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The forces of freedom are challenged everywhere by a newly energized spirit of tyranny, whether it is Jihadist terrorism, Putin's imperialism, or the ambitions of China's dictatorship, writes Waller R. Newell in this engaging exposé of a thousand dangers. We will see why tyranny is a permanent threat by following its strange career from Homeric Bronze Age warriors, through the empires of Alexander the Great and Rome, to the medieval struggle between the City of God and the City of Man, leading to the state-building despots of the Modern Age including the Tudors and 'enlightened despots' such as Peter the Great. The book explores the psychology of tyranny from Nero to Gaddafi, and how it changes with the Jacobin Terror into millenarian revolution. Stimulating and enlightening, Tyrants: Power, Injustice, and Terror will appeal to anyone interested in the danger posed by tyranny and terror in today's world.
Uncovers the three faces of tyranny in the history of the West from ancient times to the present
The book is a portable one-semester course on tyranny, one of the most pressing issues of our time
From Achilles to Al Qaeda, the book analyzes how righteous anger and a craving for honor has motivated tyrannical behavior through the ages
Introduction: the strange career of tyranny
Part I. The Rage of Achilles: From Homeric Heroes to Lord and God of the World
Part II. City of God or City of Man? The Tyrant as Modern State-Builder
Part III. The Eagles Will Drop Dead from the Skies: Millenarian Tyranny from Robespierre to Al Qaeda
Conclusion: how democracy can win.
Description
The forces of freedom are challenged everywhere by a newly energized spirit of tyranny, whether it is Jihadist terrorism, Putin's imperialism, or the ambitions of China's dictatorship, writes Waller R. Newell in this engaging exposé of a thousand dangers. We will see why tyranny is a permanent threat by following its strange career from Homeric Bronze Age warriors, through the empires of Alexander the Great and Rome, to the medieval struggle between the City of God and the City of Man, leading to the state-building despots of the Modern Age including the Tudors and 'enlightened despots' such as Peter the Great. The book explores the psychology of tyranny from Nero to Gaddafi, and how it changes with the Jacobin Terror into millenarian revolution. Stimulating and enlightening, Tyrants: Power, Injustice, and Terror will appeal to anyone interested in the danger posed by tyranny and terror in today's world.
Uncovers the three faces of tyranny in the history of the West from ancient times to the present
The book is a portable one-semester course on tyranny, one of the most pressing issues of our time
From Achilles to Al Qaeda, the book analyzes how righteous anger and a craving for honor has motivated tyrannical behavior through the ages