Rise and Fall of the Great Power - Hardcover

Kennedy, Paul

4.13

5,783 ratings by Goodreads

9780517051009: Rise and Fall of the Great Power

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0517051001 ISBN 13: 9780517051009

Publisher: Random House Value Publishing, 1990

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WINNER OF THE WOLFSON HISTORY PRIZE

Paul Kennedy’s international bestseller is a sweeping account of five hundred years of fluctuating economic muscle and military might.

Kennedy’s masterwork begins in the year 1500, at a time of various great centres of power including Minh China, the Ottomans, the rising Mughal state, the nations of Europe. But it was the latter which, through competition, economic growth and better military organisation, came to dominate the globe – until challenged later by Japan, the Soviet Union, and the United States. Now China, boosted by its own economic prowess, rises to the fore. Throughout this brilliant work, Kennedy persuasively demonstrates the interdependence of economic and military power, showing how an imbalance between the two has historically led to spectacular political disaster.

Erudite and brilliantly original, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the politics of power.

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Review:

‘A brilliantly original book...It is intended for the intelligent layman as well as the academic historian, combining in Toynbee-esque manner the sweeping conception with careful attention to historical detail’ Financial Times

‘This book is falling out of briefcases all over Washington DC, both because it looks and sounds erudite and because it purports to answer an increasingly common question: Has the United States already embarked on its journey into the sunset of empire? It is administering a lot of frissons to trend-watchers’ Christopher Hitchens

‘Outstanding...He ranges across five centuries and around the whole world. He seems to have read every relevant book in every possible language. And he has produced a general argument so deceptively simple that no politician, however busy, should ignore or misunderstand it’ Observer

‘One of the masterpieces of modern historical writing’ Daily Telegraph

‘A masterpiece of exposition. It is erudite and elegantly written’ New Society

‘A remarkable book...long, clever, often funny, and crammed with remarkable insights; it is tinged with the genius that unravels complexity’ Evening Standard

‘Shows a master historian’s ability to use evidence like a boxing champion’s uppercut’ TES

‘One of those rare (and irresistible) books which successfully combine the scope and sweep of ‘popular’ history with the discriminating rigour of professional historiography, making it both a bloody good read and a thought-provoking one’ Listener

From the Back Cover:

"Paul Kennedy has written a brilliantly original book which has become a best-seller in the US and made its author a pundit to be seen and heard.
It is intended for the intelligent layman as well as the academic historian, combining in Toynbee-esque manner the sweeping conception with careful attention to historical detail".
ZARA STEINER, 'Financial Times'

"One of those rare (and irresistible) books which successfully combines the scope and sweep of 'popular' history with the discriminating rigour of professional historiography, making it both a bloody good read and a thought-provoking one".
JOHN NAUGHTON, 'Listener'

"Despite the irresistible fascination of the subject, Paul Kennedy's outstanding new book is the first to tackle it with any real historical rigour.
He ranges across five centuries and around the whole world.
He seems to have read every relevant book in every possible language. And he has produced a general argument so deceptively simple that no politician, however busy, should ignore or misunderstand it. For Kennedy, the rise and fail of great military powers is ultimately determined by the material resources at their disposal."
DAVID CANNADINE, 'Observer'

"One of the masterpieces of modern historical writing".
CHRISTOPHER ANDREW, 'Daily Telegraph'

"A masterpiece of exposition. It is erudite and elegantly written".
LAWRENCE FREEDMAN, 'New Society'

"Shows a master historian's ability to use evidence like a boxing champion's uppercut".
CONRAD RUSSELL, 'TES'

"He has written a remarkable book, reported to be compulsory reading in exalted circles of Washington and Moscow. It is long, clever, often funny, and crammed with remarkable insights; it is tinged with the genius that unravels complexity".
ANDREW WHEATCROFT, 'Evening Standard'

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