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Hubris: The Tragedy of War in the Twentieth Century Hardcover – 3 Sept. 2015

by Sir Alistair Horne CBE (Author)

370

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Alistair Horne has been a close observer of war and history for more than fifty years. In this wise and masterly work, he revisits six battles that changed the course of the twentieth century and reveals the one trait that links them all: hubris. In Greek tragedy, hubris is excessive human pride that challenges the gods and ultimately leads to total destruction of the offender. From the Battle of Tsushima in the Russo-Japanese War of 1905 to Hitler's 1941 bid to capture Moscow, and from the disastrous American advance in Korea to the French surrender at Dien Bien Phu, Horne shows how each of these battles was won or lost due to excessive hubris on one side or the other. In a sweeping narrative written with his trademark erudition and wit, Horne provides a meticulously detailed analysis of the ground manoeuvres employed by the opposing armies in each battle. He also examines the strategies, leadership, preparation and geopolitical goals of aggressors and defenders, to show how devastating combinations of human ambition and arrogance led to overreach. Making clear the danger of hubris in warfare, his insights hold resonant lessons for civilian and military leaders navigating today's complex global landscape. A dramatic, colourful and stylishly written history, HUBRIS is an essential reflection on war from a master of his field.

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Print length

336 pages
Language

English
Publisher

W&N
Publication date

3 Sept. 2015
Dimensions

15.9 x 3.1 x 24.2 cm
ISBN-10

0297867628
ISBN-13

978-0297867623
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Product description

Review

The ancient Greeks used the word 'hubris' to describe.. the arrogant belief that man could challenge the gods and survive... Horne uses this sobering reflection to illuminate the history of war in the first half of the 20th century, which he does with the elegant readability and sharp insight familiar from his long career. (Richard Overy SUNDAY TELEGRAPH)

The case against the awful consequences of military hubris is not hard to make. But Sir Alistair makes it with erudition and eloquence....his narrative is never dull; his judgements are informed by a weary understanding of human folly. This is a book that any political leader contemplating military action should read. (THE ECONOMIST)

Alistair Horne's Hubris (Weidenfeld, £25) provides a penetrating study of six critically important battles of the second world war, each one illustrating how the sin of pride brings disaster on those who indulge in it. It is difficult to know whether to admire more the author's mastery of his subject or his literary skills. (Philip Ziegler THE SPECTATOR, Books of the Year 2015)

Horne is always readable and he has a keen eye for sometimes overlooked connections. One need not agree with Alistair Horne's choice of his analysis to welcome a thought-provoking contribution to an old historical theme. (Ian F. W. Beckett TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT)

I can think of no one better to tackle the daunting subject of hubris and the punishments that so often follow than Alistair Horne. He brings the necessary wisdom, vast knowledge of the past and understanding of human nature to show the effects of hubris in modern warfare. In his masterly and confident hands, we are shown how victory whether that of the Japanese navy at Tsushima in 1905 or General MacArthur's in the first stages of the Korean War leads all too commonly to complacency and then disaster. A wonderful read. (Margaret MacMillan)

This is Alistair Horne's 25th book and it is filled with the insights that can come only from a lifetime of studying war. Hubris is his title and his leitmotif - more precisely, the over-confidence that so often leads to military disaster. But there is no hubris in the author himself, who approaches the challenges of writing about Oriental conflicts with a due humility, as well as his customary literary skill (Niall Ferguson)

In this well written, deeply researched, and persuasively argued book, Horne, the venerable British military historian, looks at six critical battles of the 20th century, focusing on what he argues is a constant that links all of them: the hubristic arrogance exhibited by those on the losing end. In military history, the word hubris is most often used to explain one of the primary flaws of American Vietnam War policymakers, but Horne looks across the 50 years that preceded that engagement ... Horne convincingly argues that "infection by hubris" is alive and well today, and he rounds out the work by discussing ways that 21st-century leaders can work to avoid it (PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (USA))

the book is a dramatic, colourful and stylishly written history. A very enjoyable and enjoyable volume. (WARSHIP WORLD)

Book Description

Six battles that changed the course of the twentieth century, and the one trait that links them all: hubris.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ W&N (3 Sept. 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0297867628
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0297867623
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.9 x 3.1 x 24.2 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 1,234,513 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 34,056 in World History (Books)
- 342,827 in Society, Politics & Philosophy

Customer reviews:
370

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4.3 out of 5

370 global ratings

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Superb study of military adventurism.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 April 2017

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Always a great read.Strongly recommend as a study of human folly
Alistair Horne writes so effectively and this subject like that other must read classic about the horror of Verdun - The Price of Glory ,have just got to be read.
Marvellous stuff...

