In the first few decades of the nineteenth century; America went from being a largely rural economy; with little internal transportation infrastructure; to a fledgling industrial powerhouse––setting the stage for the vast fortunes that would be made in the golden age of American capitalism. In The Dawn of Innovation; Charles R. Morris vividly brings to life a time when three stupendous American innovations––universal male suffrage; the shift of political power from elites to the middle classes; and a broad commitment to mechanized mass-production––gave rise to the world's first democratic; middle-class; mass-consumption society; a shining beacon to nations and peoples ever since. Behind that ideal were the machines; the men; and the trading and transportation networks that created a new; world-class economic power.
#72789 in Books Bloomsbury Press 2011-05-03 2011-04-26Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 211.07 x 18.92 x 5.47l; .54 #File Name: 1608194108272 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A Thoughtful; Well-Written Collection of EssaysBy Kevin Scott OlsonThis collection of essays will probably be read only by students of history; but its wisdom would benefit us all.The author; a Stanford professor and renowned scholar; examines the question of why wars exist: Why did wars occur in the past? The present? Most important; will they continue to exist in the future?With remarkable breadth of knowledge; Hanson reaches back to ancient times; to the Peloponnesian War between Greece and Sparta; then walks us through history—Caesar; Napoleon; the American Civil War; the World Wars of the twentieth century; the present-day war on terror—and draws correlations that provide us the answers.There is far too much here to touch on in a blog post or review; but I can list a few select highlights:–The field of military history itself is of vast importance; yet it is increasingly isolated and hard to find in today’s college environment. As a formal academic discipline it is atrophied; shunned by political correctness that finds the subject distasteful. Yet only by objectively studying past military conflict can we prevent or minimize future conflict.–The balance between war and democracy; freedom and security. Are dictatorships; with their command structure; innately superior in fighting wars? Fortunately; no. The political and economic freedoms of the United States; and the resulting innovation and dynamism; have produced the world’s finest fighting forces.–The rise of “utopian pacifism.†This is the belief that wars are the result of a misunderstanding; and that future wars can be eliminated through reason; education; and diplomacy. Such a myth has cycled throughout history; as it appeals to the romantic yearning for the perfectibility of human nature. Such beliefs are prevalent again today; despite the disconnect from reality.The truth is that war has always been a part of the human condition; and always will be. War should always be a last resort; but will always be necessary for the survival of civilization. As the author points out; the United States of America was “born through war; reunited in war; and saved from destruction by war.†Moreover;“Our freedom is not entirely our own; in some sense it is mortgaged by those who paid the ultimate price for its continuance.â€America today; with its prosperity and its principles of personal freedom; market capitalism; and constitutional government; is ipso facto envied and hated by the various warlords; dictators; and tribalists that litter the globe. For this reason; our continued existence is best assured by military preparedness; deterrence-based diplomacy; and the courage to fight and defeat our enemies.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The country's liberals should take him to heart.By Jonathan SmartI have studied the classics in their original languages; so Hanson's grounding in the classics has always appealed to me. I like his writing and I like his mindset. This book is full of fresh insights about war and about the importance of the study of classics to the modern world. I had difficulty putting it down. I think he is absolutely right.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. The subject and the comments by Prof. hanson are very interestingBy antonio ruiz de elviraThe subject and the comments by Prof. hanson are very interesting. I was pleased by the way of studying the problem; and much more by the author comment that the people that best appreciated his lectures were the not so elitist students of Fresno; in the middle of California agricultural production valley; maybe kin to the old warriors that the author depicts. The book gives a lot of very useful information; and suggests other books that I have also bought. I write usually agaist war; but to be able to control war one needs to understand it; and this book goees far in that direction. The only drawback I find (4 instead of 5 stars) is that the book is a collection of short chapters unconnected with each other save for the common subject. But I heartily recommend its reading.
