A great book about international economics and power

books:

	• The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers Paul Kennedy Vintage, 1989 - 704 pages average customer review:based on 57 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Military interest

a seminal work and a must read for anyone in the military with an interest in world history and in events that caused the political, economic and military changes.

One of the greatest books that I have ever read!

In this groundbreaking book, British author and historian Paul Kennedy looks at the history of the modern world, and examines why it is that some nations gained power while others lost it. Among the many factors examined are geographic location, national cohesion, technological advancement, military spending, economic development, and other economic factors. All of these factors influenced a nation's power, but with the rise of nationalism, and the movement towards coalitional conflicts, the various economic factors moved to the forefront, with the economically strongest coalitions being able to out-spend and out-last rival coalitions. As the book moves through the history of the world (with the earliest chapters focusing primarily on Europe), the reader is treated to a very interesting narrative of what happened and why.

There is a small group of books that strongly influenced me when I was a young adult, and I have kept them close by, reading them again and again over the years. One of those book is Paul Kennedy's The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers. I find the analysis in this book to be penetrating, and exceptionally on target. I think that the author's linking of national power to national economic strength is right on target.

Now, it is true that this book is in desperate need of updating. A great deal has happened since the book was first published in 1987. I would be interested to see what he would have to say about China's remarkable rise in power (which he predicted in the final chapter of this book), and the United States slow erosion of power, vis-à-vis the other great powers. But, nonetheless, this book is an excellent examination of the history of national power, with many lessons for modern and future world leaders.

If I could have one small wish granted, it would be that the top echelon of the next American administration would all read this excellent and highly informative book. This is one of the greatest books that I have ever read, and I highly recommend it to everyone!

for more information click here

A great book about international economics and power

A very well written and thought out book about how countries become powerful and what happens to affect their power

American Decline - War Spending

An absolutely indispensible source book to understand the deline of America to a second rate ex empire. Well written, and loaded with facts of production and distributiion, this is a somewhat "heavy text". Although America's future is not discussed per se, you reach the unavoidable conclusion that our nation, like all failed states in the past, declines and falls when it wastes its production of wealth on war. So it has ever been.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

About national and international power in the "modern" or Post Renaissance period. Explains how the various powers have risen and fallen over the 5 centuries since the formation of the "new monarchies" in W. Europe.

for more information click here

hot