Best historical study reference books according to redditors
We found 249 Reddit comments discussing the best historical study reference books. We ranked the 108 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 249 Reddit comments discussing the best historical study reference books. We ranked the 108 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
I have always enjoyed Isaac Asimov's non-fiction. He wrote numerous history books, including the excellent
Asimov's Chronology of the World: The History of the World From the Big Bang to Modern Times.
The Near East: 10,000 Years of History
The Land of Canaan
The Egyptians
The Greeks: A Great Adventure
The Roman Republic
The Roman Empire
Constantinople: The Forgotten Empire
The Shaping of England
The Shaping of France
The Dark Ages
Christopher Columbus: Navigator to the New World
Ferdinand Magellan: Opening the Door to World Exploration
The Shaping of North America
The Birth of the United States
Asimov also wrote excellent histories of science and mathematics:
Asimov's Biographical Encyclopedia of Science and Technology
Asimov's Chronology of Science and Discovery
A Short History of Biology
A Short History of Chemistry
Most of Asimov's non-fiction was aimed at the masses (as was Sagan's Cosmos), so they tend not to go into great depth. However he was excellent at showing how an event or discovery would have direct or indirect impact on a future event or discovery (standing on the shoulders of giants and all that). Most of these were written in the 1960's and 1970's
If they simply "stopped paying attention", how would you explain the CIA's orders to the Jeddah consulate to grant Al Qaeda operatives visas into the country?
How do you explain the fact that once in the country, the alleged hijackers received training at secure military installations.
It is you, sir, who needs to read some books:
Killing Hope: US Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II
Confessions of an Economic Hitman
Tragedy and Hope
Wall Street and The Bolshevik Revolution
Wall Street and The Rise of Hitler
Foundations: Their Power and Influence
Bank Control of Large Corporations in the United States
Wake up to reality my friend. These people are not, and have never been, incompetent or negligent. If they were either, they wouldn't be in the positions of power they are in today.
First, TH Huxley was his grandfather, my bad. But TH Huxley was very close to HG Welles. They wrote books together and constantly were meeting and having discussions. Alduous Huxley was a fly on the wall for many of these discussions and recounts the influence HG Welles had on him in his book Brave New World Revisited
Both TH Huxley and HG Welles were part of a group called the Rhodes Round Table (a part of the Round Table movement at the turn of the 19th Century) which would be comparable to the CFR today. A Harvard professor named Carroll Quigley wrote an amazing book about their history, rise and fall, called Tragedy and Hope. If you weren't aware, Alduous Huxley was a teacher of Eric Blair (George Orwell) and they both worked in high society circles. Both their books were what they believed would be the logical conclusion of what they saw happening on the inside at the time and this is explicitly stated in this letter from Huxley to Blair.
Huxley's "Brave New World" title is a response/retort/satire to HG Welles' New World Order HG Welles is the originator of the term "New World Order" and that is what Huxley is referring to when he says we're head toward a Brave New World. In his book, Brave New World Revisited, A. Huxley even explicitly makes fun of HG Welles' book The Open Conspiracy for being so evil and moral-less that it is sure to work.
On the insight of China's rise? I don't know any particular source for this. Briefly, China, when ruled by the Hans, was largely isolationist. Even when they explored the known world with Zheng He's fleets, they were diplomatic and merely traded. No colonies. Today, you see the same diplomacy at work - with only limited military engagement when absolutely necessary. Their peaceful relations in the African and Latin regions support this -- regardless of what the US statement department claims. This is the nature of China. It is a trading nation. Relative to other great powers, it has been only infrequently expansionist. During its most expansive times, it was ruled by non-Hans. The idea that today's China wants to "take over the world" is the Western mindset/experience projecting itself onto China. They reason, "We colonized the entire planet when we were strong. So, of course China will do the same to us.". That fear is only part of the problem. The second problem is that America and some Western allies have never given up global conquest. From that perspective, China is a "threat" -- not to world peace, but to their ambitions.
Read this https://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Hope-History-World-Time/dp/094500110X/
There was also a free book that summarized the main points under a similar title] Tragedy and Hope 101 I think?
Geopolitics isn't a tinfoil hat doctrine. It's studied at universities and people like Henry Kissinger write nonfiction books about it. If you'd like a primer, try Tragedy & Hope: A History of the World in Our Time by Carroll Quigley. Bill Clinton had Quigley as a professor and called him the biggest influence in his life.
Why's it so unbelievable?
Scott's comment sort of has thread-ender vibes to me, so I'll post one.
Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in Our Time, by Carrol Quigley.
The Amazon blurb is overly sensational, but not by as much as one might think. For more info I'd recommend checking out Quigley's Wikipedia page.
Excerpt:
> There does exist, and has existed for a generation, an international Anglophile network which operates, to some extent, in the way the Radical right believes the Communists act. In fact, this network, which we may identify as the Round Table Groups, has no aversion to cooperating with the Communists, or any other group, and frequently does so. I know of the operation of this network because I have studied it for twenty years and was permitted for two years, in the early 1960s, to examine its papers and secret records. I have no aversion to it or to most of its aims and have, for much of my life, been close to it and to many of its instruments. I have objected, both in the past and recently, to a few of its policies... but in general my chief difference of opinion is that it wishes to remain unknown, and I believe its role in history is significant enough to be known.
(This was written in 1966.)
> before the Church plunged Europe into the Dark Ages
If by the "Church" you mean the "collapse of the Western Roman Empire partly due to invasion and raiding" and by "plunged" you mean "precipitated the slow decline of the infrastructure of the society" and by the "Dark Ages" you mean the "Early Middle Ages" then there are plenty of history books, a good overview one is Europe: A History or for a wider view History: From the Dawn of Civilization to the Present Day.
Here's an interview that Soros did with "60 Minutes" twenty years ago that explains some of his motivations. This video was rumored to exist for a long time, people reported remembering seeing it. After a long hunt, it was finally discovered by a reddit user in a university library with restricted access.
Just watch the man revel in sociopathy. He knows what he is and likes it. Watch George admit he feels no shame for selling out his fellow Jews to the Nazis and pocketing their possessions. Not spelling Nazis, not soup Nazis, not feminazis, but actual Nazis. The social consequences of his actions are of no concern to him. Watch his reaction when the interviewer asks if he feels guilty.
He promotes completely open borders, devaluing the US dollar and replacing it with a singular global currency. Literally a new world order. (The term for this is "globalism")
The answer to a lot of your questions is "we don't know just yet". I know you're trying to ridicule, but super-rich elites really do exist and they really do control a frightening amount of the world we live in. Globalists care no more for human lives than a homeowner cares for the ants that live in his lawn. They will tinker and experiment and if that means starvation for us, they're willing to make that sacrifice. Fortunately we live in an unprecedented era of transparency and we are slowly assembling the answers and finding out who really rules us, and how.
