peace? is not answered in this book. In his conclusion, Holslag states that war and exploitation are universal in human society throughout time and space. We all long for peace, as an ideal, but practically strive for propserity and security. This leads to competion for territory, natural resources, access to trade routes, etc. The means by which these conflicts are mitigated is power, either soft or hard.
One of the strengths of Holslag's approach is his realism: he destroys the leftwing/liberal worldview that trade and diplomacy lead to peace. Rather, together with religion and peace, trade is one of the principal motives for states to start wars. Controlling trade routes and monopolizing economic industries in order to garantuee prosperity and security has been with us as long as there were city states.
A corollary of the latter fact is that cosmpolitism - the tolerance for other religions and cultures as well as the investment in foreign goods and ideas - is an innate part of imperialism. At its peak empires have established security and prosperity to such a degree that there is created room for others; this tolerance is, by definition, always a power relation, since it is afforded by exploitation and conquest of these others.
Having read this book, I am once again convinced of the existince of an eternal dynamic between chaos and order. The natural state seems to be chaos (competition, anarchy, anomy, etc.) and out of security and greed - two sides of the same coin, according to Holslag - arises order. But this order is always limited in time, space and capabilities, and will be replaced by either another order or collapse back into chaos. We might say we want peace yet our actions tell a different story: we continuously want to achieve prosperity and security at the cost of others. Exploitation and conquests are the inevitable outcome. The only question is: Who sits at the table and who is on the menu?
Apart from this general insight (neither original nor well thought out) the book is one long summary of key events all over the world. Most of these events will be already familiar to the average reader and will offer nothing new. This was my main disappointment. Add to this that Holslag's conclusion isn't really all that sophisticated (15 pages in a book spanning 550 pages...) and disappointment seems to be warranted. Hence I can't really recommend this book.
The main question: What do policy makers need in order to obtain peace? is not answered in this book. In his conclusion, Holslag states that war and exploitation are universal in human society throughout time and space. We all long for peace, as an ideal, but practically strive for propserity and security. This leads to competion for territory, natural resources, access to trade routes, etc. The means by which these conflicts are mitigated is power, either soft or hard.
One of the strengths of Holslag's approach is his realism: he destroys the leftwing/liberal worldview that trade and diplomacy lead to peace. Rather, together with religion and peace, trade is one of the principal motives for states to start wars. Controlling trade routes and monopolizing economic industries in order to garantuee prosperity and security has been with us as long as there were city states.
A corollary of the latter fact is that cosmpolitism - the tolerance for other religions and cultures as well as the investment in foreign goods and ideas - is an innate part of imperialism. At its peak empires have established security and prosperity to such a degree that there is created room for others; this tolerance is, by definition, always a power relation, since it is afforded by exploitation and conquest of these others.
Having read this book, I am once again convinced of the existince of an eternal dynamic between chaos and order. The natural state seems to be chaos (competition, anarchy, anomy, etc.) and out of security and greed - two sides of the same coin, according to Holslag - arises order. But this order is always limited in time, space and capabilities, and will be replaced by either another order or collapse back into chaos. We might say we want peace yet our actions tell a different story: we continuously want to achieve prosperity and security at the cost of others. Exploitation and conquests are the inevitable outcome. The only question is: Who sits at the table and who is on the menu?
Apart from this general insight (neither original nor well thought out) the book is one long summary of key events all over the world. Most of these events will be already familiar to the average reader and will offer nothing new. This was my main disappointment. Add to this that Holslag's conclusion isn't really all that sophisticated (15 pages in a book spanning 550 pages...) and disappointment seems to be warranted. Hence I can't really recommend this book.
August 22, 2020
به جرات یکی از بهترین کتابهای تاریخی بود که خوندم. دیدگاهش خیلی سیاسی بود و وقایع تاریخی رو از جنبه سیاست و جنگ و صلح بررسی میکرد و تمرکز زیادی روی خود تاریخ نداشت. به همین دلیل هم در نوع خودش بینظیر بود.
