Alex E. Pajares's comments (member since Feb 21, 2009)

Alex E. Pajares's comments from the History is Not Boring group.

James wrote: "Alex E. wrote: "

Vanishing Smile: The Mysterious Theft of the Mona Lisa by Scotti"

Alex: How is it? I read a different book about the Mona Lisa theft many years ago (like 30) and found it fascina..."

It is a very interesting book so far. Scotti tells a good story. I am really enjoying it.

Vanishing Smile: The Mysterious Theft of the Mona Lisa by Scotti

Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs
by Buddy Levy

I just ordered a copy through Amazon.com!

Laura:

I think the Mel Gibson version was a better portrayal of Bligh than the 1935 version. Still, I think that the 1935 Bligh is much more memorable.

Thanks for adding me... I am now heading to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to see the Cezanne exhibition. Hope you have a great weekend!

Sounds good to me. I recently saw "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1935) with Clark Gable. Nothing like the old movies!

I think Manuel is talking about "The Bucanner." There is a 1938 version and a 1958 version with Yul Brynner.

Manuel wrote: "James
is there much reaction in New York to the Mayor's proposal to close Broadway to motor traffic?

I saw something in Newsweek about it.

Supposedly it would make 7th ave run smooth without the ..."

Manuel:

So far there have not been negative reactions. It is an experiment as far as people know. Perhaps the only thing being affected so far is the Macy's parade on Thanksgiving.

Steven wrote: "I just started reading [b:Over the Edge of the World Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe|867000|Over the Edge of the World Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe|Laur..."

THAT IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS BTW. IT IS FINALLY GETTING SOME ATTENTION IT SEEMS.

Sounds like an interesting book! I guess I need to find me a copy!

Thanks! I will look for it!

I think the Brits learned much from the American Revolution and the War of 1812. In time, the they removed themselves and replaced the empire with a commonwealth.

Susanna bring an interesting point about military involvement. It seems that a strong hand works best when trying to create a system of control.

Jim: It was Will! Deeply sorry about that mate!

Jim: The spelling of Inca or Inka is not as relevant to me. I was born in Peru and I have known Peruvian historians to use the "k" as often as others use "c." As for matter economics, of course they considered the lands and people they traded with part of the empire. Like the Chinese and Japanese in their own times, internal economics were essential. Regarding greed, as punishable was this was among the the Inka, it does not change the fact that there was a social pyramid in place that favored the nobility. The Inka developed a form of communism but, like the models developed in the 20th century, they did not promoted complete equality but system to enforce a social pyramid in which social mobility was a rare thing. I tend think that what makes ideas like communism such a failure is our human tendency to dislike sharing and dislike being like others. Our society always promotes ambition and success as essential elements of happiness. This perhaps can be a pattern as well. In our desire to achieve ideal social systems, we have turned the power of government to really controversial figures. Patterns, patterns...

I recently saw "Black Book." Excellent film about the Dutch resistance. Highly recommended!

Bryan: "The Longest Day" is, in my opinion, one of the best WWII films ever created!

"AND since we've been talking about patterns of economic motivation for the spread of empires, how unusual of an exception are nonmarket societies, like the Inca? Is there a pattern in motivation between *those* cultures?"

The Inka Empire had the same motivations that other empires had when it came to territorial expansion. The Inka depended heavily on the resources from the areas they conquered. Living in the Andes mountains, the food supply was not the most reliable. Trade beyond the borders of the empire was not the norm (actually I do not recall of any evidence that shows the Inka trading with other nations). Internal exchange of products was key for the survival of the empire and the reason behind the creation of a system of roads that was superior to that created by the Romans. The Inka, if you read "1491" were able to develop an effective system of production that resulted in the elimination of hunger in the empire. This is a very unique case in history. The form of government the Inka created, declared by some as an early form of communism, is essential for the understanding of the Inka success.

Unfortunately, this is a rare case in history. Application of similar ideas have created negative results. If we look af the Inka, the application of their laws was, at times, brutal. Reason why many conquered people sided with the Conquistadors against the Inka. This is another pattern of behavior in history. People do not like being conquered.

Territorial expansion is also connected with another historical pattern: HUMAN GREED. Often enough we see empires suffering from the effects of overexpansion but they often remain unwilling to give up those lands they cannot control. The Empire Alexander created, the Roman Empire, the Napoleonic Age, the English Empire, and even the Third Reich are examples of expansion beyond economics.

Manuel! I have read the research on Easter Island and I am hoping that one of these days people will realize that we are simply pushing our luck with this planet. Good point!

"...bringing us into the Iraq war, for example. Good pattern."

Indeed! It seems that economics remains a key factor behind conflict. It is a sad reality but a reality we must be aware of if we want to break away from it. After all, I refuse to believe that all historical patterns have negative consequences. It seems we often tend to remember the bad (is that another pattern?).

Well, imperialism is motivated by the need of natural resources and the need of new markets to sell those resources after they are transformed into manufactured goods. This is an aspect of imperialism that applies to almost every great empire in history (Chinese, Hellenic, Mongol, Roman, Inka, Islamic, and English among them). The need for resources created this a particular patter of behavior. Military engagements seem to be highly motivated by economics going back to the discovery of agriculture during the Neolithic. The starting point in the history of human conflict seems to be highly influenced by our perceptions of what we think we need. Scarcity of any given resource (such as gold, diamonds, or oil) seems to create a desire to control a particular resource by any means possible. Our twisted notions of what we think we need has translated in really horrible acts in our history.

Just to let you know that the Greeks were inspired by their contacts with the Egyptians in ancient times to create the images that eventually dominated classical Greece. If you care to know, our modern conceptions of beauty are not only Greek but also Egyptian in many ways.

Just started "The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy" by Adam Tooze