The history books thread.

[Odin]

what's everyone reading?

I'm currently reading The Fourth Turning by William Strauss and Neil Howe and The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of the World Order by Sam Huntington.

[Sandman]

The Forth Turning looks like nonsense. And all those 'generations' look like AfD fodder.

[Flip McWho]

Currently reading A History of Europe by H. Porenne

[Odin]

Originally posted by Sandman
AfD fodder.

[GePap]

Lately, The Dictators by Richard Overy.

[Ramo]

-"Who Murdered Chaucer" by Terry Jones (yes that Terry Jones). It's about the politics of England during the reigns of Richard III and Henry IV. The general idea is that Richard fostered a court was much more favorable to the gentry (whom he invited to his inner circle), and less favorable to the aristocracy (he opposed the war with France, and held a court more centered on culture than the military) and the Church (he opposed burning heretics and supported vernacular works) than Henry's regime. So folks like Chaucer, a civil servant from the gentry, were key supporters of the Ricardian regime. When Henry took power (with the help and to the benefit of these disaffected parties), he seemed to have crushed dissent and rewritten history quite methodically. And immediately after the coup, Chaucer dies and it seems like references to Chaucer dissappear (despite being considered a great poet during his lifetime).

-"Bury the Chains" by Adam Hoschild (the "King Leopold's Ghost" guy). It's about the movement to abolish slavery in the British Empire.

-"American Democracy" by Sean Willentz. It's about the fight for an expanded notion of democracy between the Jefferson and Lincoln eras.

-"Voices of Protest" by Alan Brinkley. It's about the nature of the movements Huey Long and Father Coughlin created.

[Ecthy]

"The transformation of European Politics 1763-1848" by Paul W Schroeder.

But then what you guys want is histotainment not science.

[LordShiva]

I want to read "The History of Ecthy, and Where He's Been for the Last Few Weeks"

[Sandman]

Originally posted by Odin

It's short for Articles for Deletion. It's excessive to have a seperate Wikipedia article for each and every one of these contrived 'generations'.

[Odin]

Originally posted by Sandman


It's short for Articles for Deletion. It's excessive to have a seperate Wikipedia article for each and every one of these contrived 'generations'.

How are the generations contrived?

[RGBVideo]

wikipedia made history books obsolete for me

[VetLegion]

Wikipedia is at its worst when it comes to historical articles (and basketball players' biographies). I'd never advise anyone to use it for learning history.

[lord of the mark]

Lets see, Im halfway through "The Kabbalah and its Symbolism" which sounds like a religious book, but its by Gershom Scholem, so its really a history of religion, and pretty scholarly at that.

In the library the other day I was reading Elliots "Europe divided" on the late 16th century, but didnt take it out.

Ive been rereading Marc Bloch on Feudal Society.

Ive been reading a spy novel by Le Carre, The Russia House. Not history or even historic fiction, I know, but reading it now means looking back on the Gorbachev era from the 2006 vantage point, leading to some historical thoughts.

[Sandman]

Originally posted by Odin
How are the generations contrived?

Let's see... the entire concept is cloaked in mystical language, the 'Anglo-American' thing is preposterous, sweeping generalizations are made about each generation and large chunks of American society weren't born there.

[Hueij]

Originally posted by lord of the mark
Ive been reading a spy novel by Le Carre...

You should try Little Drummer Girl. It is about this Israeli intelligence officer trying to put an end to a Palestinian terrorist group. And (Le Carre) in the end there are no winners..Chilling...