پاراگراف آخر کتاب این بود:
فطرت بشریت ـ اگر بتوان چنین چیزی را از 3000 سال تاریخ تصویرشده در این کتاب خلاصه کرد ـ صلح بیدغدغه نیست. به نظر من میرسد که بنیادیترین نیاز اشخاص برای بقا، قدرت حداکثری، ترجیحاً با کمترین هزینه ممکن است. در یک سو، قدرت بهترین شکل امنیت است. ضعفا همواره توسط اقویا مغلوب میشوند؛ در بدترین حالت یعنی استثمار، تنگدستی، سوءاستفاده و حتی مرگ. از سوی دیگر، قدرت از خواست و طمع جوانه میزند. نیازهای مردم هرگز ارضا نمیشوند: پیشرفت با خودش خواستههای جدید خلق میکند و موفقیت دیگران هم منجر به رشک میشود. به این ترتیب امنیت و طمع دو روی یک سکه هستند. وقتی موضوع کشورها به میان باشد، این دو همواره تحت فشار برای دنبالکردن قدرت هستند؛ صرفنظر از اینکه طمع یا امنیت انگیزه آنهاست. دقیقاً به همین دلیل است که تاریخ با این همه سوءتفاهم و نزاع انباشته شده است.
امیدوارم به زودی چاپ بشه و علاقمندان به تاریخ سیاسی بتونند بخونند.
پاراگراف آخر کتاب این بود:
فطرت بشریت ـ اگر بتوان چنین چیزی را از 3000 سال تاریخ تصویرشده در این کتاب خلاصه کرد ـ صلح بیدغدغه نیست. به نظر من میرسد که بنیادیترین نیاز اشخاص برای بقا، قدرت حداکثری، ترجیحاً با کمترین هزینه ممکن است. در یک سو، قدرت بهترین شکل امنیت است. ضعفا همواره توسط اقویا مغلوب میشوند؛ در بدترین حالت یعنی استثمار، تنگدستی، سوءاستفاده و حتی مرگ. از سوی دیگر، قدرت از خواست و طمع جوانه میزند. نیازهای مردم هرگز ارضا نمیشوند: پیشرفت با خودش خواستههای جدید خلق میکند و موفقیت دیگران هم منجر به رشک میشود. به این ترتیب امنیت و طمع دو روی یک سکه هستند. وقتی موضوع کشورها به میان باشد، این دو همواره تحت فشار برای دنبالکردن قدرت هستند؛ صرفنظر از اینکه طمع یا امنیت انگیزه آنهاست. دقیقاً به همین دلیل است که تاریخ با این همه سوءتفاهم و نزاع انباشته شده است.
امیدوارم به زودی چاپ بشه و علاقمندان به تاریخ سیاسی بتونند بخونند.
December 28, 2018
This is a difficult book to rate and evaluate, on the one hand, it is very well written and contains a massive amount of information and knowledge. For once, a world history book is not entirely western-centric and a focus on the Middle East, South Asia, and China runs through it with almost the same attention that goes into the Western European part. However, it falls short of covering much of the American civilisations or the Sub-Saharan African ones.
However, this is not why the book doesn't deserve to be rated very highly. The reason is implicit in its very idea: describing the history of war and peace of three millenia in six hundred fifty pages! This has reduced it to a shallow and rapid description of the main events. It was often that whole kingdoms and cultures were touched in a paragraph or two and history changing events in a few pages. There was little space for analysis before the last chapter and much of the descirption of events cannot be retained in memory with the hectic pace of writing.
This book, along with a few works of fiction, is what I would give the first arrivals of an alien culture when their first guests arrive to earth knowing nothing about us so they can have the short version of our history and start thinking of how to deal with us. The conclusion would be useful for them as well, peace is not the natural state of humans, be weary of us and know that we will stab, shoot, or blow you for power or for money whenever we have the chance.
However, this is not why the book doesn't deserve to be rated very highly. The reason is implicit in its very idea: describing the history of war and peace of three millenia in six hundred fifty pages! This has reduced it to a shallow and rapid description of the main events. It was often that whole kingdoms and cultures were touched in a paragraph or two and history changing events in a few pages. There was little space for analysis before the last chapter and much of the descirption of events cannot be retained in memory with the hectic pace of writing.
This book, along with a few works of fiction, is what I would give the first arrivals of an alien culture when their first guests arrive to earth knowing nothing about us so they can have the short version of our history and start thinking of how to deal with us. The conclusion would be useful for them as well, peace is not the natural state of humans, be weary of us and know that we will stab, shoot, or blow you for power or for money whenever we have the chance.
August 16, 2021
(Audiobook, narrated by Roy Mcmillan.)
I'm probably being unfair to this book, since it promises to talk about world history through the lens of war, and it does exactly that; but oh, how boring it was! It felt like an almost endless sequence of names of emperors, dates and number of casualties, listed monotonously, without so much as a spark of interest, deeper explanation or humor.