If you really want to educate yourself, read the book Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in Our Time
by Carroll Quigley. This book is not for the faint-hearted, at 1348 pages it is three inches thick. But it basically lays out the blueprint that globalists like Soros and the Rothschilds believe in. The Dodd Report to the Reece Committee is also worth reading. These are serious, sober works and not froth-at-the-mouth conspiracy theories. I found Carroll Quigley to be quite an affable and communicative writer. He's for globalism, not a raving lunatic decrying it.
There are enough keywords in my last paragraph to keep you busy searching for a while. I hope after you finish reading you can help to spread the word about the works of Quigley, and especially that 60 Minutes interview.
>How can you sustain ideological consistency when the majority of you are culturally right, and economically left?
Where's the contradiction?
>Firstly, how do you justify the common criticism from conservative circles of you people having right wing extremist views culturally with left wing extremist views economically.
We don't care. They're all shills, collaborators, or just misguided.
>Secondly, what made you lose faith in the free market, which over the decades pushed millions of people out of the free market and made America the economic powerhouse we have today.
False. Protectionism made America rich. Read this book: https://www.amazon.com/Americas-Protectionist-Takeoff-1815-1914-Michael/dp/3980846687
>Would you prefer the economies of Communist China or Nazi Germany more appealing, where the state decides the limits of what corporations may or may not do?
China is more fascist than communist today, but the answer is yes.
>a common trend i’ve seen here is white supremacy, a desire to colonize, sometimes even enslave non white peoples.
You're either lying or just seriously misinformed.
Awesome, I just started reading Guns of August.
Sorry, can't agree with this. Alone the reading of Jeremy Bowen's Six Days reveals Oren applied a very 'selective' approach to his 'sources' and the way he used related materials.
Comparison with books specialized in description of military related issues and based on official documentation (see Arab MiGs, Volume 3 as example), reveal a mass of omissions, failures, and even significant confusion in Oren's reconstruction of related events.
Couple different reasons:
In the 60s, Carroll Quigley wrote the plan down again in his book Tragedy and Hope More recently, Obama string pullers like Zbignew Brezenski have written down the plan for the NWO in books like the Technotronic Era
Very good job putting globalism into the context of the ambitions of turn of the 20th century industrialist Cecil Rhodes (rhodesia/s.african mining interests), and his connection with Milner. This actually explains a lot, filling in a piece of the puzzle connecting to the early american industrialist dynasties and thereby, to the rev. war and beyond into history.
Also good job in demonstrating that financial climate of preNazi Germany as created by the establishment which was abusing them into a mass social movement based on anger, betrayal and desperation.
Hopefully the rest of you here read it like I did: that these preconditions of preNazi germany parallel the current climate in america. As a cautionary tale. Well done, sir. For this excellent piece I'm giving you gold.
BTW Tragedy and Hope has been on my reading list, ever since I found out it was written by Clinton's prof and was 'conspiracyish'. Also, refreshing to see the matrix/truther use of 'redpill' that isn't in the context of tricking women into sleeping with you.
If you want to read up on the history of combat aviation in Iran's Air force, I recommend you talk to /u/x_tc_x. Who is he?
He is an Austrian military aviation author and co-author of these books:
1
2
3
4
He is pretty active on reddit and comments on the Syrian Civil war conflict almost everyday.
Edit: I read the 3rd book and while it mostly focuses on the Arab-Israeli wars, it taught me some things that surprised me and fell in place quite nicely given other things that I knew of these wars. So, I definitely recommend all 4 books. I only skimmed through the 2nd and 4th books.
The Guns of August
No, not entirely. Everyone has beliefs and opinions that may not be supported by facts, be it willful suspension of skepticism or mere ignorance. The core issue and the examples given are, in fact, facts. Check them out for yourself. Also, pick up a copy of Carrol Quigley's Tragedy And Hope for some real mindblowing action. Warning, it's fucking LONG.
All the information is available for anyone to check out...it's depressing, but at the same time, very interesting and far more thrilling than just about any work of fiction.
This is silly. Did you wake up this morning and decide to take up geopolitics as a pastime?
Most of the readers here are too far into this to waste time giving history lessons.
If you want to brush up on the subject here are a few books to start with:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0805075593?pc_redir=1408767114&robot_redir=1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0985271027?pc_redir=1408686538&robot_redir=1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0615602223?pc_redir=1408631528&robot_redir=1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1935439618?pc_redir=1408800754&robot_redir=1
http://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Ultimate-Insiders-Story-Presidents/dp/0684834979/sr=8-1/qid=1163059092/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-8219747-6907339?ie=UTF8&s=books
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/094500110X?pc_redir=1408852909&robot_redir=1
Read these books and then do your own research and look into the claims for yourself. Most of his claims are common knowledge, and have been widely reported with frequency over the past decade. They are easily researchable with rudimentary search engine skills.
Your burden of proof logic games are misguided and add nothing to such a prima facia discussion
Korrekt, Kirken idag er ligesom public-service, det ikke for folket selvom de påstår det, det istedet blevet et kulturmarxistisk propaganda foretagende.
https://www.amazon.de/Kabbalah-Secrets-Christians-Need-Know/dp/1095680005
https://www.amazon.com/Kabbalah-Meditation-Nations-Yitzchak-Ginsburgh/dp/9657146127
https://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Hope-History-World-Time/dp/094500110X
https://www.saxo.com/dk/the-culture-of-critique-an-evolutionary-analysis-of-jewish-involvement-in-twentieth-century-intellectual-and-political-movements_kevin-macdonald_haeftet_9780759672222
<u>The Complete Idiot's Guide to Freemasonry</u> is a good book to give you some basic information.
&#x200B;
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiot-Guide-Freemasonry-2nd/dp/1615642374
John Keegan's 2nd world war book?
https://www.amazon.com/Second-World-War-John-Keegan/dp/0143035738
Paul Guyer/Allen Wood's translation of Critique of Pure Reason is respected among Kant scholars I know. Kemp Smith is considered easier to read, so the first could be put as a more technical (or, maybe, precise) one.
I've never read any of those from beginning to end though. My first language isn't English, so I use Guyer's translation just for consultation.
For much more accurate analysis, see:
http://www.amazon.com/Critique-Reason-Cambridge-Edition-Immanuel/product-reviews/0521657296/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_summary?ie=UTF8&amp;showViewpoints=1&amp;sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending
As secondary literature for reading the first Critique, I recommend "A Kant Dictionary", by Howard Gaygill, and "Kant and the Critique of Pure Reason", by Sebastian Gardner. These assuming you know something about Kant, his project, historical background, achievements, etc. If not, start with Scruton's or Allen Wood's introductory book to Kant.
