Power & Greed: A Short History of the World

By Philippe Deane Gigantès and PHILIPPE GIGANTES

Book Overview

UK This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786710772
• ISBN13: 9780786710775
• Release Date: July 2002
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.0" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Lively, intriguing and lucid - a great read!

If you like traipsing through the life stories of history's more ignominious power-mongers - you've got the chance! This is a great read from an erudite and clear mind that knows how to make a point. Mr. Gigantes has written a "short history of the world" that shouldn't be criticized for its lack of complete encyclopedic accuracy but admired for its effortless combination of biographies and events that make the author's point - the desire for power and other acquisitions has guided the course of many world events...too many! Sure, Mr. Gigantes could've sometimes picked someone else from certain periods in history who could've illustrated this point better - but the book works well as it is. Reading this books makes you think about history in a different way and therefore see the world differently, too. Isn't that the point of a good book (and a good history teacher), anyway?

evaluating history in a different perspective

Really it is a nice book, it is easy to read, it is funny and it is nearly impossible to get bored by it. But the most important is that the author does put history in an alternative perspective (in contrast with a lot of other history books). Human history is the history of greed, this ancient instinct that it seems to be the motive behind every war,revolution, genocide. And as far as the masses are concerned, then it is neccesary a fake moral justification of the crime in order to enable acquisitors manipulating people. And it seems that they are many historical proofs supporting this view. Moreover it is impossible to be taught these things in school, simple because that school books are biased. So this book, for us non-historians, is valuable and i will definetely recommend it.Nevertheless the book has some cons which could easily have been avoided (maybe in a second edition?). For example at the end of book, the author is totally biased against communism. I am not a communist but i request from a history book to be impartial. Also there are some controversial arguments which the author does not bother to explain or prove them. For example he claims that European Union violently prohibits imports and as a result stops the economic development of poor countries. This is totally inexact and more important it is totally stupid to condemn something like that in moral grounds. Protectionism is a matter of international trade policy which every country has the right to adopt and in no way is it obliged to carry out free trade if the latter is harmful for its economy.

Relevant to The War Next Time & Economic Hit Men

Since writing the review reproduced below, I have read "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" by John Perkins and strongly recommend that those who read this book read that one to get the full perspective of contemporary reality. See http://www.economichitman.com/ and http://www.johnperkins.org/. Yes, the book is simple, funny, too short, but right on target. Gigantes makes no pretense of giving a thorough exposition of his thesis, but makes his thesis clear enough to understand and substantiate on one's own. For those who want more depth, he offers an extensive bibliography at the end. His point, however, is to show how the Grand Acquisitors have violated just rules and sacrificed everyone and everything to their own ruthless pursuits of power, money, and glory, with scant nods to noble or ethical ends save to manipulate the masses or clean up the histories of patrons. There is a serious intent underlying the telling, which is to bring to the fore the principles of Solon's democracy, realized anew in the American experiment, as well as the Great Sages' compassion and wise rules, and show how the promise may have a faint glimmer of hope yet, demonstrated in the possibility of the European Union overcoming a long, bloody history. I would note in passing that, though not discussed, the African nations recently discarded their Organization of African Unity in favor of an African Union, intended to be developed over time into something akin to the European Union. Gigantes makes a very serious point with humor: never underestimate the lust for power, extent of corruption, depths of depravity, and destructive possibilities of the unbridled drives of the Grand Acquisitors acting unchecked in a world of not so willing pawns whose own leaders are Grand Acquisitor wannabes. Think about that in looking at Bush versus Hussein... As George Santayana observed: "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it...." Gigantes, who was held prisoner and tortured during "the war" and has served several governments, not only has learned from history but is attempting to pass on that learning in a way that focuses clearly on what the real stakes are. It's been said that history repeats, first as tragedy, then as farce. We live in interesting times -- and as the Chinese observed, that may well be a curse.

Quick Review Works

This book sets out to quickly take us through major events that have shaped the world, organizing the subject into the rule-makers (Solon, Plato, Jesus, Allah etc.) and the rule breakers (basically ever major leader in western civilization). Although the treatment of each topic is very brief, the message is clear and concise: individual ambition is key to understanding world events. Adherence to religious and moral values would have limited the scope of ambition, so these values were routinely twisted or cast aside.This survey piece is ideal for someone who doesn't have the time to read "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" but who does want to understand major events that have gotten us to the present state of affairs. The writing style is lively and easy to follow, and author's footnotes throughout display a good sense of humor. Timely reading for those who are wondering for the first time about Christian-Muslim antagonism or other ethnic conflicts.