The fact that I've listened to it as an audiobook helped me finish it, and closer to the end there were some interesting reflections on the role of diplomacy and History's judgment of who is guilty and how much. However, the analysis of colonial struggles was weirdly almost absent, and I could not help but think that this is not a great History book to read. Maybe a solid book, but not a pleasant reading.
I'm probably being unfair to this book, since it promises to talk about world history through the lens of war, and it does exactly that; but oh, how boring it was! It felt like an almost endless sequence of names of emperors, dates and number of casualties, listed monotonously, without so much as a spark of interest, deeper explanation or humor.
The fact that I've listened to it as an audiobook helped me finish it, and closer to the end there were some interesting reflections on the role of diplomacy and History's judgment of who is guilty and how much. However, the analysis of colonial struggles was weirdly almost absent, and I could not help but think that this is not a great History book to read. Maybe a solid book, but not a pleasant reading.
June 9, 2023
E de apreciat efortul de a rezuma mii de ani de istorie globală; mi-a oferit o valoroasă imagine de ansamblu, reamintindu-mi evenimente și informații importante, umplând alte multe goluri...
Cu toată abundența de date aflate la degetul mic (dacă l-am folosi pe el pentru a accesa internetul), în încercarea de a înțelege cât mai mult, din cât mai multe domenii, mă simt adesea copleșită, de aceea caut și am nevoie de sinteze.
În privința conținutului, cartea e foarte relevantă. Forma și stilul autorului, atunci când nu se rezuma doar la fapte simple exprimate concis, nu mi-au părut foarte atrăgătoare, dar cel mai grav a fost să constat o multitudine de greșeli, de parcă textul n-ar fi trecut prin mâinile unui redactor și prin ale unui corector. Erori de scriere, gramaticale și de formulare mi-au dat impresia că aș citi primul draft scris pe repezeală. N-aș fi făcut atâta caz, fiind atât de mulțumită de conținut, însă n-am mai întâlnit atâtea greșeli în nicio altă carte pe care am citit-o.
Cu toată abundența de date aflate la degetul mic (dacă l-am folosi pe el pentru a accesa internetul), în încercarea de a înțelege cât mai mult, din cât mai multe domenii, mă simt adesea copleșită, de aceea caut și am nevoie de sinteze.
În privința conținutului, cartea e foarte relevantă. Forma și stilul autorului, atunci când nu se rezuma doar la fapte simple exprimate concis, nu mi-au părut foarte atrăgătoare, dar cel mai grav a fost să constat o multitudine de greșeli, de parcă textul n-ar fi trecut prin mâinile unui redactor și prin ale unui corector. Erori de scriere, gramaticale și de formulare mi-au dat impresia că aș citi primul draft scris pe repezeală. N-aș fi făcut atâta caz, fiind atât de mulțumită de conținut, însă n-am mai întâlnit atâtea greșeli în nicio altă carte pe care am citit-o.
December 27, 2022
Impeccably researched, breathtaking in its historical sweep and sobering in its conclusions. Thomas Hobbes was right: history shows that life can be short and brutal, and we must use all our humility and sensitivity to maintain peace.
May 6, 2019
The set up of this book is terribly ambitious: finding patterns in the distribution of power, political organization, interaction between political entities, relationship between man and planet and the nature of world politics, by giving an account of three thousand years of history in terms of war and peace. The result is sometimes very boring literature, a long sequence of persons, regimes and facts. As a reader more than once I felt completely lost in monotony. The conclusion on the contrary is strong, so just read the conclusion and you are fine. For underlying evidence and illustrations, however, you must dive into the book.
The book has merits too. Holslag divides the last three thousand years of history in twelve chapters of equal length, each spanning a period two hundred and fifty years. The whole world gets attention. Regardless the period, the history is told in a consistent, modern way, demonstrating that the ancient times are not so different from modern times.
In general Jonathan Holslag is quite pessimistic: wars are just part of the human condition. Peace is relative on only for the happy few. Neither diplomacy nor trade put a stop on war. Are we really unable to learn from history?
A last comment on religion. The book shows once again that religion throughout history is only there to organize people into societies. Any religion is far more a driver for war than a carrier of peace and morality. Writing this, I must think of Frans de Waal: morality is much older than mankind (see The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism Among the Primates).
I read the book in Dutch.
The book has merits too. Holslag divides the last three thousand years of history in twelve chapters of equal length, each spanning a period two hundred and fifty years. The whole world gets attention. Regardless the period, the history is told in a consistent, modern way, demonstrating that the ancient times are not so different from modern times.