About Descartes, I don't know which translations are available, but I have to notify that Discourse on the Method gives only a superficial idea of Descartes' philosophy. In order to understand him, to see that he isn't as "inconsistent" as he might appear, and to get a full metaphysical system, read Meditations on First Philosophy.
Waco wasn't exactly carried out by the US military (It was mostly ATF Bureau) but the Feds definitely acted in a military-like way when they massacred non-violent men, women and children living in a commune.
The Kent State Shooting however, was carried out by the Ohio National Guard. Also, for those who may not know already, It is against the law to use the US military against US civilians.
It's scary and sad that we are having this conversation today.
Gore Vidal's Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace
Sadly still relevant.
I read "The March Of Folly" this summer, a history book written in 1985 that examines folly in government and policy counter to the self interest of the state enacting it. One of the major case studies is about the renaissance popes, with an entire chapter devoted to Alexander VI AKA Rodrigo Borgia. It discusses the Pazzi conspiracy and the criminal nature of the Borgia, as well as the murderous and incestuous nature of Cesare and Lucretia. It was great to look back and realize just how much from AC:2 was accurate, and then playing AC: Brotherhood see how well it continued as such.
http://www.amazon.com/March-Folly-Troy-Vietnam/dp/0345308239
For shits and giggles I looked up the stats for Kant's Critique of Pure Reason.
If you are interested and have some spare money, I’d suggest checking Butowski’s Russia's Warplanes (3 volumes in total), Volume 1 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0985455454/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_oNLOAbJTPEHF3
Also note that the fact that Jane’s used to publish some of his articles doesn’t inherently result in a high quality work on this topic from their other writers. Sadly, I’ve seen some similar wild claims about radar and engines coming from them, which is completely unsupported by the insider information about the project, that I’ve seen.
Ironically, the major issue resulting in program falling behind for several years (arguably) is completely ignored by these publications. I guess, insufficient airframe strengthening doesn’t sound as fancy and isn’t that useful when one is trying to construct a fairy tale about technologically inferior competitor product.
Socialism/Communism
A People's History of the World
Main Currents of Marxism
The Socialist System
The Age of... (1, 2, 3, 4)
Marx for our Times
Essential Works of Socialism
Soviet Century
Self-Governing Socialism (Vols 1-2)
The Meaning of Marxism
The "S" Word (not that good in my opinion)
Of the People, by the People
Why Not Socialism
Socialism Betrayed
Democracy at Work
Imagine: Living in a Socialist USA (again didn't like it very much)
The Socialist Party of America (absolute must read)
The American Socialist Movement
Socialism: Past and Future (very good book)
It Didn't Happen Here
Eugene V. Debs
The Enigma of Capital
Seventeen Contradictions and the End of Capitalism
A Companion to Marx's Capital (great book)
After Capitalism: Economic Democracy in Action
Capitalism
The Conservative Nanny State
The United States Since 1980
The End of Loser Liberalism
Capitalism and it's Economics (must read)
Economics: A New Introduction (must read)
U.S. Capitalist Development Since 1776 (must read)
Kicking Away the Ladder
23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism
Traders, Guns and Money
Corporation Nation
Debunking Economics
How Rich Countries Got Rich
Super Imperialism
The Bubble and Beyond
Finance Capitalism and it's Discontents
Trade, Development and Foreign Debt
America's Protectionist Takeoff
How the Economy was Lost
Labor and Monopoly Capital
We Are Better Than This
Ancap/Libertarian
Spontaneous Order (disagree with it but found it interesting)
Man, State and Economy
The Machinery of Freedom
Currently Reading
This is the Zodiac Speaking (highly recommend)
https://www.amazon.com/Second-World-War-John-Keegan/dp/0143035738
Read this then get back to me.
I don't take the Holocaust lightly. Violence is a plague, and thousands of men did not die in vain to protect the Western world.
EDIT: http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/12/the-ghetto-the-nazis-and-one-small-boy/
I recommend Lies My Teacher Told Me or Bryson's Short History of Nearly Everything. If you are looking for something a little more scholarly and drier then I suggest A History of Knowledge by Van Doren. As a world history teacher myself, I loved all of these books.
You're right, of course.
Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in Our Time
The standard edition of Kant's works is the German Academy of Sciences edition of Kants gesammelte Schriften, published by Walter de Gruyter in Berlin. The second edition of the Kritik der reinen Vernunft is in volume 3. You can order a copy of your very own from the publisher here.
The standard English translation of the Critique is the one by Paul Guyer and Allen Wood, published by Cambridge University Press. The German page numbers cited by wokeupabug appear in the margins in addition to the actual page numbers.
Globalism grew out of Cecil Rhodes Round Tables from around 1900, which sought to control the entire world for the benefit of Billionaire Oligarchs like himself.
After Cecil Rhodes death in 1902 the various Rhodes Foundations set up with his vast wealth were administered by Lord Alfred Milner and Lord Rothschild.
With the decline of the British Empire and the transfer of Hegemony and Global power from London to the U.S. between WW1 and WW2, the focus of the Globalist Groups transferred to controlling the politicians in Washington DC.
There are dozens of Globalist groups, but major ones include the Council of Foreign Relations (the CFR which was founded in the 1920's in New York), Chatham House (the CFR equivalent in London), the Trilateral Commission (founded by Rockefeller and Brzezinski in the 1970's), the Rockefeller Foundation, and George Soros "Open Society" forums and their multiple spin offs.
All of these groups seek to transfer wealth and power from the many to the few. The few being the owners and CEO's of major private banks, major Corporations and other Billionaire Oligarchs.
Since the 1980's wealth has been gradually transferred from the Middle Class to the elites in the top 0.01% by transferring well paid middle class jobs to the Third World or other low cost labor countries. This process was hugely accelerated in the 1990's with the advent of the internet, Globalist Trade deals such as NAFTA and the admission of China to the WTO.
Globalists support Open Borders for cheap labor which decreases wages for all but the top 5% of the Western population. (See the decline in well paid U.S. manufacturing jobs, U.S. illegal immigration from Mexico, South and Central America or H1B visas for software programmers from India. Or the expansion of the EU with cheap labor from former Warsaw Pact countries like Poland and Romania.)
Real median male wages in America have now declined to the levels last seen in 1972 and Home Ownership rates have declined to the levels of the early 1960's. Ordinary people from Western Europe have seen similar declines over the last 15 to 20 years.
Globalists seek to transfer power from democratically elected legislatures at State, Local and City levels, to undemocratic supranational institutions controlled by Corporate money (see the expansion of power of the U.S. Federal government in DC, or the EU in Brussels).
TPP and TTIP were both excellent examples of Globalist initiatives. Both included ISDS (Investor State Dispute Settlement) which sought to transfer power from democratically elected legislatures to a transnational arbitration panel composed of Corporate lawyers sitting as judge, jury, defense and prosecution, all paid by large Multinational Corporations.
