or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
Express Checkout with PayPhrase
What's this? | Create PayPhrase
More Buying Choices
39 used & new from $2.00
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Politics of War: The Story of Two Wars Which Altered Forever the Political Life of the American Republic 1890-1920
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

The Politics of War: The Story of Two Wars Which Altered Forever the Political Life of the American Republic 1890-1920 (Paperback)

~ Walter Karp (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
List Price: $16.95
Price: $12.71 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $4.24 (25%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Want it delivered Tuesday, November 17? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
22 new from $5.99 17 used from $2.00

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
  Hardcover, December 31, 1978 -- $65.00 $0.49
  Paperback, October 31, 2003 $12.71 $5.99 $2.00
  Unknown Binding, December 31, 1978 -- -- --

Frequently Bought Together

The Politics of War: The Story of Two Wars Which Altered Forever the Political Life of the American Republic 1890-1920 + Indispensable Enemies: The Politics of Misrule in America + Liberty Under Siege: American Politics 1976-1988
Price For All Three: $39.32

Show availability and shipping details

  • This item: The Politics of War: The Story of Two Wars Which Altered Forever the Political Life of the American Republic 1890-1920 by Walter Karp

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • Indispensable Enemies: The Politics of Misrule in America by Walter Karp

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • Liberty Under Siege: American Politics 1976-1988 by Walter Karp

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Liberty Under Siege: American Politics 1976-1988

Liberty Under Siege: American Politics 1976-1988

by Walter Karp
4.3 out of 5 stars (3)  $14.95
Buried Alive: Essays on Our Endangered Republic

Buried Alive: Essays on Our Endangered Republic

by Walter Karp
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  $11.66
War is a Racket: The Antiwar Classic by America's Most Decorated Soldier

War is a Racket: The Antiwar Classic by America's Most Decorated Soldier

by Smedley D. Butler
4.6 out of 5 stars (48)  $9.95
End the Fed

End the Fed

by Ron Paul
4.8 out of 5 stars (236)  $14.95
The Plot to Seize the White House: The Shocking True Story of the Conspiracy to Overthrow FDR

The Plot to Seize the White House: The Shocking True Story of the Conspiracy to Overthrow FDR

by Jules Archer
4.3 out of 5 stars (29)  $10.17
› Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Describes the emergence of the United States as a world power between the years 1890 and 1920 - their contrivance of the Spanish-American War and gratuitous entrance into World War 1 - and by filling in the back story of an era in which 'mendacious oligarchy' organised the USA's politics in a manner convenient to its own indolence and greed, Karp offers a clearer understanding of America's current political circumstance.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 380 pages
  • Publisher: Moyer Bell; 1st Franklin Square Press Ed edition (November 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1879957558
  • ISBN-13: 978-1879957558
  • Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.4 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #378,441 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category: (What's this?)

    #46 in  Books > History > United States > 19th Century > Turn of the Century

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Politics of War: The Story of Two Wars Which Altered Forever the Political Life of the American Republic 1890-1920
90% buy the item featured on this page:
The Politics of War: The Story of Two Wars Which Altered Forever the Political Life of the American Republic 1890-1920 4.8 out of 5 stars (6)
$12.71
Buried Alive: Essays on Our Endangered Republic
5% buy
Buried Alive: Essays on Our Endangered Republic 5.0 out of 5 stars (1)
$11.66
Indispensable Enemies: The Politics of Misrule in America
4% buy
Indispensable Enemies: The Politics of Misrule in America 4.6 out of 5 stars (8)
$11.66
Explore similar items

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(3)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
Agree with these tags?

