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The cover of Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise of Western Power

Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise of Western Power

Victor Davis Hanson

Did Western military power grow from Western culture, politics, economics and citizens' rights rather than from better weapons alone, as the author argues?

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13 parts, about 29 minutes to read.

At a glance

Author
Victor Davis Hanson
Parts
13 parts
Reading time
about 29 minutes

Why read it

  • You will learn to ask what in a society's habits, not only its weapons, explains how it fights
  • You will see the argument that citizens' rights and duties can add up to strength in war
  • You will practise separating a question of power from a question of morality

Who it is for

  • History readers who like battles explained by ideas
  • Anyone arguing about the West's place in the world
  • Strategists asking why cultures fight differently

What the summary covers

  1. Preface: What I Mean by Western1 min
  2. 1. Why the West Has Won2 min
  3. 2. Freedom at Salamis3 min
  4. 3. Decisive Battle at Gaugamela2 min
  5. 4. Citizen Soldiers at Cannae2 min
  6. 5. Landed Infantry at Poitiers2 min
  7. 6. Technology and the Wages of Reason3 min
  8. 7. The Market3 min
  9. 8. Discipline3 min
  10. 9. Individualism at Midway3 min
  11. 10. Dissent and Self Critique at Tet3 min
  12. Epilogue: The Power and Its Risks1 min
  13. Afterword: A Later Test after September 111 min

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