TPP, TISA and TTIP agreements are massive Corporate power grabs dressed up as trade deals http://ian56.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/tpp-tisa-and-ttip-agreements-are.html
The scheme to replace democratic governance with one world government controlled by a small cabal of Banking and Corporate Elites was documented in the 1960's by Georgetown Professor Carroll Quigley - a mentor of Bill Clinton:-
Tragedy and Hope by Carroll Quigley https://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Hope-History-World-Time/dp/094500110X
The other strand of Globalist Doctrine derives from the Godfather of Neoconservatism Leo Strauss who also advocated anti democratic, authoritarian and totalitarian, one world government controlled by a handful of Ruling Elites.
The Neocon Agenda and its Results http://ian56.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/the-neocon-agenda-and-its-results.html
John Keegan's The First World War and The Second World War may well fit the bill for you. Both books do have a slightly British/Allied slant to them Keegan was a senior lecturer at RMA Sandhurst for many years and his relationship with the British Army does come accross strongly. Having said that, they are both excellent single volume introductions to the conflicts.
from Carroll Quigley's book Tragedy & Hope (1966)
"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," he wrote. "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."
Stop voting for the "practical" lesser of two evils - you're rewarding the evil establishment by saying no matter how bad a major party's candidate is, he's got your vote b/c at least he's not as bad as the other guy. Well guess what - over, and over, and over again the establishment will give you evil b/c they know you will vote for it.
The whole Arab Migs provides a rather good overview of the several wars and conflicts from the perspetive of Arab airforces.
Taking Sides provides a good overview of america's relationship with Israel
Arabs at war provides a military effectiveness overview but it is extremely biased towards Israel
There's also "The Penguin History of the World" by J.M. Roberts and Odd Arne Westad. I own it in paperback. It's an absolute brick, like 1,000 pages or so (can't remember exactly how many). It just briefly covers many of the major events in human history. In very general terms, it paints a picture showing how we got to where we are now. Link below:
https://www.amazon.com/Penguin-History-World-Sixth/dp/1846144434
I'd recommend The Second World War and World War Two Day by Day.
My first WW2 book was Rise and Fall of the Third Reich but it just covers Germany. Good book though add it to your list.
There is this really good book on this topic that I enjoyed more than any other document related to this subject by the name of The Guns of August.
Very nice book.
Here's my list of recommended reads (no particular order)
Very large, very technical book. Helps if you have a bit of electronics or weaponeer knowledge already. Has information translated from recently de-classified cold war era Russian documents, publicly for the first time. Talks specifics of weapons, sensors, and comms, system by system. Reference book, not bathroom reading.
This is an actual textbook used by the US naval academy. Not sure if it is still part of their curriculum anymore. Discuses fundamentals of radar, sonar, blast effects, and a wide variety of other topics in a non platform specific way.
Haven't read this book, but understand it's popular with US naval officers today.
Not many people know Tom Clancy also wrote non-fiction. His works of that genre included; Carrier, Submarine, and Fighter Wing. Of course, his novels, Hunt for Red October, and Red Storm Rising are the gold standard in military-techno thrillers.
Bonus Material
It is a little known fact that Isaac Asimov wrote more science books than novels. I have read one or two of them and can tell you that the writing is clear and straightforward. He is credited with authoring around 500 books.
Here are a few examples:
Understanding Physics
Asimov's Chronoloy of the World
Atom: Journey Across the Sub-Atomic Cosmos(I Read this in the 90's and due to the speed of advances in this field it's a bit dated but it gave me a solid foundation and taught me the difference between a letpon and a baryon)
Kaczynski made a lot of sense until he started talking about a violent uprising.
I would add to the list "Tragedy and Hope" by Carroll Quigley.
And anything / everything by Philip K. Dick.
[my favorite history book] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0062700367?pc_redir=1397832010&amp;robot_redir=1)
>In the final sitting weeks of the winter session, Tony Abbott held an unusual meeting of his full ministry during which he was asked by a junior minister how the government was intending to deal with the widespread view that it had broken election promises. The prime minister’s response was forceful and absolute. The government had not broken a single promise, he insisted. There was nothing to deal with, no case to answer.
This is pretty much exactly what historian Barbara Tuchman would describe as wooden-headedness, characterised by a total inability to consider new or outside information due to a pathological adherence to a pre-conceived, self-deluded point of view.
Wooden-headedness rarely works out well for the wooden-head.
JM Roberts, Penguin History of the World is probably what your looking for.
https://www.amazon.com/Penguin-History-World-Sixth/dp/1846144434?ie=UTF8&amp;*Version*=1&amp;*entries*=0
It's Eurocentric and doesn't go into detail on events (almost impossible for a single volume history of the world). Rather, it focuses on major themes throughout history (Colonization, Christianity, Empire, etc...).
It's about as much as one could digest in a single volume (~1100 pages or so). There are much more comprehensive works, but they're multi-volume affairs, not designed for noobs.
Beyond that, if you can narrow it down to a region or time, you'll have a more choices.
I'd recommend
The Great Sea by Abulafia (Mediterranean)
The Fifth Part of the World by Lester (Exploration)
And Peter Wilson has a new history of the Holy Roman Empire out that I haven't read but looks real good. It's called The Heart of Europe. A study of the HRE will give you a good overview of European history from the post Roman Empire dark ages to Age of Napoleon.
Sorry I don't have suggestions for non-European history, I'm sure someone else does. I can tentatively recommend Born in Blood and Fire for Latin\S. American history. I haven't read it but it's highly regarded and seems to be pretty accessible. For Middle East, you might want to try Esposito's History of Islam. No recommendations for Far East.
I would add to Ron Paul's praiseworthy opinion that NATO's encroachment upon Russia has provoked Putin to act upon Crimea. Obama's sanctions could very well escalate the conflict.
Similarly, Gore Vidal said in his short book, "Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace: How We Got to Be So Hated." that the U.S.A. military based in Saudi Arabian holy territory had provoked Osama Bin Laden. http://www.amazon.com/Perpetual-War-Peace-How-Hated/dp/156025405X
Actually, I would argue that our Judicial system is the only ethically operating branch of the government left. It's the laws created by the legislative branch that cause harm and aid private prisons. Yes there have been cases of judges (especially Texas) throwing people away for $$, but those are relatively rare (although Clarence Thomas scares this shit out of me). If you look closely though, judges have thrown out all sorts of legislative bullshit and have upheld the law in the face of opposition (big industry, lobbies) on many occasions.
We know we're fucked up. Most of us however are not retarded and you don't need to be a smug shitbag about it. I don't know what it is about European analysis of America but your language sure comes of a being a douchie bitch.
edit: Good read: http://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Hope-History-World-Time/dp/094500110X
The opening passage of The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman.
