The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam

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The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam

by Barbara W. Tuchman, Nadia May (Narrator)

3.98 · rating details · 1,061 ratings · 117 reviews

In The March of Folly, two-time Pulitzer Prize winning historian Barbara Tuchman tackles the pervasive presence of folly in governments through the ages. Defining folly as the pursuit by governments of policies contrary to their own interests, despite the availability of feasible alternatives, Tuchman details four decisive turning points in history that illustrate the very...more

Audio CD, 13 pages

Published October 1st 2009 by Blackstone Audiobooks (first published 1984)

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Mar 16, 2012

Stephen rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, 6-star-books, 1980-1989, the-way-we-war

Babs is one crafty, talented instructor and this ranks highly among the BEST history books I've had the pleasure of reading. You should be reading it right now.

Seriously, I mean it.

This is the second gem by Barbara Tuchman that I've tackled, after the stellar The Guns of August), and the impressiveness of her work has led to my developing rather intense, and possibly inappropriate, feelings for her. I'm smitten.

You see, Babs writes history in such a colorful, engaging manner that you don't no...more

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Apr 11, 2012

Erik Graff rated it

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Recommends it for: U.S. citizens

Recommended to Erik by: no one

Shelves: history

Tuchman's The March of Folly is spotty. First of all, too much attention is paid to Troy, about which nothing is known, historically speaking. All that section does is provide a simile or two for what follows. Also, she actually is stronger in another classical case not mentioned in the title or in most descriptions of the book, viz. that of King Rehoboam of Israel. Second, the account of the involvements of France and the United States in VietNam is of a journalistic quality not in keeping with...more

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Jun 18, 2009

Brian rated it

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Recommends it for: People needing a refresher course in history

About 8 years ago when I read this book I would have given it 4 stars. It gets a 5 today simply because it is much more pertinent to read it now.

Barbara Tuchman is one of the great writers of history. She remembers the first rule of history: Tell a story. In this one she tells several and keeps your attention better. The theme is imaginative and appropriate. It is also not a very long book so you can easily read it in a week.

Barbara Tuchman has a way of viewing history as few can. Instead of f...more About 8 years ago when I read this book I would have given it 4 stars. It gets a 5 today simply because it is much more pertinent to read it now.

Barbara Tuchman is one of the great writers of history. She remembers the first rule of history: Tell a story. In this one she tells several and keeps your attention better. The theme is imaginative and appropriate. It is also not a very long book so you can easily read it in a week.

Barbara Tuchman has a way of viewing history as few can. Instead of falling back on just "telling of a story," Tuchman does what few historians are able to pull off without sounding self-rightious. She gives us a comentary. Kind of like the "color-man" while listening to a sporting event, Tuchman examines the idea of "folly," or the persistent pursuit of a policy by government or those in power that is "contradictory to their own interests." Since a topic like this could take volumes, the author chooses 4 primary historical examples: the Fall of Troy, the breakup of of the Holy See in the 16th century, the British monarchy's vain attempt to keep the American colonies, and America's own arrogant persistence during the Vietnam War.
The fault in this book is that this subject matter can be pretty exhausting even with the only 450 page book. The examples used are valid and make sense. The author finds something different within each one that allows us to see the many levels of government folly. However I found the chapters dealing with the six terrible popes to be mind-numbing. Perhaps it's due to the fact that this history is not examined extensively in current day curricula like the American Revolution and Vietnam, but I think this section was tedious and repetitive. Also, within the Vietnam chapters, Ms. Tuchman tends to reveal her adoration towards Kennedy--like many historians of her era--and her disdain of the Johnson and Nixon administrations. This can distort her objective examination of the topic in some areas, but if it is noticed and ignored, the rest of the study is outstanding. Some may read these excerpts and label them as "liberal" but they are ignorant of history.

In any event the book is an excellent supplement to studying Machiavellian politics. The governments' "wood-headedness" towards policy that is counter to anything rational (as well as contrary to respected voices of reason) is something that all ordinary members and voters of a democratic society ought to take heed of.

The example of Troy is used simply as an example of how Homer and the Greeks had foreseen and probably experienced, the lack of reason when pursuing particular policy. This is usually done because those in power are so consumed by power and what it brings, that their arrogance and ignorance blinds them.

