Customer Reviews

The Causes of World War Three

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Wright Mills is as always an incisive critic. His analysis of "the serious people" brought in to govern, and their supposed expertise is as correct and current today as it was when it was written. His passionate anti-militarism, his disdain of elite men who nevertheless have very little knowledge of the world, and his nuanced approach to the ways in which power is exercised and implemented are all useful, thought-provoking and beautifully written. He tells us how these "serious people" who govern us "know of no solutions to the paradoxes of the Middle East and Europe, the Far East and Africa except the landing of Marines. Being baffled, and also being very tired of being baffled, they have come to believe that there is no way out--except war--which would remove all the bewildering paradoxes of their tedious and now misguided attempts to construct peace. In place of these paradoxes they prefer the bright, clear problems of war--as they used to be. For they still believe that "winning" means something, although they never tell us what." Amazing to imagine this was written nearly 50 years ago!

If your highest value is no war, if that value trumps liberty and all else, you might agree with this book. In it, Mills states as matter of factly that the Russians are out pacing the west in production and technology. His assessment was that the west, more specifically the United States was acting in a way to cause world war three when the USSR wanted nothing but peace. According to Mills the USSR was just reacting to the American aggression. He remarks that if one is to state this fact you are considered unpatriotic. He states that the military build up is because the military industrial complex was benefiting and that our leaders are lazy and ignorant so it keeps going. He questions the morals of the leaders, in the march to war he believes they think they have a good moral code but Mills begs to differ. This book is diatribe against America and a cheerleading squad for dictators. Amazingly similar to those currently protesting the war in Iraq, It was just written four decades ago.