>
“So gorgeous was the spectacle on the May morning of 1910 when nine kings rode in the funeral of Edward VII of England that the crowd, waiting in hushed and black-clad awe, could not keep back gasps of admiration. In scarlet and green and blue and purple, three by three the sovereigns rode through the palace gates, with plumed helmets, gold braid, crimson sashes, and jeweled orders flashing in the sun. After them came five heirs apparent, forty more imperial or royal highnesses, seven queens – four dowager and three regnant – and a scattering of special ambassadors from uncrowned countries. Together they represented seventy nations in the greatest assemblage of royalty and rank ever gathered in one place and, of its kind, the last. The muffled tongue of Big Ben tolled nine by the clock as the cortege left the palace, but on history’s clock it was sunset, and the sun of the old world was setting in a dying blaze of splendor never to be seen again.”
Interestingly, the old school bankers like Morgan and Rothchild wanted... 'sound money'. They wanted a gold standard. If the banksters were trying to secretly create a fiat system, why did they want a gold standard?
source: http://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Hope-History-World-Time/dp/094500110X
I do not get all the love for the shoddy history of John Green's 'Crash Course'. Wikipedia provides more balance and nuance than does John Green. Usually in threads like these people jump all over each other in a rush to endorse Dan Carlin's 'Hardcore History' or Mike Duncan's 'History of Rome' podcasts.
For OP's purposes 'Hardcore History' is probably better since he jumps around from period to period with his various series'. Find one you like, listen to it, pay attention to who he lists as his sources and then read them.
If OP wants something a little more macro, Charles van Doren's 'A History of Knowledge' is a good place to get a broad overview of Western Civilisation. Written in a easy-to-read layman's style (the guy spent years as an Encyclopedia Brittanica editor). And for anyone wondering, yes, this is the same Charles van Doren that Ralph Feinnes played in 'Quiz Show' if you ever wondered what happened to him.
http://www.amazon.com/History-Knowledge-Past-Present-Future/dp/0345373162
I also remembered that there is r/asklibrarians but you should definitely ask your local librarians. This is the kind of thing they live for!
I had some time this morning so I went through our history books and found as many as I could that are good for general reference so they should hit all those subjects for her in a broad but informative way. Since that's my son's favorite subject, and he is homeschooled, we keep a lot of historical encyclopedias around:
Everything You Need To Know To Ace World History
Everything You Need To Know To Ace American History
World War II: The Definitive Visual Guide
The Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of World History
Free: U. S. History Sourcebook - Basic Kindle Edition
Also Free: U. S. History Sourcebook - Advanced Kindle Edition
The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia there is probably a newer version now of this. This is my son's FAVORITE throughout the years.
History: From the Dawn of Civilization to the Present Day
This is a good one too: Himeji Castle: Japan's Samurai Past
Since your daughter is interested in Japanese history as well, I asked my son's Japanese teacher what she would recommend (she has the kids read books periodically), and she recommended some books. I know they're not all nonfiction, but historical fiction can give a lot of context and understanding.
The Cat Who Went to Heaven – Elizabeth Coatsworth
The Samurai’s Tale – Erik C. Heaugaard
Born in the Year of Courage – Emily Crofford
The Big Wave – Pearl S. Buck
The Master Puppeteer – Katherine Patterson
The Sign of the Chrysanthemum – Katherine Patterson
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes – Eleanor Coerr
Heart of a Samurai – Margi Preus
If you're after cheap books and can't find them at the library, search on abebooks.com or the used books on amazon.com. We always check Abebooks first because they're almost always cheaper there once you factor in shipping.
The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam (1984) by Barbara W. Tuchman is absolutely fantastic... here are some [reviews]
(http://www.amazon.com/The-March-Folly-From-Vietnam/dp/0345308239)
Im not sure about some of those books on the OP list, i do history at Uni, and i love it with a passion, but i could never slog through Sun Tze, let alone the Communist Manifesto. You want to find books that really bring history to life. Such as March of Folly, or Frank Kitson's book: Prince Rupert, Portrait of a Soldier.
This is not "a summary" but a chart that lays out the history of the world going back 3000 years. No centric to this at all. There is a stunning amount of detail in this. Put it on your wall and you'll be aborbing details for years.
Synchronoptical world history chart by Andreas Nothiger
It hasn't
I would take a look at Claudy's Entered Apprentice Manual after you're initiated and as you work on your proficiency. It gives a bit of a historical perspective on what you went through along with a bit of review of what's taught in the lectures.
I'd also recommend reading /u/chodapp 's book at your leisure along with the Idiot's Guide.
I've been saving Dan's podcast for a while. Great time to start.
I would also highly suggest Barbara Tuchman's "The Guns of August" for a taste of the times immediately before and after the breakout of fighting. I would also recommend the same author's "The Proud Tower" which digs into the culture leading up to The Great War.
I recently read the "Penguin History of the World" and that one was fantastic. I was assigned it by one of my most respected professors and found it illuminating and easy to follow.
The Penguin History of the World: Sixth Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/1846144434/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_K9hyzb7BJBGFV
I seem to recall that Asimov's Chronology of the World was in a format like this, although it reached further back than 500 B.C.
https://www.amazon.com/Asimovs-Chronology-World-History-Modern/dp/0062700367/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1537113616&amp;sr=1-1&amp;refinements=p_lbr_one_browse-bin%3AIsaac+Asimov
G. Edward Griffin, the author of "The Creature from Jekyl Island"
lecturing on "The Quigley formula". A must see.
My favorite quote from Quigley (supposedly one of Bill Clinton's mentors);
"The chief problem of American political life for a long time has been how to make the two Congressional parties more national and international. 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 … [E]ither party in office becomes in time corrupt, tired, unenterprising, and vigorless. Then it should be possible to replace it, every four years if necessary, by the other party, which will be none of those things but will still pursue, with new vigor, approximately the same basic policies." - from "Tragedy and Hope"
For anyone interested in seeing Asimov in a nonfiction light, I highly recommend Asimov's Chronology of the World: The History of the World From the Big Bang to Modern Times which is a spectacular history of the world. Totally readable, it gave me a much better understanding of the scope of human history than perhaps any book I read in my teens. Not often discussed in book groups, but an exceptional work of history and literature, IMO.
Tragedy & Hope: A History of the World in Our Time by Carroll Quigley a must read for any one looking out for truth.
Here is the full pdf of this book at Carroll Quigley's website.
A lot of the stuff you read will be horseshit, keep that in mind.