Without carrying this review too far into the book's wonderful and biting commentary, I will just say that this book is recommended, but not for those that have no real experience with intellectual historical study. Some areas will be interesting, such as the Vietnam chapters, but otherwise the book would dull the amateur historian. But if you do wish to challenge yourself and your understanding of how power corrupts and destroys after it corrupts, then "March of Folly" will be admired.

All politicians should be forced to read this book. Kind of like a supplement instructional manual for their job...paid for by taxpayers. Within 100 years, they might actaully learn something.

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Feb 17, 2012

Sandy rated it

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Recommended to Sandy by: Joy Hatcher (Barbara Sinclair liked the authot's book "A Distant Mirror"

Shelves: nonfiction

An interesting book, but I found that there were MANY references to people and events that I was unfamiliar with. At first, I tried to look each one up and sort it out, but eventually I gave up on that. (I would never have gotten through the book if I'd kept looking up all the things I didn't know.) I just tried to capture the gist of what was transpiring and what the author was trying to say.

I had heard good things about the author, Barbara Tuchman, particularly about her book "A Distant Mirror...more An interesting book, but I found that there were MANY references to people and events that I was unfamiliar with. At first, I tried to look each one up and sort it out, but eventually I gave up on that. (I would never have gotten through the book if I'd kept looking up all the things I didn't know.) I just tried to capture the gist of what was transpiring and what the author was trying to say.

I had heard good things about the author, Barbara Tuchman, particularly about her book "A Distant Mirror". I was surprised, and disappointed, at her lumping together the gods (as in Greek and Roman mythology) with God (see quote below). I felt she could have noted some distinctions, or differences, between the two. "In the search for meaning we must not forget that the gods (nor God,for that matter) are a concept of the human mind; they are creatures of man, not vice versa. They are needed and invented to give meaning and purpose to the puzzles that life on earth, to explain strange and irregular phenomena of nature, haphazard events and, above all, irrational human conduct. They exist to bear the burden of all things that cannot be comprehended except by supernatural intervention or design." pgs 45-46

I did like the way she described several historical situations. I will add a couple of quotes here...

"People felt a sense of betrayal in the daily evidence of the gulf between what Christ's agents were supposed to be and what they had become. Basically, in the words of a sub-prior of Durham (an example of one of those references which were unfamiliar to me), people were 'starved for the word of God,' and could not obtain from unworthy ministers of God the 'true faith and moral precepts in which the soul's salvation consists.' Many priest 'have never read the Old Testament, nor scarcely the Psalter-Book' and many came to the pulpit drunk..." (pg 55)

"Printing and growing literacy nourished dissent especially through direct acquaintance with the Bible in the vernacular. Four hundred such editions appeared in the first sixty years of the printing press, and anyone who could read could fine in the lore of the Gospels something missing from the hierarchy of his own day gowned in their purple and red." (pg 56)
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Dec 31, 2011

Tamhack rated it

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this book read like a political essay or thesis paper.

The author defines folly as: " A phenomenon noticeable throughout history regardless of place or period is the pursuit by governments of policies contrary to their own interests. Mankind, it seems, makes a poorer performance of government than of almost any other human activity. In this sphere, wisdom, which may be defined as the exercise of judgment acting on experience, common sense and available information, is less operative and more fru...more

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Dec 10, 2011

Tony rated it

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Shelves: history

88. THE MARCH OF FOLLY: From Troy to Vietnam. (1984; this ed. 2007). Barbara W. Tuchman. *****.
From the scads of potential topics that could be used to illustrate her thesis, this excellent author manages to pick four subjects that epitomize folly in its full sense: The Trojan War; The American Revolution; The Renaissance Popes; and the Vietnam War. Although several examples from history are discussed briefly along the way, Ms. Tuchman manages to pull enough information together from the above...more

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Oct 16, 2011

Brad rated it

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Great historians address fundamental questions and use the lens of the past to provide answers. Tuchman is a great historian, and the question she asks in this work is : 'Why are governments so fucking stupid?'

You are the leader of a powerful trading city-state. After a ten year war, your bitter enemies suddenly decamp from the battlefield. They leave a giant wooden horse at your gate. Powerful religious factions within your city assure you that they have had visions revealing it is a trap. When...more

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Apr 15, 2011

Joe rated it

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Shelves: history

(Side mote: At the time I am writing this -April, '11- Showtime is airing a series named the Borgias. Fans might find a section of this book interesting.)

