The Wrath of Nations: Civilizations and the Furies of Nationalism (Paperback)

by William Pfaff (Author) "This book is about the most powerful political force of the twentieth century, which is likely to prove the most powerful of the twenty-first as..." (more)
Key Phrases: liberal internationalism, United States, Second World War, Soviet Union (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Pfaff ( Barbarian Sentiments ) calls nationalism the most powerful political force of our century. In this valuable historical survey, he identifiesresurgent nationalism as the phenomenon that destroyed Western imperialism, undermined colonial systems and defeated the totalitarian internationalism of Marxist-Leninism. Pfaff argues against the opinion that Nazism was also an international movement because the Nazis envisaged Europe's unification under Nordic peoples. The Nazi threat, in his analysis, was overcome through resistance fueled largely by nationalist feelings. Pfaff, who writes regularly for the New Yorker , considers American nationalism as a force capable of great altruism but also of vindictive violence. Ranging from the spread of Islamic fundamentalism to the Yugoslav War, this clear-sighted report highlights the potential of nationalism for progressive change or irrational hatred and chauvinist aggression. History Book Club alternate; author tour.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
Unlike Daniel Patrick Moynihan's Pandaemonium ( LJ 5/1/93), which is as much a foreign policy prescription as a literate discussion of the phenomenon of nationalism, Pfaff's work is a forbidding intellectual overview of the concept of nation and its place in the pantheon of world politics. Meticulously researched, this book is an excellent introduction to ethnopolitics for undergraduates and graduate students alike. Pfaff argues that nationalism is perhaps the great force in contemporary international politics and that it has survived Marxism, which was born out of the same liberal tradition. Resisting the centripetal pull of internationalism, nationalism is a visceral, centrifugal reaction that defies and disrupts civil relations among states: its examples include the carnage in Bosnia. Pfaff's bibliography contains many classic works on the topic and provides an excellent resource for students. Recommended for academic and larger public libraries.
- Joseph P. Parsons, Columbia Coll., Chicago
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; 1st Touchstone edition (November 10, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671892487
• ISBN-13: 978-0671892487
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #144,694 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A study of nationalism as irrational, quasi-religious force, June 16, 2000

By	Earl Hazell (New York) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Wrath of Nations: Civilization and the Furies of Nationalism (Hardcover)

It is hard to believe that such a well written, fascinating look at most of world history of the past thousand years via the lens of this barely two century-old force called nationalism is out of print. Pfaff rips loose the real meaning of words like "culture", "race", "solidarity", "community", and even "politics" from the intellectual, emotional, and quasi-religious force that is nationalism- a political system redefining all of the above through the small lens of populations, collective hyper-logical interests mythologized, and geography. I didn't realize that countries as we have come to know them and their peoples were not essentially like they are now a thousand years ago- which makes me look at everything in the political and cultural arena differently. What has been the effect of this force called nationalism on the human mind and the human soul? How can it be bad if it helped destroy Nazism; how can it be good if it turns neighbors and families with ancient bloodlines into bloodthirsty enemies, like in Kosovo, or our own Civil War? WRATH OF NATIONS attempts to answer these questions, and many others I didn't think to ask.

Pfaff's treatise on nationalism is as much psychological as it is historical and political. And on those grounds it is well worth reading.

3 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars But what IS nationalism, June 4, 2003

By	Adam S. Glantz "vabound2000" (Herndon, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazingly, the author wrote a book about nationalism and is constantly assessing ideologies in relation to nationalism (e.g., to him, religious fundamentalism is LIKE nationalism, but is not IDENTICAL TO nationalism)...but he never provides a clear definition OF nationalism!! I read chapter 1 over and over in search of a definition and couldn't find one. There must be a problem when the pivotal variable isn't clearly defined. It's a miracle you got as far as you did with this fuzzy work, Mr. Pfaff.