In general Jonathan Holslag is quite pessimistic: wars are just part of the human condition. Peace is relative on only for the happy few. Neither diplomacy nor trade put a stop on war. Are we really unable to learn from history?
A last comment on religion. The book shows once again that religion throughout history is only there to organize people into societies. Any religion is far more a driver for war than a carrier of peace and morality. Writing this, I must think of Frans de Waal: morality is much older than mankind (see The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism Among the Primates).
I read the book in Dutch.
March 19, 2019
This is a wonderful book for anyone who wants an overview and grand sweeping tour of global history. It does a fantastic job of taking a viewpoint that isn't completely Western centric, and, in fact, I'd say the defining narrative of the book is that, since the dawn of man, the central powers of the world have drifted across continents.
The book mainly focuses on five major areas where empires flow and ebb: North Africa (although this is more the first 3rd), China, the Indian subcontinent, Europe, and Mesopotamia/Middle East. The USA and the Americas feature hardly at all until the final chapter. Unlike some reviewers, I do not think this is a bad thing - it's simply the emphasis of history and of historical records. As you see how wealth, power, technology and political integration shifts across these areas, Holslag gives a well constructed impression of how transient things really are.
The book loses a star simply because it's a bit inconsistent at times in where it chooses to devote attention. For example, the Song and Ming dynasties get a lot of space yet the Mongols (arguably the most important development in the late middle ages) are almost a side show. Also, the book is (for me) almost too fair in how it divides its chapters. Equal space is given to the fairly uninteresting 250-500 period as the busy 1750-2000. This, though, is likely a matter of my personal preferences but find more time could have been given to the technology, age of exploration, rise of America and Tsarist Russia etc....
A solid overview of world history, though, and I learned enough new things to rank it highly.
The book mainly focuses on five major areas where empires flow and ebb: North Africa (although this is more the first 3rd), China, the Indian subcontinent, Europe, and Mesopotamia/Middle East. The USA and the Americas feature hardly at all until the final chapter. Unlike some reviewers, I do not think this is a bad thing - it's simply the emphasis of history and of historical records. As you see how wealth, power, technology and political integration shifts across these areas, Holslag gives a well constructed impression of how transient things really are.
The book loses a star simply because it's a bit inconsistent at times in where it chooses to devote attention. For example, the Song and Ming dynasties get a lot of space yet the Mongols (arguably the most important development in the late middle ages) are almost a side show. Also, the book is (for me) almost too fair in how it divides its chapters. Equal space is given to the fairly uninteresting 250-500 period as the busy 1750-2000. This, though, is likely a matter of my personal preferences but find more time could have been given to the technology, age of exploration, rise of America and Tsarist Russia etc....
A solid overview of world history, though, and I learned enough new things to rank it highly.
November 22, 2018
This is a great overview of the rise and fall of the great, and small, states and empires over the last 3000 years, concentrating on China, India, the Middle East, and Europe - with brief forays into the Americas. What I really liked about it is that each chapter covers a couple of centuries and so put the various empires in context and it was nice to see what, say, the Mughals or the Han were up to as their contemporaneous European neighbours were doing their thing. There wasn't enough analysis of the causes of peace or a dissection of the breakdown of diplomacy for my liking - and what I was expecting from the blurb - but it was a good birdseye view nonetheless.
April 8, 2022
extremely broad but occasionally brilliant. took a while to read because it's extremely easy to put down at the end of a chapter and feel little to compel you to pick it back up, but a great introduction to the growth of major powers across history. i don't think there's much here for anyone who has read about specific time periods already, but as an intro to various times in history it is fantastic.
it absolutely fails to stick the landing, however. never before have i seen a book take 500 pages to get to a conclusion that could be summed up as ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
it absolutely fails to stick the landing, however. never before have i seen a book take 500 pages to get to a conclusion that could be summed up as ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
May 28, 2023
Mocht deze ellenlange samenvatting van drieduizend jaar geschiedenis geen leerstof voor een examen zijn geweest, had ik dit boek ongetwijfeld niet uitgelezen.