When first published, within a decade of Vietnam, this book seemed a lot more timely than it does now. It is a survey of grand acts of folly committed by historical leaders over the centuries with the Vietnam experience as it's climax. By folly Tuchman means the pursuit of policy contrary to self-interest. Because the historical record is overc...more

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Apr 06, 2010

Arief Wicaksono rated it

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Barbara Tuchman was the greatest popular history writer of the late 20th century, and this is her finest book: a work of history for those who don't read history. Unlike the typical history which tackles a period and/or region, this book examines, in quite of bit of detail, four instances of folly in human history. This turns out to be a remarkably useful device for learning about the kinds of events that drive human organizations to places they don't often go -- and in these four cases, shouldn...more Barbara Tuchman was the greatest popular history writer of the late 20th century, and this is her finest book: a work of history for those who don't read history. Unlike the typical history which tackles a period and/or region, this book examines, in quite of bit of detail, four instances of folly in human history. This turns out to be a remarkably useful device for learning about the kinds of events that drive human organizations to places they don't often go -- and in these four cases, shouldn't have gone.

The book defines folly by examining the first case, letting the Trojan Horse into Troy. To qualify as folly for this book, Tuchman explains, acts have to be clearly contrary to the self-interest of the organization or group pursuing them; conducted over a period of time, not just in a single burst of irrational behavior; conducted by a number of individuals, not just one deranged maniac; and, importantly, there have to be people alive at the time who pointed out correctly why the act in question was folly (no 20/20 hindsight allowed).

In the case of the Trojan Horse, the latter role is played by Laocoon, a blind priest, who chastises Trojan leadership the moment the wooden equine is found. "You can't bring that thing in here," he says, "it might be full of Greek soldiers!" Later, as it becomes evident the will to bring it in is strong, he suggests helpfully, "Well, if you're going to bring it in, at least poke it with a spear and see if anybody yelps."

The Laocoons of this book are destined to be ignored, providing a key reminder of the value of dissent. Tuchman moves on to examine the Renaissance Popes, showing them to be pretty much as corrupt and venal a group as has ever been nominated as a symbol of religious purity. Her time period here is the reign of ten consecutive popes, which covers parties in the Vatican with one prostitute per guest, the reign of the infamous Borgia pope, and ends during the year when an unknown cleric named Martin Luther tacks ten resolutions for the reform of the church on a door in Germany.

The third section of the book is entitled The British Loss of North America and treats the American revolution from a rarely-seen perspective: that of an avoidable and silly loss of valuable colonies occurring primarily due to stiff British necks (upper lips being of no service). The extent to which the war was unpopular in Britain is covered, as well as the many Laocoons decrying the idiocy of antagonizing the colonists, including some viewed in the American version of events as villians.

The last section of the book is no less powerful for being more familiar -- it is the Amercian involvement in Vietnam. Tuchman's objectivity slips a bit here (she was an anti-war protestor) but the quality of her research and writing decrying our support of the most blatant of puppet regimes is impeccable.

If you think history books are dull drudgery with no real point, this is a book to read. By examining cases where the system was unable to work in its own self-interest, Tuchman gets at the heart of human folly on small as well as large scales.(less)

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Mar 09, 2009

Terry Earley rated it

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In Tuchman's March of Folly, she solidifies her case for Folly and "woodenheadedness" on the part of political leaders with four significant examples: The foolish generals of the Trojan war; The mismanagement of the church by the Renaissance popes; how the British government bungled the American Revolution; and, her main example, the French and American short-sighted decisions which prolonged and deepened the Vietnam war.

This book should be required reading for every high school senior. I do not...more

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Dec 31, 2009

Terry rated it

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I've come to expect top-notch research, combined with an emminently readable style for presenting historical non-fiction from Barbara Tuchman. This book is no exception, and is nicely broken into case studies that one can enjoy at one's leisure.

In the context of several historical case studies (The British loss of the Colonies, US involvement in Vietnam...), the author shows how in the face of abundant countermanding evidence, governments throughout history have pursued counterproductive policie...more

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May 29, 2007

Douglas rated it

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Barbara Tuchman teaches us all about why the stupid people in power do the stupid things they do. Inviting giant wooden horses inside the walls. Provoking the Protestant Reformation. Losing the American Colonies. Bogging a superpower down in a brushfire war in a backwater country of no strategic significance.

this one needs an update for the new century of follies, but alas Tuchman is no longer with us.

