Julius Caesar: Man, Soldier, And Tyrant (Da Capo Paperback) [Paperback]

J. F. C. Fuller (Author)

Book Description

Series: Da Capo Paperback | Publication Date: March 22, 1991

Since the Renaissance, Julius Caesar has been idolized as a superman. Classical sources, however, present a far less exalted being. As General Fuller writes, Caesar was "an unscrupulous demagogue whose one aim was power, and a general who could not only win brilliant victories but also commit dismal blunders.... It is reasonable to suspect that, at times, Caesar was not responsible for his actions, and toward the end of his life, not altogether sane." There is not doubt that Caesar was an extraordinary man.” But Fuller points out that he was extraordinary for his reckless ambition, matchless daring, and ruthless tyranny, rather than for his skills as a military comander. Caesar continually had to extricate himself from results of mistakes of judgement. His unnecessary Alexandrian War, his close call at Thapsus, and his seemingly unpremeditated Gallic conquest are just a few of Fuller's many examples.And in telling Caesar's history, Fuller illuminates a century of Roman history as well. Aided by maps of Caesar's principal battles and diagrams of many of his weapons, Fuller brings to life Caesar's wars, his armies, his equipment, and his methods. Brilliant in design and impressive in scope, Julius Caesar clarifies how the military, political, and economic aspects of the Roman Republic worked together to produce a man whose name has come down to us as a synonym for absolute authority.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Major General J.F.C. Fuller (1878-1966) was one of the most important and original military thinkers of this century. He served as lieutenant in the Boer War, organized the first British tank corps in World War I, and developed the strategy and tactics of tank warfare which were later put to such effective use by the Nazis for their World War II blitzkriegs. His many books include A Military History of the Western World (3 volumes), The Generalship of Ulysses S. Grant, Julius Caesar: Man, Soldier, and Tyrant, and The Generalship of Alexander the Great, all of which are available from Da Capo Press/Perseus Book Group.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (March 22, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306804220
• ISBN-13: 978-0306804229
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,063,151 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A revisionist view and not very interesting., October 9, 2002

By 

mike esposito "espo" (Morton Grove, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Julius Caesar: Man, Soldier, and Tyrant (Audio Cassette)

Fuller's account of the Career of Julius Caesar can also be found in Caesar's own commentaries. Some of his insights into Caesar's personality are interesting, but most can be found in classical works by Appian and Dio. His thesis that Caesar was not the great general and statesman that history dipicts him can be disputed. Caesar was the first ancient general to incorporate siegeworks as a tactical tool. Fuller's claim that the roman army was "lucky" that it did not encounter stronger cavalry arms is unfounded. Cavalry in anceint times was not much more than a skirmishing force, not in the same league as the legionares.

I was displeased with the dry, accounts of caesar's campaigns, surprising for a military man like Fuller. Also, he does not go into great detail about Caesar's personality, other than to quote the classical historians.

Overall, a very average work.

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A most informative book with a good insight into Caesar., April 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Julius Caesar: Man, Soldier, And Tyrant (Da Capo Paperback) (Paperback)

I found this book most informative and interesting. It has an amazing insight into not only the life of this amazing man but also the times in which he lived. The book effectivly depicts Caesar not only as man but also a good tactitioner and leader. This book has been well researched and writen in an easy to follow way. Although I already know a fair bit about Julius I found that this book informed me on alot of things I previously had no knowledge of. I emensly enjoyed this book and would recomend this book to anyone with a interest in the Ancient Roman Republic and Empire.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars somewhat disappointing glance at a giant, February 14, 2011

By 

Konrad Baumeister - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Julius Caesar: Man, Soldier, And Tyrant (Da Capo Paperback) (Paperback)

Fuller's last book was also his least, in terms of original insight and depth of research. Fuller had written a number of books on military history and biography of military men, even strategic thinking and historical analysis on the First and Second World War; here, the work comes across as somewhat tired and a little cranky.

His general theory is that at times Julius Caesar was not fully responsible for actions he took; that he was exceedingly lucky rather than good; and that towards the end of his life, he may not have been altogether sane. To that end, he starts he biography well, with good political background pre-Gallic conquest, but after this the book drops off. There is nothing in his recounting of the Gallic Wars that is not better brought out by Caesar himself in his own works, and the Civil Wars are better handled ana analyzed by numerous other Roman historians, again including Caesar himself if one reads closely and between some of the lines.

Fuller maintains that Caesar had no real politics of his own; he was simply an opportunist willing grasp at whatever circumstances seemed to offer the quicker route to more and more power. He was neither a military reformer or innovator, and his dismissal of politics per se as an ideology is shown to be shallow or non-existant by his switching allegiances from his natural Optimates status at birth to the Populares and then back again when the proper marriage made that useful. Fuller brings him out not as one of the greatest generals who ever lived - a not uncommon point of view among other biographers and for that matter this reviewer - but as a highly charismatic and brave general but one of otherwise only middling talent, stumling through a charmed career. For example, he faced and eventually beat, over a decade, barbarians such as the Gauls and a few Celtic tribes, but never had to face down a serious and quasi-civilized cavary-based army such as the Parthians fielded; moreover, even in his own legitimate triumphs, there were times of poor judgment (first invasion of Britain, e.g., as well as numerous cases in dealing with the Gauls), and just plain luck.

Instead of being, therefore, THE MAN, he becomes under Fuller he becomes simply the man who happened to be there when Rome reached its final tipping point of the long revolution, where the Senate finally fully lost control of the army to charismatic generals such as Marius, Sulla, etc., and the state itself was finally brought down. Even once the Republic became whatever it was under Caesar's short dictatorship, the tension remained unresolved until a workable solution was finally found, some years later, by Octavian, after yet another destructive civil war, in the founding of the Principate.

As a biography of Caesar, there are much better available; as a book for Fuller aficionados, this is disappointing. It remains worth reading for another view of a controversial figure pivotal to history; but it's not the only book to read.