May 22, 2022
چرا جنگها رخ میدن؟ این سوال محوری کتابه و با همین نگاه به جست و جوی سه هزار سال تاریخ جهان میپردازه، هر فصل از کتاب روایت 250 سال از تاریخ تمام نقاط کره زمین هستش، از چین گرفته تا آمریکا، گرچه کتاب نسبتا قطوره اما به خاطر حجم زیاد تاریخی که داره پوشش میده خیلی سرسری از جزئیات تاریخی عبور میکنه و خیلی وقتا لازمه به ویکیپدیا و نقشه های تاریخی (به خصوص این سایت خیلی کمک کرد: http://geacron.com/home-en/) سر بزنید تا بتونید تصویری در خور از اتفاقی که میافته کسب کنید.
March 2, 2019
Een geschiedenis van de laatste 3000 jaar en dan vooral over de in die tijd gevoerde oorlogen. Dat zijn er veel en het eind is nog niet in zicht. Wat het boek vooral laat zien is dat oorlogen van alle tijden zijn en door alle volkeren werden gevoerd. Veel aandacht in dit boek voor China, India en het Perzische rijk. En natuurlijk voor Europa. Zuid-Amerika en sub-Sahara Afrika komen er wat bekaaid van af. Omdat alles erg beknopt beschreven wordt, helpt het wel, als je al eerder wat over de verschillende onderwerpen gelezen hebt. Ondanks de grote hoeveelheid informatie is het boek goed leesbaar. Vooral interessant de conclusies aan het eind: landen/staten, mensen dus, zullen altijd meer macht en geld willen hebben en zullen dus oorlog blijven voeren. In welke vorm dan ook. Pessimistisch, maar wel realistisch.
January 24, 2023
Fantastic book that segments and summarises world history in a series of 250 year epochs.
It dispelled my eurocentric perspective of history whereby European dominance has been long and inevitable. The primacy of the west is relatively recent, and for centuries Europe was just a bunch of squabbling states on the periphery of Eurasia.
Towards the end, in the analysis of why states go to war, an interesting corrective is issued on the idea that an increase in trade and cooperation necessarily leads to a reduction in violence.
Well worth a read if you want a cook's tour of world history.
It dispelled my eurocentric perspective of history whereby European dominance has been long and inevitable. The primacy of the west is relatively recent, and for centuries Europe was just a bunch of squabbling states on the periphery of Eurasia.
Towards the end, in the analysis of why states go to war, an interesting corrective is issued on the idea that an increase in trade and cooperation necessarily leads to a reduction in violence.
Well worth a read if you want a cook's tour of world history.
August 13, 2019
Pur mancando quel paio di concetti e novazioni a livello di Perché le nazioni falliscono di Acemoglu, questo di Holslag, concentrato sull'evoluzione politica delle civiltà umane, è un testo importantissimo e uno dei saggi più importanti de il Saggiatore.
Dai primi ordinamenti politici complessi, al collasso dell'età del bronzo, fino alla guerra fredda Holslag descrive le forze che muovono popoli e stati: intelligenza, cambiamento climatico e paura.
Dai primi ordinamenti politici complessi, al collasso dell'età del bronzo, fino alla guerra fredda Holslag descrive le forze che muovono popoli e stati: intelligenza, cambiamento climatico e paura.
April 9, 2022
A very interesting book summarising the political history of the world. It is truly global unlike most Western history books and clearly shows how countries have grown and declined through the ages analysing the factors that contributed to these developments. It clearly shows the evolution of the political environment and diplomacy over the last 3000 years. It is a must read for anyone who wants to understand why the world is what it is today.
March 30, 2021
Ένα ιδιαίτερο βιβλίο ιστορίας, απευθυνόμενο στο ευρύ κοινό, είναι η τελευταία πρόταση του διδάσκοντα διεθνή πολιτική στην Ακαδημία Αμυντικών Σπουδών του ΝΑΤΟ και στο Free University Brussels, Jonathan Holslag.
Η ιδιαιτερότητά του έγκειται στο καθολικό του εγχειρήματος, τόσο από χρονική, όσο και από τοπική άποψη. Το βιβλίο εστιάζει δηλαδή στην παγκόσμια ιστορία των αυτοκρατοριών, στις σχέσεις τους μεταξύ τους και στην, πάντοτε δύσκολη ανά τους αιώνες, δύσκολη ακροβασία ανάμεσα στον πόλεμο και την ειρήνη. Ξεκινώντας από το 3.000 π.Χ. και φτάνοντας ως το 2.000μ.Χ. ο συγγραφέας μας προσφέρει μια παγκόσμια περιήγηση στον χώρο και τον χρόνο, εστιάζοντας όχι μόνο στις γνωστές αυτοκρατορίες, όπως των Περσών, των Ρωμαίων, των Κινέζων κ.τ.λ., αλλά και σε άλλες, πολύ λιγότερο γνωστές, όπως εκείνη των Γκούπτα στην Ινδία, των Κοσανών και των Σιονγκού στην Κεντρική Ασία και άλλων πολλών.