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Apr 02, 2012

Clif Hostetler rated it

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Shelves: history

In this book Tuchman takes a step beyond the traditional historian's story-telling role to provide color-commentary about a specific subset of examples of misgovernment that she classifies as "folly." Not all examples of misgovernment can be classified as folly as explained in the following quotation.

"Misgovernment is of four kinds, often in combination. They are: 1) tyranny or oppression ... , 2) excessive ambition ... , 3) incompetence or decadence ... , 4) folly or perversity. This books is c

...more In this book Tuchman takes a step beyond the traditional historian's story-telling role to provide color-commentary about a specific subset of examples of misgovernment that she classifies as "folly." Not all examples of misgovernment can be classified as folly as explained in the following quotation.

"Misgovernment is of four kinds, often in combination. They are: 1) tyranny or oppression ... , 2) excessive ambition ... , 3) incompetence or decadence ... , 4) folly or perversity. This books is concerned with the last in a specific manifestation; that is, the pursuit of policy contrary to the self-interest of the constituency or state involved. Self-interest is whatever conduces to the welfare or advantage of the body being governed; folly is a policy that in these terms is counter-productive."

Her definition of folly:

“To qualify as folly for this enquiry, the policy adopted must meet three criteria: It must have been perceived as counter-productive in its own time, not merely by hindsight. This is important because all policy is determined by the mores of its age...Secondly, a feasible alternative course of action must have been available. To remove the problem from personality, a third criterion must be that the policy in question should be that of a group, not an individual ruler, and should persist beyond any one political lifetime.”

The book then examines in detail four events from history that fit her criteria of folly; (1) Actions taken regarding the Trojan horse that led to the subsequent fall of Troy, (2) Actions taken by the Roman Catholic Papacy leading up to the Protestant Reformation, (3) Actions taken by the British government that lead to the American Revolutionary War, and (4) Decisions that led to American involvement in the Vietnam War. The Protestant Reformation and American Revolution are obviously significant turning points in world history. The fall of Troy is profound because it became a founding myth for Western Civilization. Inclusion of the Vietnam War in the book was a tilt toward commentary on a more recent example of folly, and is probably not all that significant in the long view of history. But the Vietnam War was fresh in the minds of readers when this book was first published in 1984, nine years after the fall of Saigon.

Implicit in Tuchman's definition of folly is the suggestion that if individuals in power at the time had been wiser the subsequent history could have played out in a peaceful manner. But my impression from the book is one of inevitability (or is it fate?) from the entangled politics of the times of each of the four historical events studied. It's interesting to note that people were present at the time of each event that anticipated and warned of needed reform or change in policy. But in each case the political inertia of the power structure was such to make heeding the warnings impossible.

Subsequent history supports the book's view regarding the folly of the Vietnam War. This book's review of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War was a painful reminder for me of my own memories of living through that era in real life and real time. I see ominous parallels with current events in Afghanistan.

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Nov 29, 2009

Jennifer rated it

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I love reading history from some kind of interesting angle. In this case it's about how governments (of various sorts) pursue policy contrary to the interest of their organization, even when it's pretty clear at the time that the consequences will be bad and that they have other, better options. Usually the bad policy comes through pride, greed, a desire for personal power, or sheer woodenheadedness. One example is the Germans resuming u-boat attacks in WWI, knowing it would bring in the America...more

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Jan 01, 2012

Frederick Bingham rated it

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Barbara Tuchman's classic book on folly in human affairs. Folly is defined for her as the deliberate pursuit of policy that is contrary to self-interest. She examines 4 case studies. 1. The Trojans allowing the Trojan horse into their walls. 2. The renaissance Popes and the reformation. 3. The British loss of the American colonies. 4. The war in Vietnam.The most powerful section in the book is the one about Vietnam. It describes the war as an incredible waste of lives and resources for no good p...more

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Jul 29, 2011

Nilesh added it · review of another edition

The book narrates four disparate historic sagas in interesting details and that's where it has the maximum value. The treatment is uneven - the Papal chapters and Vietnam wars are far better read. The main problem is the subject - highly superficial and largely redundant in the selection of stories.

