EPIC Historical study now available online
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An Epic historical work by Bill Clinton's Professor is now available online.
All history buffs should not miss this epic work.
Weapons Systems and Political Stability: A History
http://www.carrollquigley.net/books.htm
Weapons Systems and Political Stability: A History.
Washington: University Press of America and Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University. 1983. Pp. xvii. 1043. $36.50.
On his death in 1977, Carroll Quigley, professor at Georgetown University, left a long, but incomplete, manuscript, which his colleagues have now put into print (by photocopy of the typescript) together with appreciative comments and a list of his publications. The author's objective is to enlighten Americans on "the history of weapons systems and tactics, with special reference to the influence that these have had on political life and the stability of political arrangements" (p. 35).
Early in the work we are given an analysis of several dichotomies in military development: (1) amateur versus specialized weapons, the former of which could encourage the rise of democracy; (2) missile versus shock weapons, the former of which were preferred by Asiatic peoples 2000 a.c. to A.D. 1400, while Indo-European stocks tended to use shock weapons in that period; (3) the relative advantage of offensive or defensive tactics, a field in which oscillations have repeatedly taken place.
These variations are then discussed in the long sweep of human development from prehistory down to about A.D. 1500. The bulk of the text is devoted to Greek and Roman history for the period after what Quigley calls the "great divide" in Western Civilization that occurred about 600 b.c., but there is ample space for Chinese and nomadic history. The book is far more widely based than the brief bibliography suggests and is often provocatively independent in its judgments. Quigley does hop back and forth between Greece and Rome and mixes events of several centuries in one paragraph; the reader needs to be already well at home in ancient and also medieval history.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:Masterpiece, September 1, 2004By H. Raeder "holgerraeder" (Allen, Tx United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Weapons Systems and Political Stability (Hardcover)This book is a master piece and explains how the development of weapon systems influenced societies. The multiple changes between expensive weapons of the few to cheap weapons of the many resulted in several different kind of societies. E.g. the availability of a lot of guns allowed the French Revolution to happen and supported a more democratic society. And the huge prices for armour, weapon and horse for middle age knights limited these controlling weapons to a few which resulted in the feudal system. And so on. Quigley again proves himself as the brightest mind in history writing. Unfortunatly he left the world some decades ago. I would love to see an analysis of him where we are now in our time. It seems we are in a very specialized time with specialized armies with a monopoly of these weapons to the state.
This book is out of print (I do not know why, since it is so important and great), but you can get it used for around $80.Help other customers find the most helpful reviewsWas this review helpful to you?
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:Most Excellent Book, May 21, 2009By Xinyu - See all my reviews This review is from: Weapons Systems and Political Stability (Hardcover)This book is awesome. I am on the third chapter...it talks about how weapons systems effect society and is very well written. It is a rare book, but no worries. There is a copy available on Amazon.ca for only 75 CAD.