Η παρουσίαση τηρεί αυστηρή χρονολογική σειρά και συνοδεύεται από χάρτες που βοηθούν τον αναγνώστη να αποκτήσει μία πλήρη εικόνα της ανόδου και της πτώσης όλων των αυτοκρατοριών του πλανήτη, τη μελέτη των διεθνών σχέσεων, τα αίτια της ακμής και της πτώσης τους, καθώς και τους λόγους που οδηγούσαν κάθε φορά τις κραταιές αυτές αυτοκρατορίες-ή και τα πανίσχυρα κράτη τον 20ο αιώνα- να πολεμούν μεταξύ τους. Το συμπέρασμα βέβαια, μέσα από τα διδάγματα της ιστορίας, δεν είν��ι και πολύ ενθαρρυντικό σχετικά με το αν θα υπάρξει επιτέλους ειρήνη σε αυτόν τον πονεμένο κόσμο, σίγουρα όμως ο αναγνώστης αφήνοντάς το στην άκρη, θα νιώσει πολύ πιο ενημερωμένος σχετικά με τις πολιτικές -ειρηνικές ή μη- των σύγχρονων κρατών και τις επιλογές των πολιτικών.
ΤΟ ΔΥΝΑΤΟ ΤΟΥ ΣΗΜΕΙΟ: το γεγονός ότι αποφεύγει την υπερ- ανάλυση, με αποτέλεσμα να μην πλατειάζει και να μην κουράζεται ο αναγνώστης από περιττές λεπτομέρειες που ίσως δυσκολευόταν να συγκρατήσει.
ΠΟΙΟΙ ΠΡΕΠΕΙ ΝΑ ΤΟ ΔΙΑΒΑΣΟΥΝ: όσοι ενδιαφέρονται για την πολιτική, την ιστορία και τις διεθνείς σχέσεις.
Η ιδιαιτερότητά του έγκειται στο καθολικό του εγχειρήματος, τόσο από χρονική, όσο και από τοπική άποψη. Το βιβλίο εστιάζει δηλαδή στην παγκόσμια ιστορία των αυτοκρατοριών, στις σχέσεις τους μεταξύ τους και στην, πάντοτε δύσκολη ανά τους αιώνες, δύσκολη ακροβασία ανάμεσα στον πόλεμο και την ειρήνη. Ξεκινώντας από το 3.000 π.Χ. και φτάνοντας ως το 2.000μ.Χ. ο συγγραφέας μας προσφέρει μια παγκόσμια περιήγηση στον χώρο και τον χρόνο, εστιάζοντας όχι μόνο στις γνωστές αυτοκρατορίες, όπως των Περσών, των Ρωμαίων, των Κινέζων κ.τ.λ., αλλά και σε άλλες, πολύ λιγότερο γνωστές, όπως εκείνη των Γκούπτα στην Ινδία, των Κοσανών και των Σιονγκού στην Κεντρική Ασία και άλλων πολλών.
Η παρουσίαση τηρεί αυστηρή χρονολογική σειρά και συνοδεύεται από χάρτες που βοηθούν τον αναγνώστη να αποκτήσει μία πλήρη εικόνα της ανόδου και της πτώσης όλων των αυτοκρατοριών του πλανήτη, τη μελέτη των διεθνών σχέσεων, τα αίτια της ακμής και της πτώσης τους, καθώς και τους λόγους που οδηγούσαν κάθε φορά τις κραταιές αυτές αυτοκρατορίες-ή και τα πανίσχυρα κράτη τον 20ο αιώνα- να πολεμούν μεταξύ τους. Το συμπέρασμα βέβαια, μέσα από τα διδάγματα της ιστορίας, δεν είν��ι και πολύ ενθαρρυντικό σχετικά με το αν θα υπάρξει επιτέλους ειρήνη σε αυτόν τον πονεμένο κόσμο, σίγουρα όμως ο αναγνώστης αφήνοντάς το στην άκρη, θα νιώσει πολύ πιο ενημερωμένος σχετικά με τις πολιτικές -ειρηνικές ή μη- των σύγχρονων κρατών και τις επιλογές των πολιτικών.