The author could have chosen any from possibly thousands of stories - many more pertinent - to prove the basic theme - the march of follies. The selection seems more driven by the need to inform the r...more

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May 10, 2009

Mark rated it

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Ms. Tuchman has performed a considerable public service by illustrating for the reader - just how policies of governments can become bound to a course that is ruinous - even when the warnings and evidence piles high for folks to see. Ms. Tuchman covers several such episodes in history - the Fall of Troy, the Despotic rule of the Renaissance Popes, Englands Loss of the American Colonies, and the American Intervention in Vietnam. Ms. Tuchman seeks to show that each of these historic episodes leadi...more

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May 10, 2011

Charlene Smith rated it

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This is one of the best books on political folly ever. I visited South African leader Cyril Ramaphosa in hospital the day before Nelson Mandela was released and he was reading this. Within a few hours he had ripped out his drips and chartered a plane to accompany Mandela out of prison.
Inspired by those heady, difficult, complex, inspiring days I kept Cyril's book and read it over and over. Such wisdom from Tuchman.
If you're interested in history or in any way involved in business or politics you...more

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Dec 10, 2010

Nathan Langford rated it

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I have now read this book twice. This a detailed analysis (but not dull) and comparison of some very famous 'gaff' periods of history that would seem to have nothing in common; the late Mrs. Tuchman found a brilliant thread in her interpretation of 'folly'. Her summation chapter - Epilogue "A Lantern on the Stern" - I rank as the best since reading Norman Mailer's "The Metaphor Delivered" in his work "Armies of the Night". Her points about the thread of 'Folly' is actually a lesson to us all in...more

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Dec 06, 2009

Elaine rated it

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Well written, amazing premises used and illustrated by the fall of Troy, the Protestant secession, the British forfeiture of the American colonies and America's involvement in Vietnam.
And it just shows - same old shit just different day! Do we learn from history - no we just redo the same mistakes over - Weird isnt it - but if you look at it from an individual's point of view - do we ever learn from reading or watching people - I do sometimes but mostly have to make my own mistakes. Which is OK...more

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Apr 29, 2012

Osho rated it

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Shelves: war, history, 2012, audio-non-exclusive

In A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century, Tuchman follows details of individuals' lives to paint a portrait of the 14th century. In The March of Folly, she tells four tales--the destruction of Troy, the fall of the Vatican, the loss of the American colonies, and the war in Vietnam--to illustrate "folly"--governments or leadership groups that subvert their own interests despite evidence and warnings that they're not acting in their own best interests. It's an interesting question, though...more

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Apr 27, 2010

Steve Van Slyke rated it

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Shelves: history

I had to skim the sections on the Trojan Horse and the Renaissance Popes. There just seemed to be too much irrelevant detail, not germain to the premise of the book which the author states very clearly. The history of the British loss of the American colonies was much more interesting and stayed closer to the mark with only occasional side trips into extended depth on certain characters. It was interesting because it was my first Revolutionary War history from the perspective of the British gove...more I had to skim the sections on the Trojan Horse and the Renaissance Popes. There just seemed to be too much irrelevant detail, not germain to the premise of the book which the author states very clearly. The history of the British loss of the American colonies was much more interesting and stayed closer to the mark with only occasional side trips into extended depth on certain characters. It was interesting because it was my first Revolutionary War history from the perspective of the British government and British people. I knew there were more than a few British that supported the American cause but, for example, I did not realize that the majority of Londoners favored the Americans. In reading about how the US allowed the French to blackmail them into bankrolling their effort to regain their colony in Indochina, it is like reading about an addict that knows he or she is on the road to hell but can't help themselves. Given the panic over the rise and spread of Communism at that time (McCarthy, HUAC, etc.), I wonder if a different set of players (other than Truman, Dulles, Johnson, McNamara, Nixon, etc.) would have taken a path significantly different. It would have taken an extremely courageous and popular president to have said, "Colonialism is wrong. We will not support the French with equipment, men or money. We support the right of the Vietnamese people to be free and independent even though we strongly disagree with the tenets of Communism." This would have had serious repercussions for our relations with France and probably other European countries. However it might have had an equally positive effect on our relations with Communist countries, China in particular. Perhaps it is time for a new edition retitled "The March of Folly: From Troy to Iraq." Although Tuchman ends on a rather glum note that "we can only muddle on," I wish she had shone the final spotlight on those individuals like Senator Wayne Morse, who stood virtually alone in voting against U.S. involvement in Viet Nam, and Daniel Ellsberg who revealed the Pentagon Papers (upon which her Viet Nam section heavily depends). These two men gave up their careers in order to tell truth to power.(less)