2 people found this helpful

...or just human nature?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 October 2015

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This is an interesting concept of a book, as Sir Alistair looks at how battles are decided by hubris due to the actions of a variety of different leaders. The large scope of the book is impressive, as it covers the length of the 20th century. Personally I found the first one hundred pages to be a little lacking in interest, as they dealt mainly with the little known Japan-Russian war of 1904/05 - a period in history, although much neglected, that fails to grab my attention. However, the book soon picks up pace after this and I especially enjoyed the chapters on Dien Bien Phu and Moscow 1941 - the true turning point of WW2. Lastly, I really enjoyed the friendly 'tone' of voice that Sir Alistair writes with, and one can almost imagine him at your side, sipping from a cup of tea, as you read through the deaths and disasters that befell the human race in the last century.

21 people found this helpful

Horne on Hubris

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 December 2015

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Outstanding historical look at some tense battles of the 20th century where the result was almost pre-ordained by the hubris of the losers. beatifully written and the story flows easily along.

3 people found this helpful

good to buy second hand at cheaper price

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 February 2017

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Acceptable book I was expecting much more with greater insights

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 December 2015

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Excellent on the Russo-Japanese conflicts; less good otherwise.

5 people found this helpful

Very interesting

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 August 2020

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Excellent product highly recommend

Amazon Customer

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 January 2017

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Alistair Horne at his best.... And he IS the best war historian.

One person found this helpful

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 February 2016

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So very concise and thoughtful.

2 people found this helpful

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Frank Meister

Excellent read

Reviewed in the United States on 2 February 2024

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Fascinating review of several examples of human overreach in recent history; Alistair Horne is a master story teller. I couldn't put the book down.

Cyrill Sekerka-Bajbus

Victory makes Leaders blind

Reviewed in Canada on 11 March 2016

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An inspiring book for anybody interested why there is no solututio to current problems in the Near Eastern area, where leaders fail to see the interdependence between defeat and revege

putchees

英国人から見た近代日本の成功と失敗。

Reviewed in Japan on 23 February 2016

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キッシンジャーに厚く信頼される英国の歴史家による「20世紀前半6つの軍事的冒険の、驕りによる失敗」。
トピックは6つで、日本海海戦、ノモンハン、モスクワ攻防戦、ミッドウェイ、朝鮮戦争、そしてディエンビエンフーです。6つのうち3つが日本に関わるものですが、全体の3分の1が日本海海戦に割かれており、最後の2章はエピローグ的な扱いなので、実質上、近代日本の軍事的冒険について書かれた本と言えるでしょう。
著者のメッセージは明快で、「敵を見下すと痛い目に遭う」。当たり前ですが、いかに将軍や政治家、一般兵士までが「過去の成功による驕り」にとらわれるかを描いています。
文体は魅力的で、ついつい読みふけってしまいます。とくに日本海海戦、ミッドウェイ海戦については、戦闘開始のあたりでは（結果を知っていても）手に汗を握ります。
ただ、著者は（当たり前ですが）英語の文献に頼って書いており（しかもかなり古い物も含まれるようで）、近代日本史に関心のある人にはあまりエキサイティングではないかもしれません。やや古くさい見解や、疑問符の湧く箇所がいくつもありました（南京事件についても、死者30万人という数字をなんの留保もなく記しています）。ですので「研究にもとづく最新の知見」みたいなものを期待するとがっかりします。
ただ、英語圏の読者に日露戦争の歴史的意義や、ノモンハン事件、そして辻政信の存在を知らしめるという点では面白い本だろうと思いました。
全体に、「英国人の（偏った）視点から見た日本」という印象です（けっきょく、皆いくらか偏っているわけなので）。

・日本海海戦では秋山真之の名前は出てこなくて、手柄はただ東郷元帥のものということになっています。
・バルチック艦隊が日本に来るまでの苦難の道のりが丁寧に書かれていて、読んでいてかわいそうになってきます。
・ノモンハン事件について、1939年の夏という決定的な時期に、日本にシベリア攻略を諦めさせることがいかに重要だったかを描いています。このへんも英語圏の読者には驚きかもしれません。ちなみに逮捕されたリヒャルト・ゾルゲが、拷問を受けなかったことを「日本人のほかの場所での残虐性を考えると信じられないことだ」と書いています。
・著者は山本五十六のことを「日本では尊敬されているけど、ちっとも偉大ではない」と冷淡です。

わたしはむしろモスクワ攻防戦やディエンビエンフーのくだりを面白く読みました。
ともあれ、歴史読み物としてはなかなかと思います。

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Amazon Customer

Very good, structured

Reviewed in the United States on 6 November 2016

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Very good, structured, varied and eminently readable. The pages flow by and leaves a solid impression if the decisions made and how the led to the disasters that followed.
Minor subtraction for errors in details which I spotted. Like American tanks being called Ronsons.

One person found this helpful

Ken Stewart

A valuable outline of what always seems to happen ~ ...

Reviewed in Canada on 16 January 2016

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A valuable outline of what always seems to happen ~ regardless of era or age. Wait for it to happen, again, as history continues to repeat itself.

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