Review: The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers
Editorial Review - Kirkus ReviewsHe fry historical analysis investigating the' extent to which economic health affected the rise and fall of military powers in the last half-millenium; by the author of The Rise and Fall of British Naval Mastery (1976). Kennedy's (History/Yale) major concern is with the interaction between economics and strategy. Basically, he argues that ""the relative strengths of the leading nations in world affairs never remain constant, principally because of the uneven rate of growth among different societies and of the technological and organizational breakthroughs which bring a greater advantage to one society than to another."" As a result, the rise and fall of great powers show a distinct correlation in the long term between productive and revenue-raising capacities on the one hand and military strength on the other. Thus, the mastery of the Hapsburgs for a century and a half was undermined by their long-term overextension, leading to the emergence of a multi-polar world (France, Britain, Russia, Austria, and Prussia), the leaders of which, in turn, were not able to turn industrialism to their benefit, as were Russia and the US with their great resources advantage. This new bi-polarist world, though, is now under attack by the economic revitalization of Japan, the EEC, and parts of the Third World. Ultimately, then, Kennedy sees acausal link between great powers' economic rise and fall and their growth and decline as military powers, although not an absolutely determining link; he acknowledges geography, military organization, and political alliance as other important causal factors. Backed with a dozen maps and four-dozen tables, the history here is solid; but Kennedy's thesis, in the end, is more commonsensical than original, and might have been argued in substantially fewer than this rome's nearly 500 pages.
Review: The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict From 1500 to 2000
User Review - Alex - GoodreadsI made the mistake of reading this book shortly after Kissinger's Diplomacy. Kennedy's writing style, by comparison, is so dense that I had trouble staying awake while reading it. Read full review
Review: The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict From 1500 to 2000
User Review - Michael Trup - GoodreadsExcellent book with some great historical insights, Read full review
Review: The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict From 1500 to 2000
User Review - Greg - GoodreadsThis is a really important book to read for students of diplomacy, military history, and grand strategy. It covers the economic and military reasons for the rise and fall of great powers. It is ... Read full review
Review: The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict From 1500 to 2000
User Review - Conrad - GoodreadsA masterpiece.... nothing else to be said. If you are a fan of economic and military influence on politics this is a MUST READ. Read full review
Review: The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict From 1500 to 2000
User Review - Alanna - GoodreadsEveryone can recall the book that first ignited their passion for history and this is mine. The Rise and Fall of Great Powers is a masterpiece, artfully chronicling the shifts in, and nuances of, nation-state power dynamics in the twentieth century. Read full review
Review: The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict From 1500 to 2000
User Review - Bryan Sadowski - GoodreadsGreat history of the world in one volume. Read full review
Review: The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict From 1500 to 2000
User Review - Xthun - GoodreadsFascinating, esp. if seen in the light of Mancur Olsons "logic of collective action" Read full review
Review: The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict From 1500 to 2000
User Review - Qaiser Siddiqui - GoodreadsThis is an excellent book for anyone interested in world history. Takes a great snapshot from 13th Century up to contemporary world. Since the focus of the book is on the rise and fall of great powers ... Read full review
Review: The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict From 1500 to 2000
User Review - Eoghan Fallon - GoodreadsGreat fun if you're into this sort of stuff but based on the conclusion alone a new edition would be fantastic. Read full review