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more
 

Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
5 star:
 (5)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A great history book., March 31, 2004
By Paul Forster (Minnesota , USA) - See all my reviews
This is one of the best history books I have read in a long time.The first part of the book is about America's involvment in the Spanish American War and is very interesting,but it is the rest of the book,which deals with America's long slide into WWI that makes the book great.Karp totally demolishes all the old fairy tales about "peace loving" Woodrow Wilson being reluctantly forced into declaring war on Germany in 1917.Instead we see a Wilson who worked tirelessly for three years to drag the US into the war against the wishes of the vast majority of his nation's people.As Karp shows,Wilson and his ambassador in England,Walter Hines Page,virtually committed treason in their efforts to get the US into the war,routinely ignoring British violations of America's neutral rights and generaly putting the interests of England ahead of their own nation.The resistance of the American people was able to block Wilson's ambitions for almost three years,but in the end the wishes of the people didn't matter and the politicians(plus the press and Wall Street) got the war they had been hoping for.Sounds familiar doesn't it?
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Bit of Contrarian History, March 21, 2005
This book is most provocative in its treatment of the generally revered Woodrow Wilson and the story of how (according to Karp) he cynically engineered our entry into WW I, motivated by Anglophilia and a messianic (and in Karp's view delusional) conviction that he could bring a new era of peace and justice to the world.

A number of books have made similar allegations about FDR and our entry into WW II, but at the end of the day, who cares? Does anyone really think the world would be a better place if the U.S. had stayed out of World War II?

WW I was quite a different kettle of fish, as Karp points out. It was not in any way clear that the U.S. had something to gain from involving itself in a sordid struggle in which neither side held the moral high ground. And Karp argues rather convincingly that Wilson was played for a fool -- he tipped the balance to Britain's Lloyd George and France's Clemenceau, only to see these enormously cynical and skillful politicians torpedo his "just peace" in favor of viciously punitive terms which ultimately led to the rise of Adolph Hitler.

Karp also discusses Wilson's suppression of free speech and his aggressive use of propaganda in favor of the war effort.

Karp was a frequent contributor to Harper's magazine who unfortunately died quite young a number of years ago. This little-known book should be read by anyone interested in America in the WW I era and in the development of modern American political culture. It's also worth studying if you want to understand better why U.S. public opinion was so resolutely isolationist up until the attack on Pearl Harbor. Wilson got his war, but the experience left a very bad taste in the mouth of the American public.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Wars that destroy Republics, December 12, 2004
By J. Davis (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Karp, author of the brilliant book Indispensable Enemies, comes through again in this fascinating history book. Karp's underlying premise is that polticians start wars to destroy internal reforms wanted by the people. Here he shows how the Progressive movement was stymied by the Democrats and Republicans, with war as their chosen instrument.

Part I is a history of the Spanish-American War and here Karp shows how both parties colluded to bring on an unnecessary war. He firmly disagrees with the traditional historians who blame the war on the press. Part II continues this analysis, applied this time to the years leading up to another unnecessary war, World War I. Karp shows how Wilson drags the country into war, while all the time talking of peace. Once again the motivation is the same: thwart reform at home. Once the war has begun, Wilson uses the fake threat of German treachery to suppress the press and free speech of the American public. The last chapter is particularly chilling, as Karp gives the example of a woman jailed for saying the government is for the profiteers.

No political history has ever been done better. I am proud to give this book a 5 star rating and encourage anyone interested in history or politics to read this book.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars a good survey of fin de siecle to WWI American politics!
As an avid armchair historian I found this book hard to put down. It can be very dense and I admit to skimming some passages in the beginning, but after that I read it word for... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Mike Strand

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic study in American history
Walter Karp's "The Politics of War" is simply the most concise and powerful study in history I've ever read. Read more
Published on December 6, 2006 by J. Dillingham

4.0 out of 5 stars Lao Tzu & Janet2
I am a student of history and enjoyed this book. It gives a real good look at behind the scene at political manipulation on a national level and you can draw comparisons to the... Read more
Published on March 24, 2006 by Jazzyjava

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

So You'd Like to...

Create a guide

Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)

Look for Similar Items by Category

Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:





















i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...
 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.