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Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in Our Time
"The powers of financial capitalism had a far-reaching plan, nothing less than to to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole." Carroll Quigley, quoted on the cover of his book, Tragedy and Hope.
Hardcover, 1359 pages
Published
December 31st 1995
by G. S. G. & Associates, Incorporated
(first published January 1966)
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Community Reviews
(showing 1-30)
Apr 11, 2012
Manny
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
Anyone interested in modern history
Recommended to Manny by:
Bird Brian
This gigantic book - 1350 pages! - reminds me in an odd way of Roger Penrose's almost equally massive The Road to Reality, which I read last year. In both cases, we have an unusually gifted person, who sets out to present an integrated overview of an entire field. For Penrose, it's modern physics; for Quigley, it's world history during the period from 1895 to 1960. In both cases, we soon discover that the author has a highly non-standard but strangely persuasive view of their respective subject,
...more
I think I first found out about this book from a footnote in a John Taylor Gatto book. Somehow, I got the impression that this was "THE" go-to history book to explain conspiracy theories. ("I got the book, I got the book to tell what they been DOIN' to us all!" - angry mob guy from the movie Rigoletto). A bit of searching on the internet seems to confirm that many people view it this way as well, though I also quickly got the impression that most people don't read T&H, but another book that
...more
This book covers 15o years (up to the 1960s) of social development that Quigley associates with the rise of positions of power in the western world. As daunting a book as it may seem, it is one that must be read. Power, economic influence, globalism and the transnational forms of government. If you can get your hands on it, read it.
Aug 02, 2011
Donna
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
All US citizens who want to know how we got into this mess
Recommended to Donna by:
Honestly forget now, it was a book, however
I read this back in the early 90's. I was lucky to get it on interlibrary loan, as it was out of print then. I'm so glad it is back in print now. It is essential reading if you want to know more about what happened and who caused it to happen. I'm looking forward to reading it again.
This book still gets a lot of interest, even though Quigley has been dead for over 40 years. Perhaps, his mention by Bill Clinton in his inaugural address has maintained interest. There have been other drivers of interest for Quigley (and this volume) as well, not all of them laudable or fair.
I rated the book highly because of the impact it (and the class for which it was read) has had on me. To this this day, I vividly remember Quigley's classes (five semesters) as if they were yesterday. The a ...more
I rated the book highly because of the impact it (and the class for which it was read) has had on me. To this this day, I vividly remember Quigley's classes (five semesters) as if they were yesterday. The a ...more
Why do they call it Conspiracy THEORY when there are books like this on the market? Carroll Quigley (mentor to Bill Clinton and others) is unapologetic in his socialistic/neoMarxist/fascistic leanings. He details how socialists and others have and are taking away our freedoms and why. WOW! This book is an eye-opener. I wish I had a personal copy of it (I had checked it out through inter-library loan).
Totally looking forward to reading this.
Often the favorite of conspiracy quacks in the US.
Read just the other day that there is a difference thinking that history has conspiracies & thinking that history is a conspiracy.
I think the latter is an important consideration to think about.
I don't think that the "&" on the cover page of the present edition was always in "purgatory pink" for instance.
Written in 1966 Quigley was supposedly a political insider with the Rhodes scholar people. Clinton is said to have cited him for infl ...more
Read just the other day that there is a difference thinking that history has conspiracies & thinking that history is a conspiracy.
I think the latter is an important consideration to think about.
I don't think that the "&" on the cover page of the present edition was always in "purgatory pink" for instance.