If you want reliable baseline, pick up a copy of the Friedman's Guide to Naval Weapon Systems. It hasn't been updated in 10 years but its probably the most reliable source that isn't ABSURDLY expensive. It will help you get an idea of what the state-of-the-art was 10 years ago.
https://www.amazon.com/Naval-Institute-Guide-Weapon-Systems/dp/1557502625
If you want a good basic reference for the technology then pick up a copy of Payne's Principles of Naval Weapon Systems.
https://www.amazon.com/Principles-Naval-Weapons-Systems-Professional/dp/1591146674/
You can use your new found powers to "filter" out the stupidity from the reality when you read defense blogs and news sites.
Not many historians have that nice, rolling narrative style of Mr. Foote. It's so easy to read and it tells the story in a compact, but intimate way with a focus on the people and their motives.
To answer your question I would look at histories written by journalists such as Barbara Tuchman - Guns of August. I also like S.C. Gwynne's Empire of the Summer Moon, Hampton Sides Blood and Thunder, and Ghost Soldiers. Lot's of good narrative histories out there - just keep looking and share any new good ones with Reddit! Good luck!
About The Author, for those using find
Barbara W. Tuchman wrote three seminal books about WWI, The Guns of August, The Zimmeman Telegram and The Proud Tower.
perhaps you might care to check out:
https://www.amazon.com/Mohammed-Charlemagne-Revisited-History-Controversy/dp/0578094185
and:
https://www.amazon.com/Decline-Eastern-Christianity-Under-Islam/dp/1611471362
No, any historian would not agree. I don't know where you get your info from, but "pulling shit out of my ass" does not equal "most historians agree".
Your problem is that I DID the research. I'm a research biologist holding a PhD, who was trained in critical thinking and research. I also have an avid interest in history, so guess what, I read a lot. A bit more than you do, apparently, judging by your comments... (I'm still amazed by the North Korea stuff... Please elaborate.) Here are a couple of the best books on WWI. Perhaps they would help you.
http://www.amazon.com/Sleepwalkers-How-Europe-Went-1914-ebook/dp/B008B1BL4E/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1395256616&amp;sr=1-2
http://www.amazon.com/War-that-Ended-Peace-abandoned-ebook/dp/B00CNQ9PFK/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1395256616&amp;sr=1-4
http://www.amazon.com/Catastrophe-1914-Europe-Goes-War-ebook/dp/B00C4BA4C2/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1395256616&amp;sr=1-5
http://www.amazon.com/Guns-August-Classic-Bestselling-Outbreak-ebook/dp/B002TXZS8A/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1395256616&amp;sr=1-6
http://www.amazon.com/Paris-1919-Months-Changed-World-ebook/dp/B000XUBC7C/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1395256616&amp;sr=1-11
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/143980.The_Rise_and_Fall_of_the_British_Empire
Your naive, and frankly, idiotic image of the US stepping in... well that is just hilarious. All this after more than 150 years of imperialism. Ask people in Latin America or the Middle East about how benevolent your country was. And YOU want me to do research. Amazing.
I read this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Force-Basic-Training-Guidebook/dp/1932714928/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1318124003&amp;sr=8-1
and it got me more knowledge than anything else.
There will be things they can't teach you until you get there. Every Instructor does things different. You're going to learn things to make it easier while you're there. I was academic/warskills monitor so I just took roll before class. Good luck!
> (T)he powers of financial capitalism had another far-reaching aim, nothing less than 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. This system was to be controlled in a feudalist fashion by the central banks of the world acting in concert, by secret agreements arrived at in frequent private meetings and conferences.
-- Georgetown University historian Carroll Quigley, Tragedy and Hope, 1975
What a telling quote! Quigley is a NWO insider.
Other great quotes from the article:
> Banking was conceived in iniquity and was born in sin. The bankers own the earth. Take it away from them, but leave them the power to create money, and with the flick of the pen they will create enough deposits to buy it back again.
> However, take it away from them, and all the great fortunes like mine will disappear and they ought to disappear, for this would be a happier and better world to live in. But, if you wish to remain the slaves of bankers and pay the cost of your own slavery, let them continue to create money.
-- Josiah Stamp, former Director of the Bank of England
> We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.
-- Aesop
. .
The article proposes a return to debt-free currency. I made the same proposal a few days ago at /r/NewAmerica. See "Debt-free currency!"
> If America controlled its own money, it would be interest-free, and taxing people to pay it wouldn’t be necessary.
> Early colonists did it. So did Lincoln. Why not now by returning money power to public hands where it belongs. Onerous taxes would be minimized or eliminated. Money for productive growth could be created inflation-free. Prosperity could be sustained. Full employment and social justice would be possible.
> Imagine that America. Imagine the entire world that way, instead of one plagued booms, busts, inflation, deflation, instability, crisis, and perhaps the greatest ever Depression today bankers caused for their own self-interest to achieve greater consolidation, wealth and power.
-- Stephen Lendman, "Money Power World Rule", NWO Observer, 20 Dec 2011
. .
We Americans are led to believe that wars and depressions "Just Happen". We cannot imagine anyone deliberately creating such catastrophes. But one man's catastrophe is another man's windfall opportunity -- an opportunity to buy up real estate at pennies on the dollar, for example, or an opportunity to loan billions to both sides in a war.
However great the opportunities for profit, we can't imagine ourselves inflicting so much suffering on others. But what if we belonged to a xenophobic supremacist culture? We might then view other human beings as a threat, as an enemy, or as less than human. The devastation inflicted on others by war would seem like a delicious payback. The hundreds of thousands of dead would thin the ranks of our enemies. The carnage would be of no more import than the destruction of an ant-hill. If our culture taught us to see fellow human beings in this way, we might indeed be tempted to reap huge profits from their immiseration.
http://www.amazon.com/Perpetual-War-Peace-How-Hated/dp/156025405X
by Gore Vidal.
http://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Hope-History-World-Time/dp/094500110X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1252936827&amp;sr=1-1
Hello, you must be new here. Welcome to planet Earth. On this world, violent power struggles for resources and control of finances happen between countries and others factions often. War is sometimes seen as necessary by some of these factions in order to do this. Order out of chaos is the means to an end.
For more insight into how and why some of these groups operate this why, try reading these publications by some of the movers and shakers of these groups.
I've heard the same from professors. Bennett's translations are great for the more casual or less advanced reader, not so great for upper level academic work. I had a similar experience, but with a different philosopher who I cannot remember at the late moment. OP should probably check Bennett's Kant translations out.
Also, I don't know of any free comprehensive guides to the Critique, but if you go to the library you should be able to find a copy of the cambridge edition of the Critique of Pure Reason. Paul Goyer has a relatively concise introduction and it contains a pretty nice overview of the Critique and Kant's project. It helped me gain my bearings when I read the Critique. It might help.
Asimov's Chronology of the World is one possibility. It's organized in the way you describe, it's about as comprehensive as a one-volume work could be.
Plenty of Christian apologists were convinced by Christianity. What do you think would cause a staunch atheist to convert?