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Jun 23, 2010

Lydia rated it

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Shelves: history

This is the 3rd book that I have read by Barbara Tuchman and I find that she is very thoughtful historian. I suppose that when you are writing and researching events after the fact, it does allow you be thoughtful and opinionated as in the case of this book. I had this book for quite awhile and decided to read it because of the 2nd Iraq War and the passing of Robert MacNamara, one of the tacticians of the escalation of the VietNam War. If Barbara Tuchman were alive, would she find folly in the e...more

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Oct 30, 2009

Jim Aker rated it

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Recommends it for: History readers Political Science readers

The thesis that Barbara Tuchman has put forward in her outstanding 1984 treatise The March of Folly is that governments and policymakers will more often than not paradoxically practice policies and programs that are contrary to their own best interests. That they will do this even in the face of overwhelming evidence of their folly and will persist in this wooden-headed thinking and self-destructive acts despite the availability of recognized and viable alternatives.

Ms. Tuchman underscores her h...more The thesis that Barbara Tuchman has put forward in her outstanding 1984 treatise The March of Folly is that governments and policymakers will more often than not paradoxically practice policies and programs that are contrary to their own best interests. That they will do this even in the face of overwhelming evidence of their folly and will persist in this wooden-headed thinking and self-destructive acts despite the availability of recognized and viable alternatives.

Ms. Tuchman underscores her hypothesis by giving the reader four decisive points in history where she feels this paradox was most potently illuminated. The Trojan War was the prototype for most cases of folly that were to follow over the years. The Trojans rejected omen, prophecy, and unequivocal warnings about the nature of their foe Agamemnon and his army of Greeks. They, as we well know, brought the gift of the Greek Army inside their walls and sealed their doom as a nation. It is the classic case of a government pursuing policy contrary to its people’s best interests.

Next she moves on to the Renaissance Popes and the six decades of misrule, scandal, war and murder that plagued the church. Their governance was so corrupt and so foolish, that to this day if one is accused of immoral behavior one is said to have the morality of a Renaissance Pope. This section covers the lives of six of the worst Popes and is complete with Michelangelo and the Borgias. Ms. Tuchman correctly contends that this period directly brought about the schism in Christendom and the formation of the Protestant Succession.

Next we come to George the Third of England and his mindless Parliament who heedlessly assaulted their American colonies turning them from loyal subjects and fast friends into treacherous rebels where none had been before. In his majesties efforts to wring more and more revenue from the colonies he failed to understand that he was sacrificing millions in trade for thousands in tax. The American Revolution and all that led up to it were an exercise in folly on the part of the British. As a result of The King’s hubris and Parliament’s deaf ear to America’s rightful grievances they lost their American colonies and so fell victim to folly in its purest form.

Lastly, Ms. Tuchman sites America’s great folly of the twentieth century and that is our involvement in Vietnam. The Vietnam Conflict was 40 years in the making and began as far back as FDR and the agreements made at the end of World War Two. This section is particularly informative and covers everything up to the US pull out in 1973 and the subsequent fall of Saigon two years later. Despite warnings from many nations, the French experience and defeat, and constant proof that the American strategy was not working, the US continued to pursue a self-destructive path in Southeast Asia.

Barbara Tuchman has brilliantly crafted a narrative telling of history that drives her point home with deadly accuracy. This is a fascinating proposition and a well written history supporting it. It should be required reading for every American President, Senator and Congressperson. As stated in the Epilogue of the book “If men could only learn from history”, lamented Samuel Coleridge. “But passion and party blind our eyes, and the light which experience gives us is a lantern on the stern which shines only on the waves behind us.”
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Oct 29, 2008

Jabbott rated it

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This is an excellent piece of historical commentary by Barbara Tuchman. She writes with a clarity and focus that is rarely exhibited among authors. This piece is concerned with folly, or the practice of governments and those in authority to pursue policies that are counter-productive. Using the Trojans' acceptance of the Greek horse into Troy's city walls as the archetype for folly, she then goes to explore how the Renaissance popes instigated the Reformation, how the British government created...more

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Mar 28, 2008

Meirav Rath rated it

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Recommends it for: History fans

Shelves: general-history

Tuchman writes well, she obviously knows a great deal of history and can often reach that almost-impossible achievement of historians to both tell as many facts as possible while not overloading. I say 'often' because this book didn't always have this moment.
Two things I liked about this book:
1. Tuchman's deep familiarity with a very wide range of history topics and times.
2. The obviously matriculate and objective, clear way of defining 'folly' by a certain logical and smart definition without g...more

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Oct 07, 2007

Nathan rated it

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Recommends it for: George W. Bush, his entire cabinet, Congress.

