Paul Anthony Rahe
Auteur van The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta: The Persian Challenge
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Werken van Paul Anthony Rahe
Soft Despotism, Democracy's Drift: Montesquieu, Rousseau, Tocqueville, and the Modern Prospect (2009) 83 exemplaren
The Spartan Regime: Its Character, Origins, and Grand Strategy (Yale Library of Military History) (2016) 47 exemplaren
Republics Ancient and Modern: Classical Republicanism and the American Revolution (1992) 38 exemplaren
Republics Ancient and Modern, Volume II: New Modes and Orders in Early Modern Political Thought (1994) 35 exemplaren
The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta: Sparta's Second Attic War, 446-418 B.C. (2020) 35 exemplaren
Against Throne and Altar: Machiavelli and Political Theory Under the English Republic (2008) 23 exemplaren
Republics Ancient and Modern, Volume III: Inventions of Prudence: Constituting the American Regime (1994) 22 exemplaren
The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta: Sparta's Sicilian Proxy War, 418-413 B.C. (2023) 5 exemplaren
The Spartan Regime: Its Character, Origins and Grand Strategy (Yale Library of Military History) 4 exemplaren
Classical Sparta 1 exemplaar
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Tagged
Algemene kennis
- Gangbare naam
- Rahe, Paul Anthony
- Geboortedatum
- 1948-12-18
- Geslacht
- male
- Nationaliteit
- USA
- Woonplaatsen
- Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
- Opleiding
- Yale University (PhD|History| 1977)
Yale College (AB|History|1971) - Organisaties
- Hillsdale College
Hoover Institution
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- 531
- Populariteit
- #46,874
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- 4.2
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- 7
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- 44
That aside it is very informative and detailed book that gives us the picture of the Spartan society - their morals, way of life, education, virtues and political organization. For the outsiders Sparta was what North Korea (or any totalitarian/authoritarian society) is today - closed society, with very strict control of border and who may or may not enter or leave it, relatively small elite controlling vast area and enslaved population, every person raised to defend it and glorify his polis as a Heaven on Earth.
While I understand need for isolation from external influences for security reasons (Sparta was after all the only polis that could not be bribed by the outside forces) very idea of limiting ones movements and forcing the microcosm of the polis to become macrocosm of ones life is quite stifling. Also we have ominously sounding state control of the individual and breaking of the family, all in order to ensure state (polis) has primacy always and forever. What author does brilliantly is show how all these methods of oppression and control implode on personal level - while wealth was something that was looked down on in Sparta, Spartiates never allowed their family or house/clan in general to lose their wealth; while living in the communal/military spaces Spartiates still kept their families close and took care of them.
While their structure remained very rigid introduction of Ephors to control Kings and then Elders to control Ephors shows that Spartiates were very much aware of what happens when too much power is in hands of few, but they also knew that dilution of power can bring same level of risks and dangers. They tried (as rigid as they were) to modernize their political structures to ensure longevity of their polis.
We can see polis that tried to instill loyalty-to-the-death on its citizens, that tried to achieve the ideals of perfect citizen/commune and one that was more than aware that its survival solely depended on the readiness of its constituency to give their life for its survival (since they were literary surrounded by slaves and enemies that outnumbered them considerably). But for all means and purposes it was too specialized, too isolated society that could prevail when left to its own devices but the moment they started dominating the rest of Greece they were doomed to fail. I especially liked transformation from rather grim, militaristic society to anti-tyrannical force. I guess everyone needs a reason to live that will paint one in positive light.
Society needs to evolve and this was the main chink in Sparta's armor - they were stubborn to change and formed a very rigid social structure that just could not endure tests of time.
It remains as an eternal warning that ideals are something to strive for but living in ideal world as time goes by seems to be more of a hell than promised land because no-one's idea of the ideal world is the same and usually worst implementation comes to life (Michael Crichton's Sphere was an excellent book on the topic). It seems to me that Rome was a rare successful and workable amalgamation of the ancient Greece virtues and morals [reason why it survived so long] - just right measure of greed, imperialism, patriotism and loyalty to ones family and country.
Excellent book, lots of details from the contemporary Greek historians and writers. Highly recommended to all history and military buffs. First part might be little bit dry but then it becomes better with every new page. I am now looking for the other books by this author.
Highly recommended.… (meer)