Not really - imperialism only really worked through bloodshed and putting the local āsavagesā in their place.
All jokes aside, it is a phenomenal book even just for the couple of chapters on Globalism, logistics in the second world war and how Herbert Hoover was able to bring about standards in the likes of screw threads and other common materials which have shaped the world today
The problem with a lot of historical analysis of this kind is there is a sort of default position that the oppressed or minority are the good guys. The outcomes of various conflicts would bring that into question, and suggest that human societies have a hard time with equal rights, regardless of who is in power. Very often the oppressed become the oppressors as soon as they gain power.
You can argue for the merits of the Russian revolution, but look at what transpired afterwards. Not just in Russia but in all of the USSR. Hardly a bastion of human rights.
The Taliban in Afghanistan? The assortment of dictators in Africa? Cuba? Itās a long list.
Even in Ireland, after Independence did we see the kind of pluralist society envisioned in the 1916 Proclamation? Nope, we got a Catholic country for a Catholic people, a constitution that enshrined the āspecial placeā of the Catholic church, and all the misery and abuse that came with that.
yeah that is a common theme as well. Imperialism is overthown and there is a very sudden change in power with the new state/government left with a country where infrastructure is in rack and ruin and there isnāt a pot to piss in. Leads to huge power vacuums to be exploited. Just as the catholic church did in this country, pretty much taking the social services off the state after independence and forcing its will on the country.
What book is this? Iāve scrolled up and canāt spot the title
Itās in the good books thread, will bump for you
Cheers, looks exactly the type of book Iām after at the moment
Iād argue that Dev exploited the Catholic church, who exploited the country by proxy. They were ill met.
I wonder how the country would have turned out had Dev been murdered and Collins held power.
Silly question but is this book written in a relatively accessible style? are there interesting stories weaved through the narrative, I like to listen to books when Iām running but if itās too weighty I tend to zone out and daydream, I quite enjoyed Sapiens recently but missed vast tracts Iād say.
Possibly worse many reckon . Who knows
It is as accessible history/geo politics book as I have read and I have read a good few.
It is a page turner and a very accessible read. Full of little nuggets, anicdotes and interesting facts (pretty much everything I have posted on the things I learned today thread in the past few months is from this book) and there is a good bit of humour in it. It also isnāt written from a particular perspective to paint the US in either a good or bad light, more so to capture their foreign policies of the day and how all of these various islands and countries they took control of were of benefit to the mainland
Dev should have been shot for treason for his āwade through rivers of Irish bloodā speeches in March - June of 1922. The only hope of avoiding civil war was if Dev accepted the outcome of the Dail treaty vote in January. Collins had some chance of getting the IRA on side, but no hope with Dev agitating for civil war. Collins was also working with IRA battalions in the north, but all that was scuttled with the outbreak of the Civil war.
Itās a much easier read than, say, Noam Chomsky. Still falls a bit short of Michael Parenti, in my opinion, but itās an excellent book nonetheless.
Doesnāt matter to me anymore, itās not on audible 
What about that Prisoners of Geography book that was so popular last year, anybody read or recommend that?
I enjoyed it. I listened to it on Audible and the narrator is a bit dry but it is interesting but found I often had to listen back to chapters as I switched off
Oh Jaysus
Careful what ye comment , it will be sent directly to TJ by our sid or apple
It was the whaaaa? when she spoke to him firstā:rofl:
. Tj looks like a man thatās losing patience with the lockdown