Shelves: history

Barbara Tuchman was one of the greatest historians of the last hundred years. She's so brilliant, in fact, that it was one of her books J.F.K. insisted his staff read during the Cuban Missle Crisis. In The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam (as well as The Guns of August, her history of the lead-up to WWI), she proves that she was also one of the most important military historians of the 20th Century. She comes from a solid background to have had a lifelong interest in these topics. Her family...more Barbara Tuchman was one of the greatest historians of the last hundred years. She's so brilliant, in fact, that it was one of her books J.F.K. insisted his staff read during the Cuban Missle Crisis. In The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam (as well as The Guns of August, her history of the lead-up to WWI), she proves that she was also one of the most important military historians of the 20th Century. She comes from a solid background to have had a lifelong interest in these topics. Her family lineage includes both Henry Morganthau Sr. and Jr., both of whom were cabinet member of Woodrow Wilson and FDR, respectively, and it was Morganthau Jr. who came up with of the many (and eventually rejected) plans for rebuilding Germany after WWII. Tuchman's prose makes it clear that this lineage influenced her in that her writing on military history bristles with excitement and genuine interest in the subject. In my opinion, despite it not being her most well-known book, The March of Folly is easily her most most lucid, entertaining and fascinating work. It is the story of man's desire to wage war, from early civilization right up through the debacles of Vietnam. Rather than merely recite the same tired stories we've heard a hundred times in history classes, in Ken Burns documentaries and and heard at feel-good, flag-waving rallies, Tuchman shapes the narrative around the greatest irony of human warfare: a nation's habit of pursuing political and military goals that subvert the best interests of the nation. (She knows what she's talking about; anyone who knows much about WWII knows that the world dodged a bullet - and especially Europe dodged a bullet - by not implementing the Morganthau Plan.) She effectively argues that this trait has been a trait of man since the earliest days of warfare, and that it is one we should be aware of any time we see a coming war on the horizon. If J.F.K. was smart enough to make his staff read one of her books during the Cuban Missle Crisis, a situation where war was narrowly averted despite everyone seeming to think it was inevitable, I wish to GOD someone had loved their country and George W. Bush enough to insist that he and his cabinet read The March of Folly before we invaded Iraq. Tuchman was a genius and she is dearly missed. This book, however, will hopefully still be read by important people long after I'm dead myself. Maybe one day it will actually save an entire nation from making the same mistake we in America seem bound and determined to repeat every other election cycle.

NC(less)

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Dec 26, 2011

Gary Maunder rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: seige, of, troy, renaissance, popes, american, revolution, history, vietnam, trojan, horse, war, in

A fascinating book which traces how political regimes tend to persist in folly in spite of all warnings to the contrary. The author examines the siege of Troy, a series of Popes immediately prior to the reformation, the British government prior to the American Revolution and the American involvement in Vietnam. The analysis makes fascinating reading especially when you compare the American folly in Vietnam under 6 presidents and the current involvement in Iraq.

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Aug 03, 2011

Caitlin Marineau rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: history

Interesting analysis of the historical pattern of folly in governments throughout history by late historian Barbara Tuchman. The book is divided into analyses of several different periods, including the Trojan War, papal actions preceding the Reformation, the British loss of the American colonies, and the Vietnam war, as examples of governments acting against their own best interests. Fascinating read, though rather depressing as you realize that these historical patterns will only continue to b...more

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Jul 22, 2011

Sam rated it

· review of another edition

An enjoyable book, & I applaud the attempt to remind people to beware government power & war, but ultimately I'm not sure what good this sort of book does (& Tuchman does seem to be trying to influence policy). There's no statistical analysis of how prevalent government stupidity is, so unless the reader believes that governments are NEVER stupid, what's the point of a half-dozen examples?

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About Barbara W. Tuchman

Barbara Wertheim Tuchman was an American self-trained historian and author. She became best known for The Guns of August, a history of the prelude and first month of World War I.

As an author, Tuchman focused on producing popular history. Her clear, dramatic storytelling covered topics as diverse as the 14th century and World War I, and sold millions of copies.

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Books by Barbara W. Tuchman

The Guns of August: The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Classic About the Outbreak of World War I

A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century

The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World Before the War 1890-1914

Stilwell and the American Experience in China 1911-45

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