ΤΟ ΔΥΝΑΤΟ ΤΟΥ ΣΗΜΕΙΟ: το γεγονός ότι αποφεύγει την υπερ- ανάλυση, με αποτέλεσμα να μην πλατειάζει και να μην κουράζεται ο αναγνώστης από περιττές λεπτομέρειες που ίσως δυσκολευόταν να συγκρατήσει.
ΠΟΙΟΙ ΠΡΕΠΕΙ ΝΑ ΤΟ ΔΙΑΒΑΣΟΥΝ: όσοι ενδιαφέρονται για την πολιτική, την ιστορία και τις διεθνείς σχέσεις.
August 24, 2022
Um livro escrito de forma bastante cativante e que torna a leitura fácil e corrida, que nos fala dos conflitos entre nações e civilizações, países e povos desde dos primórdios da Humanidade até aos dias de hoje. Com este livro, pude aprender como a questão da Guerra e da Paz na Terra será sempre uma realidade neste planeta. Isto é, existirão sempre períodos onde os conflitos bélicos serão uma realidade em alguma parte do planeta, e outras alturas em que a paz reinará em outras zonas do globo. Como é referido no último capítulo da conclusão deste livro: "quando as guerras terminam, as sociedades unem-se por trás de governantes que prometem uma era de tranquilidade, e dão vivas aos delegados que negociaram tratados de paz. A paz é celebrada por homens e mulheres que tiveram a experiência de a perder. No entanto as guerras continuaram a eclodir uma e outra vez: "O mundo é como um carro à desfiladeira", conclui o poeta romano Virgílio. Contudo (...) mesmo as eras de paz que foram celebradas como idades de ouro não eram afinal tão harmoniosas como isso. Coincidiram muitas com violentos conflitos sociais resultantes da escravatura e de outras desigualdades extremas entre as massas miseráveis e as elites decadentes."
March 23, 2022
Don't be dazzled by the unfamiliar cultures, empires and timeframes, it's a disappointingly shallow book. I'm happy to say I skipped from page 115 to 400 (from the Roman empire to the 18th century). I feel like the author started with a wide and interesting scope, but when the deadline presented itself, he settled for much less. He starts off with outlining his analysis on 5 layers of history: the political organization, the thinking about world politics, why war often trumped peace, etc. However, the following chapters read more like a hasty collection of facts without much comparison or analysis. If you just read the conclusion, at least the last few paragraphs that should go for the conclusion, there is no overview over the 3000 years, there is no recapitulation of the 5 layers, there is just an opinion of the author on contemporary diplomacy. For full disclosure, I read it in Dutch, which didn't enhance the experience. Lots of words felt out of place as a direct translation and often phrases were drawn out too long for the Dutch language. The English title, however, more honestly depicts what the book is about: political history, not conflict.
July 12, 2019
In terms of how much I enjoyed the text, my rating would easily be Five Stars. The words jump out to you yelling PAY ATTENTION! And I did. However, as a work of synthesis, there are small errors of historical dating, names and places; not everywhere mind you, more blink and miss. Further, the lesson advanced at the end of our romp: the benefits of knowledge edged with humility in our dealings with each other is undeniable. It is, however, unoriginal, more confirmation of lessons avid history lovers would have already picked up many times. At least I have, hence the one-star, really a half star knock-off.
I have and will heartily recommend this book. It is a /sigh/ 'timely' reminder that we have a civilisation but only if we can preserve it.
P.S It is entirely the author's fault that from now on, all misfortune I may come across shall be met with the cry, 'ohh I have seen the wilderness of this world'.
I have and will heartily recommend this book. It is a /sigh/ 'timely' reminder that we have a civilisation but only if we can preserve it.
P.S It is entirely the author's fault that from now on, all misfortune I may come across shall be met with the cry, 'ohh I have seen the wilderness of this world'.
February 17, 2021
Um livro que acredito ter sido no mínimo demorado.
Dá para perceber pela leitura complementar feita pelo autor, que se encontra no fim do livro.
Uma história concisa e sucinta(apesar das mais de 500 páginas) sobre o mundo desde antes de 1000 A.C a 2000 D.C, tal como o título indica. O que é que achei?
É uma dicotomia na medida em que existe muita informação, mas que ao mesmo tempo faltam muitos pormenores à “História” que é esta História da Política mundial. Isto não é uma crítica! Até porque para ser feito um livro bem pormenorizado sobre algo que é no mínimo... complexo, seria de esperar uma edição com pelo menos uma centena de milhares de páginas!