Written in 1966 Quigley was supposedly a political insider with the Rhodes scholar people. Clinton is said to have cited him for infl ...more
This is THE book that explains the grand conspiracy. I don't normally go for the intellectual over analysis of social phenomena, but this book is actually a fascinating, comprehensive overview of a history in our time as the subtitle promises. But what made this book famous - or infamous - is how this establishment insider, Georgetown professor Carroll Quigley, tells all about the conspiracy to establish the second coming of the British Empire, albeit under the radar. Quigley names names, dates,
...more
Frankly, a disappointing book. For all its bulk and the hype surrounding it, this is definitely not an insider's look at how the "Eastern Establishment" operates. Rather, it is one professor's rather slanted interpretation of world history from about 1890 through 1963. Professor Quigley ran out of invectives to hurl at Joe McCarthy, but utters barely a whisper about Harry Hopkins (close adviser to FDR) and other players who likely had more long term influence (and did more damage) than McCarthy.
...more
Quigley taught at Georgetown, after a long career that involved him behind the scenes in international bidniss. His perspective is often financial, but his insights are crisp and amazing.
This book changed my perspective on history in some interesting ways.
Oh, one of his students was a young Bill Clinton.
This book changed my perspective on history in some interesting ways.
Oh, one of his students was a young Bill Clinton.
You're not gonna find a better history book. Leave's "The People's History of the United States" in the dust.
So far I am a little short of halfway through this tome. I find it very interesting at some points, yet very boring because the economics of it is a bit overwhelming. At the same time it is very interesting where the politics and history of it are giving me a perspective I never really saw before. Of course I do realize that economics and economic policy is what drives a lot of history and motivates politicians to do what they do but that still does not change the fact that as much as I try to u
...more
A great book, not without its weaknesses, especially in the second half with the endless anticommunist ravings. It's quite annoying when the only types of atrocities the writer condemns are the ones done by communists, while others, such as the purges in Indonesia, are barely mentioned.
Another thing I didn't like were the last few chapters where the author switches from warfare and economics to psychology of the masses. The chapters about the American middle class and the battle of the sexes are ...more
Another thing I didn't like were the last few chapters where the author switches from warfare and economics to psychology of the masses. The chapters about the American middle class and the battle of the sexes are ...more
Jan 29, 2008
Olivia
added it
I am reading this book aloud with Evan!
Quigley was BClinton's , or old-blue-eyes, as I like to call him, mentor. What an ambish book, trying to cover "world history in our time" This book is dense as War and Peace, and War What Is It Good For.
I am only reading parts of it; we are on page 532,372 and the topic is McCarthyism and the Cold War. If you are knowledgeable about this McCarthyism topic, or history in general, let's talk!
I would like to compare Quigley's finance and detail heavy text on ...more
Quigley was BClinton's , or old-blue-eyes, as I like to call him, mentor. What an ambish book, trying to cover "world history in our time" This book is dense as War and Peace, and War What Is It Good For.
I am only reading parts of it; we are on page 532,372 and the topic is McCarthyism and the Cold War. If you are knowledgeable about this McCarthyism topic, or history in general, let's talk!
I would like to compare Quigley's finance and detail heavy text on ...more
This is a massive beast of a book covering world history from roughly early 19th century through the early 1960's. Though I had to force myself to focus by setting a minimum page requirement to read per day, it was very interesting and I learned a lot, broadening my knowledge base on certain subjects and revealing my near complete lack of knowledge on others, one of which is economics. Hard work to get through, but worth it.
Mar 07, 2013
Mad Russian the Traveller
marked it as to-read
I just added this to my "to read" list, however stuff like the following may cause me to have some disagreement with this book:
"while the Right follows the Manichaean doctrine imported into Christianity by Saint Augustine (evil is a positive force, and man needs strong external discipline to protect him from it)"
.
"while the Right follows the Manichaean doctrine imported into Christianity by Saint Augustine (evil is a positive force, and man needs strong external discipline to protect him from it)"
.
Read this if you want to shatter your perception of how the world works. Also good for inducing sleep.
The neoisolationists have taken over and Quigley's rolling in his grave. Let's hope 50 million people won't die again as we transition from the 20th to the 21st Century.
