How Government in the Ancient World Tried to Deal with Modern Problems
What a fantastic way to learn ancient history: via the parallels with modern times.
H.J. Haskell was a journalist with a huge background in ancient history, and here he does what everyone has wanted done. He details the amazing catalog of government interventions in old Rome that eventually brought the empire down. He shows the spending, the inflating, the attempt to fix prices and raise wage, the infrastructure boondoggles, the gross displays of public entertainment, the welfare scams, and much more.
At every step he draws a parallel with modern times. Modern governments also destroy the money to fund the state, extend vast military empires that are unmanageable, try to control the market order, and attempt to rig political decision making in order to buy off the population.
The comparisons between then and now generate ominous lessons for our times.
This book was a smash hit when it first came out in 1939, and yet it went out of print, and hasn't been in print in half a century.
The writing is clear, the research impeccable, and it teaches modern and ancient history in one entertaining yet scholarly package.
What a triumph of research and writing this book is!
H. J. Haskell
Henry Joseph "Harry" Haskell (1874–1952) was the editor of the Kansas City Star from 1928 to 1952. He was a two-time Pulitzer Prizewinner (1934, 1944) for his editorials in that paper. Born in Ohio, Haskell grew up in Bulgaria, where his parents established one of the region's first Protestant evangelic missions. Haskell had planned to follow in his parents' and older siblings' missionary footsteps, but four years at Oberlin College convinced him his true calling was in writing. His son and his grandson, both named Harry, followed the same calling and wrote for the Kansas City Star as well.
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Category: History
Format: Book (Paperback) (384)
Publisher: Ludwig von Mises Institute
Date Published: Jan 01, 2009
Language: English
ISBN: 9781610161572
SKU: LT-500
Dimensions: 6.00 x 9.00 x 0.75 (in)
Weight: 15.70 oz