Acho que para quem queira ter uma visão abrangente sobre a nossa História é um livro bastante interessante. E para quem queira pesquisar mais a fundo sobre cada capítulo dos anais da História sugiro por exemplo que o leitor use como referência a leitura complementar que o autor nos deixa no fim do livro, tal como já tinha referido.
Dá para perceber pela leitura complementar feita pelo autor, que se encontra no fim do livro.
Uma história concisa e sucinta(apesar das mais de 500 páginas) sobre o mundo desde antes de 1000 A.C a 2000 D.C, tal como o título indica. O que é que achei?
É uma dicotomia na medida em que existe muita informação, mas que ao mesmo tempo faltam muitos pormenores à “História” que é esta História da Política mundial. Isto não é uma crítica! Até porque para ser feito um livro bem pormenorizado sobre algo que é no mínimo... complexo, seria de esperar uma edição com pelo menos uma centena de milhares de páginas!
Acho que para quem queira ter uma visão abrangente sobre a nossa História é um livro bastante interessante. E para quem queira pesquisar mais a fundo sobre cada capítulo dos anais da História sugiro por exemplo que o leitor use como referência a leitura complementar que o autor nos deixa no fim do livro, tal como já tinha referido.
August 6, 2020
Um perspectiva fresca e bem sistematizada sobre os equilíbrios (e os desequilíbrios) de poder ao longo dos últimos 3000 anos, e a forma como se foram criando e destruindo os diversos impérios mundiais. Nalguns momentos senti que o autor ficou aquém do potencial do tema, e que certos momentos mais críticos mereciam uma outra profundidade, mas compreendo que ele terá privilegiado o equilíbrio entre todos os períodos históricos, e nesse sentido conseguiu uma excelente síntese.
Leitura recomendada para quem aprecia ensaios sobre história e política. Ajuda a perceber melhor as diferentes culturas, muitas delas muito distantes de nós, e em certa medida aquilo que hoje nos aproxima e nos separa, a nível mundial.
Leitura recomendada para quem aprecia ensaios sobre história e política. Ajuda a perceber melhor as diferentes culturas, muitas delas muito distantes de nós, e em certa medida aquilo que hoje nos aproxima e nos separa, a nível mundial.
May 12, 2019
How can you summarise 3000 years of wars and peace in 556 pages. Holslag does a reasonably good job, partially he has an interesting framework. He explains quite well this framework in the first chapter and it helps ps in reading the book. But it is of course one’ll one lens to look at political history.
I enjoyed reading the book, but his analysis of history is also deeply disturbing and pessimistic. There seems to be no hope but that we will be going into the next war. I hope he is wrong, but I fear he is right.
I enjoyed reading the book, but his analysis of history is also deeply disturbing and pessimistic. There seems to be no hope but that we will be going into the next war. I hope he is wrong, but I fear he is right.
August 30, 2023
Would have been 5 stars if it hadn’t been so neglectful of the Renaissance - I was really looking forward to reading about that even though it didn’t have a direct link with the “war” part of the book. Overall this was a very interesting book though. It is very hard to condense 3,000 years of history into 600 pages but Holslag does a good job even though that means picking and choosing what to highlight and what to skim over. Very readable and a great place to get a sense of the interlinked events of history and where to place them.
January 4, 2020
It doesn't really deliver what it purports to sell - a history of war and diplomacy - but if you're just looking for a relatively compact summary of the major political developments over the 3000 years since the arrival of Iron, this is a pretty good read. Obviously very little depth, but as someone who has a bit of trouble holding the big picture in my mind when digging into specific cases, this was very helpful to deliver some context.
December 22, 2019
The concluding chapter redeems what is otherwise a difficult read...but, once you’ve read the final chapter the logic of Jonathan Holslag’s cumbersome and repetitive review of regimes, empires, nations and cultures makes sense. Political history does more than “rhyme” it repeats a series of underlying principles over and over again.
October 2, 2020
Buitengewoon interessant om eens "snel" doorheen 3000 jaar wereldgeschiedenis te fietsen. Het toonde me vooral aan hoe ongelofelijk eenzijdig onze geschiedenislessen zijn.
Minpuntje : door zo snel te gaan is het soms jammer dat bepaalde zaken weinig aandacht krijgen. Maar goed, die zoeken we dan wel eens apart op.
Minpuntje : door zo snel te gaan is het soms jammer dat bepaalde zaken weinig aandacht krijgen. Maar goed, die zoeken we dan wel eens apart op.
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