>Why do we distinguish between apologetics and philosophy?
Often we don't, and oftentimes a philosopher is an apologist and vice versa.
> Why are so few philosophers theists?
This wasn't the case for most of human history, and I don't think it's fair to draw the conclusion out of the current state of secularization in academia.
>If you think you've got something good then by all means share it, but I don't expect to be surprised.
Have you read the following?
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis - Lewis was an atheist for most of his life, but later became the most well-known Christian apologist. You might also want to read his autobiography, Surprised by Joy.
The Reason for God by Tim Keller.
The Language of God by Francis Collins -
This one is more about how science and religion relate, and it's written by one of the leading scientists of the modern day.
Summa Theologica by Thomas Aquinas This is the original apologetic. If you're alright with some more-serious reading, this would be a great book to have read, both from an intellectual and historical perspective.
Descartes' Meditations While I'm not really convinced by his arguments, Descartes is known as the "Father of Modern Philosophy" for popularizing rationalism, or the use of reason/logic as the chief source or test of knowledge.
Pascal's Pensees
The Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant This is known as "one of the greatest works in the history of philosophy" Quite the opposite of Descartes, Kant actually argues against the notion that we can use reason alone to understand the universe.
Fear and Trembling by Soren Kierkegaard - This is definitely not apologetics. However, he was an incredibly Christian philosopher, and is known as the Father of Existentialism (interesting that the founder of existentialism was a devout Christian, though now it is often associated with atheists such as Sarte and Nietzsche).
Snapshots:
^(I am a bot.) ^([Info](/r/SnapshillBot) ^/ ^[Contact](/message/compose?to=\/r\/SnapshillBot))
Another amazing one is Barbara Tuchman's "The March of Folly."
It asks how can the "best and brightest" (my phrase) make highly flawed decisions at the top level.
Not just in Vietnam, but across history.
http://www.amazon.com/The-March-Folly-From-Vietnam/dp/0345308239
You should check out this book which specifically goes into not so much the Vietnam war, but the various reasons different administrations didn't end a war that from the very beginning was considered by the policy makers to be unwinnable.
https://www.amazon.com/March-Folly-Troy-Vietnam/dp/0345308239
Now, of course there are significant differences, but overall the same effect is in play: Ending a losing war require significant political will and right circumstances for superpowers. Something that I fear will never be the case in Afghanistan. We'll probably join the rest of superpowers in digging our own grave in this Graveyard of Empires.
It bankrupted the USSR, and it might bankrupt us in the end.
Not at all... I abhor the idea of the "conspiracy theory" because that phrase was seeded into the culture by the CIA as propaganda to ensure that anyone who deviates from the official narrative (even with evidence) is to be treated as crazy.
Here is an example. Everything that the bald guy says is true, yet he is treated as a "conspiracy theorist." This is an example of seeding the public consciousness with disinformation.
https://youtu.be/6IqrA4j7g54
&#x200B;
If you doubt that it is true, read Bill Clinton's mentor's work.
https://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Hope-History-World-Time/dp/094500110X
Or, more recently this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Uncle-Sam-Demise-America/dp/1640070974/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1549068305&sr=1-1&keywords=the+killing+of+uncle+sam+by+rodney+howard-browne
When the politicians of a country are the best that money can buy, outside influence will take that country down what ever path they want. Think of it like a horse race where one group owns all the horses. They are guaranteed a win every time. Which is why it matters not who you vote for. The agenda never changes no matter what party is in power.
If they want a repeat of Hitler's Nazi Germany while they destroy the country's currency they do it. If they want to spy on their own people, torture those that are a threat and obliterate a countries reputation and then jump ship like a parasite to another host country, they do that (bye bye US and the $, hello China).
The problem is most people watch and listen to the news that is sent their way. They don't know any better and don't educate themselves. Knowledge like this falls on deaf ears.
One day, mankind will wake up and see this. After a bit, the cycle repeats. Most however, just keep swimming, just keep swimming with the same mind-set and all the while wondering what happened to their once great nation. Carol Quigly wrote an insiders point of view on this in his book Tragedy and Hope.
http://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Hope-History-World-Time/dp/094500110X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1418570542&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=carol+quigley&amp;pebp=1418570545821
Educate and inform the whole mass of the people...
They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.
-- Thomas Jefferson
Yes. I read it on The Second World War by John Keegan.
I would get the awesome Andreas Nothinger timeline and the little book that comes with it. Now you know everything (sort of). You have a really amazing timeline of the past 3,000 years that can put it all in perspective as you read.
This is what did it for me! All of history (up to about 100 years ago) in one source.
http://www.amazon.com/Asimovs-Chronology-World-History-Modern/dp/0062700367
I found it in a library sale for 2$ a few years ago and bought it on a whim. I keep it in my kitchen and read it with my breakfast pretty much every day.
Use a good translation: http://www.amazon.com/Critique-Reason-Cambridge-Edition-Immanuel/dp/0521657296
Try out Allison (as well as Guyer's) commentaries.
Also check out a good Kantian dictionary: http://www.amazon.com/Kant-Dictionary-Blackwell-Philosopher-Dictionaries/dp/0631175350 (since much of his conceptual scheme consists of neologisms).
Lastly, you should check out Strawson's essay' The Bounds of Sense.' http://www.amazon.com/The-Bounds-Sense-Critique-Reason/dp/0415040302. It's sort of a modern 'take' on Kantian themes (not an exegesis of Kant, but a modernization of some of the arguments. It actually sheds some light on Kant's project).
And good luck, try not to be discouraged. I've had two graduate seminars on Kant and they've both been difficult. But, it's not just nonsense. There is some agreement about the structure (and importance) of many of the arguments in the critique and they're worth grappling with, even if you're dealing with reconstructions of the arguments from commentaries.
Thank you for your suggestions, I will give them a look. The Bat Ye'or book I was referring to seemed similar to the Robert Hoyland book in that they give non-Muslim accounts of the Islam. Have not read either book yet but I do like to read many sources.
It wouldn't be the first time a government that was convinced it was right marched its citizens into the fire.
If you want an account from a solid source read this:
http://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Hope-History-World-Time/dp/094500110X
It's a tough read for sure but here and there Quigley explains how this .01% influenced major world affairs. Also he denounced the idea of the illuminate having anything to do with the Rhodes group. That idea was born out of a book called "None Dare Call it a Conspiracy." This is on record and you can listen to an interview he gave on YouTube called "the professor who knew too much" where he says as much.
Yes there are very powerful rich men whom try and often succeed at influencing if not at times controlling government, public opinion, and international affairs.
Tragedy and Hope by Carroll Quigley. Synopsis/analysis by Jay Dyer of Jay's Analysis. Unfortunately only half of each of eight lectures available for free, but interesting all the same.
