The Father of Us All: War and History, Ancient and ModernVictor Davis Hanson has long been acclaimed as one of our leading scholars of ancient history. In recent years he has also become a trenchant voice on current affairs, bringing a historian's deep knowledge of past conflicts to bear on the crises of the present, from 9/11 to Iran. "War," he writes, "is an entirely human enterprise." Ideologies change, technologies develop, new strategies are invented-but human nature is constant across time and space. The dynamics of warfare in the present age still remain comprehensible to us through careful study of the past. Though many have called the War on Terror unprecedented, its contours would have been quite familiar to Themistocles of Athens or William Tecumseh Sherman. And as we face the menace of a bin Laden or a Kim Jong-Il, we can prepare ourselves with knowledge of how such challenges have been met before. The Father of Us All brings together much of Hanson's finest writing on war and society, both ancient and modern. The author has gathered a range of essays, and combined and revised them into a richly textured new work that explores such topics as how technology shapes warfare, what constitutes the "American way of war," and why even those who abhor war need to study military history. "War is the father and king of us all," Heraclitus wrote in ancient Greece. And as Victor Davis Hanson shows, it is no less so today. |
Other editions - View all
The Father of Us All: War and History, Ancient and Modern Victor Davis Hanson No preview available - 2011 |
The Father of Us All: War and History, Ancient and Modern Victor Davis Hanson No preview available - 2010 |
Common terms and phrases
abroad Afghanistan Afghanistan and Iraq allies American military ancient armor arms army Athenian Athens attack Baathist battlefield bombing century civilian civilization classical conflict consensual government contemporary conventional critical culture decisive battle defeat democracy democratic despite enemy ensure Europe European Fallujah fighting forces fought freedom German global Greece Greek Hezbollah historian Hitler hoplites human Humvees hundred imperial improvised explosive devices insurgents Iran Iranian Iraq War Iraqi Islamic Israeli Japanese jihadists Kagan killed Korea Lepanto less lethal liberal Marine Middle East military history millions missiles modern moral nature North North Korea nuclear numbers Okinawa Old Breed Ottoman past peace Peleliu Peloponnesian Peloponnesian War Persian political radical reminds result Saddam Hussein Second World Second World War Sherman Sledge Sledge’s soldiers sophisticated Soviet Spartan strategic tactics Taliban tanks terrorists thousands Thucydides tion today’s troops United victory Vietnam war’s warfare wars wartime weaponry weapons West Western worry Xenophon