Excellent as a history lesson of the world conflicts and societal environment between 1860 and 1960ish. However, I only give it three stars because of the obvious slant of the author toward international intervention in global problems. Quigley adopts the world view of secular humanists that man is basically good and a little lower than a god in the universal hierarchy of authority. Therefore, humans should be able to control and perfect our environment, international relationships, inter-ethnic
...more
Quigley is an Anglophile so don't expect anything really critical of the British or American empire. The English race are just neurologically good liberals whereas the Germans are simply neurologically totalitarians; you've got to read other accounts alongside this to counteract the one-sided claims.
He obviously never really studied Marx beyond some summaries of Leninism but he's still obviously influenced by the monopoly capitalism thesis which in retrospect was wrong since finance was really a ...more
He obviously never really studied Marx beyond some summaries of Leninism but he's still obviously influenced by the monopoly capitalism thesis which in retrospect was wrong since finance was really a ...more
One of the finest books ever. You MUST read this book. Quigley explains it all. He GETS it.
One of the best books ever.
One of the few books that everyone, really, should - really should - read.
One of the few books that everyone, really, should - really should - read.
I have 8 lectures on the totality of this work at my site and on YouTube.
Great book! Provides a unique perspective of recent history by analyzing events from different areas such as military, social, economic and technological developments and how one affects the others.
It also provides an interesting insight of the ruling class of the different powers and how their views and relation shaped the path of history.
The analysis of the entire world by region is also a novelty, avoiding the common practice of centering in North America and Europe.
It also provides an interesting insight of the ruling class of the different powers and how their views and relation shaped the path of history.
The analysis of the entire world by region is also a novelty, avoiding the common practice of centering in North America and Europe.
You must read this book. But in order to understand the full magnitude of the information contained within you need to forget most of your previously help views and beliefs of history, economics, social studies, technology, phycology, and geopolitics, as they are most likely colored or flat out false. This tome exposes the mechanisms of the true power structure that has driven the world and has for the last 200+ years.
A tome of historical knowledge
The author is writing from years of astute observation of world history. The large book is not light reading, but can be interesting to anyone who wants to ponder the impact of historical decisions. Since the narrative ends in the mid 1960's, the reader has the advantage of knowing what the near future brought us, and the implications are haunting.
The author is writing from years of astute observation of world history. The large book is not light reading, but can be interesting to anyone who wants to ponder the impact of historical decisions. Since the narrative ends in the mid 1960's, the reader has the advantage of knowing what the near future brought us, and the implications are haunting.
Mar 20, 2008
Merlot Winters
is currently reading it
Very dense but very interesting. Carol Quigley was a history professor at Georgetown who was very influential to a generation of the 'Best and Brightest' baby boomers including Bill Clinton. Very candid about the influence of secret and not so secret societies on the history of the west since 1700. Good basic info on the history of English colonization and Russia and China in modern (post enlightenment) times. A very thick but satisfying read so far, when i have the time to crack it open.
If you ever wanted a comprehensive analysis of human history and civilization, this is book to read. I would caution readers, you need to set aside ample time to read it as the book is 1500+ pages. Dig in and enjoy ... there is knowledge on every page. It is always fascinating to read text written decades ago that can accurately forecast events that are happening today.
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American historian and theorist of the evolution of civilizations.
Noted for his teaching work as a professor at Georgetown University, for his academic publications, and for his research on secret societies.
He was an instructor at Princeton and Harvard; a consultant to the U.S. Department of Defense, the House Committee on Astronautics and Space Exploration; and the U.S. Navy.
More about Carroll Quigley...
Noted for his teaching work as a professor at Georgetown University, for his academic publications, and for his research on secret societies.
He was an instructor at Princeton and Harvard; a consultant to the U.S. Department of Defense, the House Committee on Astronautics and Space Exploration; and the U.S. Navy.
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“The argument that the two parties should represent opposed ideals and policies, one, perhaps, of the Right and the other of the Left, is a foolish idea acceptable only to doctrinaire and academic thinkers. Instead, the two parties should be almost identical, so that the American people can “throw the rascals out” at any election without leading to any profound or extensive shifts in policy.”
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