Amazon link to book purchase
PDF available on web
I think you make a good point. I think writers like Chris Hodapp and S. Brent Morris have really opened up to the public what Freemasonry is, through their books Freemasons for Dummies and the Complete Idiot's Guide to Freemasonry respectively.
There is a strong push to explain what Masonry is to the public but Freemasons find it difficult to explain our society. Freemasonry, as a topic, can be somewhat metaphysical. Even I find it hard to pin down what it is. I know I enjoy the meetings, I enjoy being a Freemason but at some abstract level, I can't be for sure why. So, for the most part, Freemasonry throws on autopilot and mentions the Shrine Hospitals, the scholarships we give to graduating seniors, our Masonic Homes, and other charities.
At the end of the day, most Freemasons I know feel that their membership is beneficial because of the focus on teaching, and learning, and being a better man through symbolism and mutual aid from your other brothers. Even this is not satisfactory as an answer to your question on openness but I think, by closing out the world without for just a couple hours and sitting in a room of men from different socioeconomic backgrounds, that have different political affiliations, and who define God in a different way, we find that our differences, although real, shouldn't keep us at a perpetual distance from others in our communities, especially when there are many things on which we can agree to work.
I hope that helps.
also see tragedy and hope
Written in 1975:
"Tragedy & Hope: A History of the World in Our Time by Carroll Quigley is the ultimate insider admission of a secret global elite that has impacted nearly every modern historical event. Learn how the Anglo-American banking elite were able to secretly establish and maintain their global power. This massive hardcover book of 1348 pages provides a detailed world history beginning with the industrial revolution and imperialism through two world wars, a global depression and the rise of communism."
archonemis: ^^original ^^reddit ^^link
Kaczynski made a lot of sense until he started talking about a violent uprising.
I would add to the list "Tragedy and Hope" by Carroll Quigley.
And anything / everything by Philip K. Dick.
asimov's chronology of the world: the history of the big bang to modern times?
i can't claim to have read it, but my friends who have say it's pretty good.
link
Looks like the good old fag is right again
Try this
Apologies--The first critique. The Critique of Pure Reason. This one, to be exact.
Antony Beevor's Stalingrad and The Fall of Berlin 1945 were superb narrative histories of World War Two in the East. On the American end, the first two volumes of Rick Atkinson's Liberation Trilogy - An Army at Dawn and The Day of Battle are great. I think somebody else mentioned The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman. Just the first paragraph of that book is worth the price of the paperback.
If you're not into the whole military thing, The Worst Hard Time by Tim Egan covers the dustbowl era in the southern plains. Reads like an epic novel.
All of these suggestions prioritize craft of writing over intellectual rigor. I studied history, so I have a keen appreciation for the value (and the limits) of academic history. These books are not that sort of history, though I don't think any of them get any facts egregiously wrong. It's just that they're remarkable for being well-written - which should appeal to a fiction enthusiast - not for being pathbreaking academic treatments of their subject matter.
Barbara Tuchman has a novella-length history of the British domestic political dynamics surrounding the American Revolution in her book The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam
Since you were so nice to ask.
I went off this book
But then I went to the source material (FAS) and 'only' found 64 instances.
So, yay?! You're not as bloodthirsty cunts as Gore Vidal claimed.
I have changed your status from "Belligerent dangerous cunts" to "Belligerent dangerous cunts"
This one is a classic in the community.
https://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Hope-History-World-Time/dp/094500110X
The people who fly them wont starve. Now you are just starting to sound like an idiot.
you should start with this: http://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Hope-History-World-Time/dp/094500110X
>The people who fly them wont starve. Now you are just starting to sound like an idiot.
Sure, they will. Most of us will, since we're turning all of our arable land into desert.
>you should start with this: http://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Hope-History-World-Time/dp/094500110X
Alright, Alex Jones.
Yes, I always thought Kaiser Wilhelm was primarily to blame because Austria would never have been able to start anything without his support. However, his mistakes started twenty years earlier when he dismissed Bismark and gave power to the militarists. Bismark predicted what would happen, including the fact that the the militarists would take control from the Kaiser. Guns of August is a great treatment of the events leading up to the war.
source https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/094500110X/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=094500110X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=humarefre-20&amp;linkId=VK7GP2KQIKF6OK6U
Bank of International Settlements
Their stated purpose is to “promote the cooperation of central banks and to provide additional facilities for international financial operations.”
and is owned by
Federal Reserve, Bank of England, Bank of Italy, Bank of Canada, Swiss National Bank, Nederlandsche Bank, Bundesbank and Bank of France.
BIS holds at least 10% of monetary reserves for at least 80 of the world’s central banks, the IMF and other multilateral institutions.
BIS serves as financial agent for international agreements, collects information on the global economy and serves as lender of last resort to prevent global financial collapse (GEE WHERE HAVE WE SEEN THIS DONE BEFORE??!!!)
BIS promotes an agenda of monopoly capitalist fascism. It gave a bridge loan to Hungary in the 1990’s to ensure privatization of that country’s economy, for example.
I'll let you gather more information from there if you are asking questions in good faith (as opposed to just being a troll). This is plenty of information to start you down the rabbit hole.
SS: A number of authors, both esteemed academics, like Professor Carrol Quigley, and cranks, have argued that the owners of the franchise are not some amorphous collection of businessmen acting independently at a particular point in time because of similar or naturally aligned economic interests. Rather, some of the esteemed and the less than esteemed, authors have argued that those businessmen actively collude and conspire in secret. They have done so through organizations such as the Milner Group, Rhodes Roundtable, the Council on Foreign Relations, Skull & Bones and other secret societies.
As Quigley and others have pointed out, the World War I era provided a springboard for the owners of the franchise. We would argue that the out-sized profits earned during the World War I era for a leap in control of important industries, politicians and underlying government bureaucracies, and the non-business/non-government institutions.
Was Woodrow Wilson a Victim of Kompromat?
"The Guns of August", probably the best book written on the weeks leading up to the start of the war and about the first month of the war
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/094500110X/ref=sr_1_1_twi_har_1_olp?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1458921464&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=tragedy+and+hope
There is no left/right. Ask Carroll Quigley, Bill Clinton's mentor. Start http://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Hope-History-World-Time/dp/094500110X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1377829915&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=Tragedy+and+Hope
Get This Book ASAP
Where did I say anything in my previous comments about support being official acts of government?
Many times they are, and have been, but there's more than one way to skin a cat.
Do yourself a favor. Step back from everything you think you know about recent world history and read this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Hope-History-World-Time/dp/094500110X/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
Again, I could give you a list of dozens of books, but you're not even going to read this one, so there's no point.
Instead of making meowing ducks Amazon should get on this bug and fix it. Reported it a year ago. Scroll to 'about author'