The March of Folly: From Troy to VietnamPulitzer Prize–winning historian Barbara W. Tuchman, author of the World War I masterpiece The Guns of August, grapples with her boldest subject: the pervasive presence, through the ages, of failure, mismanagement, and delusion in government. Drawing on a comprehensive array of examples, from Montezuma’s senseless surrender of his empire in 1520 to Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, Barbara W. Tuchman defines folly as the pursuit by government of policies contrary to their own interests, despite the availability of feasible alternatives. In brilliant detail, Tuchman illuminates four decisive turning points in history that illustrate the very heights of folly: the Trojan War, the breakup of the Holy See provoked by the Renaissance popes, the loss of the American colonies by Britain’s George III, and the United States’ own persistent mistakes in Vietnam. Throughout The March of Folly, Tuchman’s incomparable talent for animating the people, places, and events of history is on spectacular display. Praise for The March of Folly “A glittering narrative . . . a moral [book] on the crimes and follies of governments and the misfortunes the governed suffer in consequence.”—The New York Times Book Review “An admirable survey . . . I haven’t read a more relevant book in years.”—John Kenneth Galbraith, The Boston Sunday Globe “A superb chronicle . . . a masterly examination.”—Chicago Sun-Times |
Contents
Murder in a Cathedral Sixtus IV | 68 |
Alexander VI | 82 |
Julius II | 99 |
Leo X | 113 |
Clement VII | 127 |
Four The British Lose America | 137 |
176365 | 139 |
Asserting a Right You Know You Cannot Exert 1765 | 162 |
Five America Betrays Herself in Vietnam | 249 |
194546 | 251 |
194654 | 264 |
195460 | 287 |
Married to Failure 196063 | 302 |
196468 | 330 |
Exit 196973 | 378 |
Epilogue A Lantern on the Stern | 401 |
176672 | 180 |
Remember Rehoboam 177275 | 205 |
A Disease a Delirium 177583 | 223 |
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Common terms and phrases
allies American armed army ARVN Bao Dai bombing Borgia Britain British Burke Cabinet called Cambodia Cardinal Castel Sant'Angelo cause century Charles Chatham China Chinese Church colonies combat command common Communist Congress Council defeat Defense Diem Diem's Duke Dulles effort Eisenhower election enemy England fear fighting folly forces foreign France Franklin French Geneva George George III Hanoi ibid independence Indochina Italy Johnson Joint Chiefs Julius Kennedy King Kissinger Laos London Lord North major McNamara Medici ment military ministers mission negotiations never Papacy papal Parliament Pastor peace Pitt political Pope President princes protest reform refused Rehoboam Renaissance repeal reported revenue Rockingham Rome rulers Rusk Saigon Secretary Senator settlement Sixtus South Vietnam Southeast Asia Stamp Act tion took Townshend Townshend Act Trojans troops United victory Viet Viet-Cong Viet-Minh Vietnamese vote Walpole Washington White House wrote York