28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Essential Reading for Military Members!, December 29, 2009
This review is from: A Century of War: Lincoln, Wilson & Roosevelt (Paperback)
Disillusionment is at once a bitter pill, a feeling of loss, betrayal and abandonment, sadness, and yet...triumph, and hope for a new beginning.
This book literally changed my life. When I finished "A Century of War" I was shaken to the core. My entire political world view had been challenged, and the history I was taught as a child was insufficient to answer that challenge. I was heartbroken and in tears.
Before you dismiss these claims as mere hyperbole, understand that just a few years before, I had separated from the United States Marine Corps after nine years of Infantry service. All Marines volunteer because they believe in something; for me, it was duty for my country, and my belief in that "shining city upon a hill" that Reagan spoke of in his farewell address; and I believed hard.
But all of that was about to change...
"A Century of War" is only 187 pages of actual text. Seven chapters, plus an appendix (and an extensive bibliography). All written by a mild-mannered Alabama lawyer named John V. Denson, a scholar with the Ludwig von Mises Institute in Montgomery, AL. It is incisive and without fluff. You can read it in just a few hours.
Chapter 1 - A Century of War. The twentieth century is identified as the bloodiest in all of human history, in which government killed more than 170 Million people. The context is established from which the rest of the narrative flows. This chapter can be summed up in the words of a German poet named Johann Christian Friedrich Holderlin: "What has made the State a hell on earth has been that man has tried to make it his heaven."
Chapter 2 - Abraham Lincoln and the First Shot. Gives an account of the chain of events leading up to the War for Southern Independence, as well as the words and deeds of the major participants. This chapter can be summed up in the words of Abraham Lincoln from his first inaugural address: "The power confided in me will be used to hold, occupy, and possess the property and places belonging to the government, and to collect the duties and imposts; but beyond what may be necessary for these objects, there will be no invasion, no using of force against or among the people anywhere."
Chapter 3 - The Calamity of World War I. WWI was (according to Oxford don Niall Ferguson) "nothing less than the greatest error in modern history." One which still haunts the British people to this day as a reprehensible waste of human lives.
Chapter 4 - Franklin D. Roosevelt and the First Shot. "The last good war" and American's favorite war. The author makes the case [convincingly] that WWII was merely a continuation of WWI, primarily because of the 'vindictive and fraudulent Versailles treaty' that ended the first war. Both wars, he continues, [like all wars] were begun out of economic interests. In short, money and power. This chapter can be summed up in the words of Secretary of War Henry Stimson on 25 Nov 1941 "The question was how we should maneuver them into the position of firing the first shot without allowing too much danger to ourselves."
Chapter 5 - Lincoln and Roosevelt: American Caesars. A side-by-side comparison of the actions taken by Lincoln and Roosevelt, and the economic interests that influenced their decision. The author discusses those interests and draws a sharp distinction between 'private enterprise' and 'free enterprise.' This chapter can be summed up in the words of William Pitt on 18 Nov 1783: "Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants."
Chapter 6 - Another Century of War? American foreign policy will attempt to justify huge military budgets and draconian infringements of Liberty. But to what end? This chapter can be summed up in the words of George Washington from his farewell address "The strongest argument against one nation interfering with another does not have to be deduced from any doctrine, moral or otherwise; it is found by looking honestly at the history of past centuries."
Chapter 7 - The Will to Peace. A heart-rending look at the Christmas truce that occurred primarily between the British and German soldiers along the Western Front in December 1914; after which, strict orders forbidding such fraternization were issued. This chapter cannot be summed up by any one quote. However, it is enlightening to quote the author on nationalism: "A principle idea of nationalism was that the individual owed a duty of self-sacrifice to "The Greater Good" of his nation, and that the noblest act a person could do was to give his life for his country during a war..." Addendum - as a supplement to chapter 7, I recommend the movie
All Quiet on the Western Front (Universal Cinema Classics), or the book
All Quiet On The Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque.
Every man's perception is colored by past experience. So I cannot say whether you will be as moved by this retelling of events as was I. But having been recently in the service, I found myself a bit indignant that a mere politician should contemplate expending life, infringing liberty, and destroying property in order to increase the profits of his friends, family, cronies and contributors.
Regardless of your political persuasion, it should force you to think, and to seek the truth for yourself. "A Century of War" was just the beginning for me...But the last few years have been an amazing learning experience. When you finish, I would strongly recommend you buy two copies of
Hamilton's Curse: How Jefferson's Arch Enemy Betrayed the American Revolution--and What It Means for Americans Today. Read one, and give one to a friend.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
very good, succinct introduction to revisionism., November 20, 2011
This review is from: A Century of War: Lincoln, Wilson & Roosevelt (Paperback)
I finished this book a few minutes ago and I have to say that I really enjoyed it for these reasons:
1) It's very short, easy to read, less than 200 pages.
2) The author quotes many of the leading revisionist historians on the particular subjects. Many of them being involved in academia.
3) The author compares views with other prominent historians such as Arthur Schlesinger Jr., who also believed that Lincoln and Roosevelt set dangerous precedents. Though, John says that "He(Arthur) attempts to justify the actions of both presidents on grounds that they were acting during a "crisis" pertaining to the "survival of the American government". John then quotes Arthur's passage, the one which led Jon to that conclusion:
"Both presidents took their actions in the light of day and to the accompaniment of uninhibited political debate. They did what they thought they had to do to save the republic. They threw themselves in the end on the justice of the country and the rectitude of their motives. Whatever Lincoln and Roosevelt felt compelled to do under the pressure of crisis did not corrupt their essential commitment to constitutional ways and democratic processes."
- Arthur Schlesinger Jr
Though, I would like to point out from this quote, I don't see how one can be sure whether Arthur is expressing his opinion or whether he truly believes that Lincoln and Roosevelt really thought that THEY were doing what is best for the country. Note: I do have Arthur's book, from which this quote was taken, "Imperial Presidency", on my shelf, I just haven't had time to read it. Reading this may answer that question.
There are a few other minor instances of things like this...while I wholeheartedly agree with what John is saying as I share the same sentiments as him.
4) A brief account of the Christmas Truce in WW1, an event that I wasn't aware of. Those few pages really touched my heart.
5) The Recommended Reading List at the end is of good size, 2 & 1/2 pages.
6) It's clear to me that John has read an enormous amount of history books. I recently encountered an interview where he says he tries to read so many a year, I can't recall the number. He reviewed 5 anti-war books for the Lew Rockwell Show, an audio podcast, here's the interview:
I'd like to add a Woodrow Wilson quote I found in the book on WW1, the citation is below as well:
"Why, my fellow-citizens, is there any man here, or any woman-let me say, is there any child here, who does not know that the seed of war in the modern world is industrial and commercial rivalry?...This war, in its inception, was a commercial and industrial war. It was not a political war."
[The Papers of Woodrow Wilson, Arthur S. Link, ed. (Princeton, N.J..: Princeton University Press, 1990), vol 63, pp. 45-46.]
This quote seems to go right along with what the Socialist's were saying over and over again during WW1. I believe them to be right in that regard. But then again, they probably weren't the only ones pointing out these things.
That quote instantly made me think of words that I've heard in the movie "Reds" (1981). A very good, movie-like (historical fiction?) account of the Socialist movement's in the U.S. and in Russia.:
Overall, this book is very well worth your money and your time. It may change your life, your political views, or at the very least question most of the things you've been taught. I will be on the lookout for more material from John, it was a pleasure to read.
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