The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers (Magill Book Reviews)
At a glance:
- Author: Paul Kennedy
- First Published: 1987
- Type of Work: History
- Genres: Nonfiction, History
- Subjects: History, Politics, Twentieth century, Nineteenth century, Twenty-first century, Eighteenth century, Seventeenth century, Economics, Fifteenth century, Sixteenth century, Economic conditions, Sixth century, Thirteenth century, International relations, Fourteenth century, Geopolitics, Second century, Tenth century, Twelfth century, Fifth century, Eleventh century, Eighth century, Third century, Fourth century, Ninth century, Seventh century
Spain does not count as a major actor in today’s struggle for world power, but four hundred years ago, Spain was the strongest country in the world. It had the best army in Europe and controlled much of the world’s gold supply. What happened? How did a world empire become a minor country?
To Paul Kennedy, an English diplomatic historian now teaching at Yale University, the answer lies in a fundamental pattern of history. Empires cost money, and even the richest countries cannot support world power forever. Money is not all that is at stake--human lives have to be thrown away...
[The entire page is 534 words long]
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