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Loading... Castles, battles, & bombs : how economics explains military history (2008)by Jurgen Brauer, Hubert P. Van Tuyll
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Like other reviewers who were disappointed in this book, I expected much more than I got -- and have gotten so little that I do not expect to finish the book. In the first place, Mr. Brauer's examination of certain key situations or events in military history was not, for me at least, nearly as interesting as it should have been. I am an economist by training, but have read a fair amount of military history, and found some of it enthralling. This is not. Second, it seems to me that Mr. Brauer attempts to force history into something that matches his theories. He focusses on instances that prove his points, and ignores those that do not. Indeed, one of his aims is to infuse non-theoretical bias of current historical studies with a good dose of theory -- economic theory. As someone who feels that much of the theoretical work in economics over the last thirty years has moved us away from the real world of political economy into a self regarding sphere of mathematical pseudo-science, I cannot believe that applying the same approach to history will be highly productive. ( ) no reviews | add a review
Castles, Battles, and Bombs reconsiders key episodes of military history from the point of view of economics-with dramatically insightful results. For example, when looked at as a question of sheer cost, the building of castles in the High Middle Ages seems almost inevitable: though stunningly expensive, a strong castle was far cheaper to maintain than a standing army. The authors also reexamine the strategic bombing of Germany in World War II and provide new insights into France's decision to develop nuclear weapons. Drawing on these examples and more, No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)355.02Social sciences Public Administration, Military Science Military Science WarLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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