Napoleon - A Life (Andrew Roberts, 2014)

(810 pages)

Napoleon's story line is pretty familiar by now . . . pops up in so many books/contexts . . . but this author had access to more of his letters than previous biographers - 33,000 letters in total . . . so it seemed like a good idea to re-up.  And it was - this bio is readable, useful.

After reading all those letters - the author was generally sympathetic to Napoleon.

I have the impression that the "great man" [person] theory of history is pretty much out of fashion, and I'd think for good reason.  Still - if any one person can be said to have moved the needle - Napoleon is a pretty good candidate.  Amazing accomplishments across a broad range of topics at a very young age.  Everyone is reacting to him across all of Europe for many decades - politics, military, legal, arts.  (Interesting that Tolstoy was sufficiently moved by Napoleon to include as a central theme of this novel a refutation of "great man" theory.)

A few thoughts:

1.  Only in the chaos resulting from the Revolution could someone like this advance so rapidly.  (Not a criticism - he dealt with the circumstances as they existed.)

2.  In his youth - into adulthood - he read high quality books incessantly.  Viewed this as the best possible preparation.  Agreed!

3.  Of course ambitious - very much so - wanted to be remembered like Alexander or Caesar.

4.  Yet able to connect with common soldiers; really with pretty much anyone - including British jailers - generally a good listener, able to absorb competing viewpoints and modify his own.

5.  Author cites some major blind spots - economics (believed the Continental System would work); naval operations; putting his brothers in charge of key tasks; obsessed with Britain.

6.  Biggest blind spot in my view - perhaps willful - pursuing policies/campaigns that resulted in the deaths of so many soldiers.  And exhausted France.  There had to be a better way.  The "ambition" problem.

7.  Military genius - seems definitely yes - innovator; though he fared less well as opponents adopted his innovations.  Stories of the famous battles.  Perceptive, decisive, personally brave.

8.  Must have been an all-around genius - not just military.  Rapid-fire and on-target decision-making in an astonishing array of subjects.  Could handle both big picture and details - rare.  Prolific letter writer - how things got done.

9.  "Enlightenment on horseback" - gets back to Paris after initial wars, implements Code Napoleon - the truly lasting contribution; influence throughout Europe.

10.  Information on Elba and St. Helena largely new to me.

Napoleon impresses, mightily.

The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World Before the War, 1890-1914 (Barbara Tuchman, 1966)

(531 pages)

Unusual structure -Tuchman provides eight lengthy essays on various topics affecting England, France, Germany, Russia and the US in the two decades leading up to World War I.  The essays are related but not all that closely connected.  She writes really well.  I'd highly recommend.

Partly because - in addition to giving all kinds of perspective on that era - so much resonates with today.  Concerns about expanding the franchise - what would happen with additional voters, many less interested or informed than the limited group previously able to vote - will they vote themselves unaffordable benefits, fall for demagoguery, etc.?  Violence from the left, justified in various ways.

She doesn't believe - and shows - that the prewar "Le Belle Epoque" was nearly as great, or orderly, as nostalgia later recalled it.  So many making the exact error today when looking back at the 1950s.

The eight essays:

"The Patricians" - upper-crust England faces changes.

"The Idea and the Deed" - very good background on Anarchism - no interest in government; Proudhon, Bakunin; bomb-throwing (with consequences discussed at length in this book for the Balkans, also in this book for Russia; Joseph Conrad's excellent novel version here).  Gave me a little idea of where these folks fit in.

"End of a Dream" - the US builds up its navy, goes into Cuba and the Philippines - over the strong objection of those who felt this betrayed founding principles.  This is where Puerto Rico became ensnared.  Isolationism wasn't dead, but severely chipped away at - unfortunately.  I didn't know much about this story line.

"Give Me Combat" - France coping with the Dreyfus affair - added a lot of useful context to items recently read - more detail on the effect on French society.  Trump Derangement Syndrome resonates.  Multiple newspapers and viewpoints - unabashedly partisan - seems better than today's fake veneer of objectivity.

"The Steady Drummer" - discussion of Hague peace conferences.  Genuine fears emerging of mechanized warfare.  But the nations don't change course.

"Neroism is in the Air" - much discussion about German culture, primarily through Richard Strauss - also Nietzsche; a tale of rising militarism.  German intellectuals withdrawal tracing to 1848 failures and disappointments.

"Transfer of Power" - discussion of a topic I've wondered about - what process transitioned from aristocrats to more "modern" politics and parties?  Labour didn't exist as a party - Liberals prevail in 1906 with a few Labour seats; Liberal party on its way to oblivion.  More voters.  More literacy - more involvement - more perceived to be at stake - voters understanding that they can vote stuff for themselves.  Liberal disenchantment/disillusionment with Democracy, Enlightenment-style progress.  Rise of the mob.  Myth of rational voter.  The "transfer of power" in England, "not a mere political transfer from the in-party to the outs but one more profound, to a new class."

"The Death of Jaurès," - discussion of the birth of socialism - the splits among those expecting capitalism to fail (Marxian prediction) and those wanting to participate in the government and pursue changes via that route.

Everything Flows (Vasily Grossman; unfinished; last worked on in 1964)

(208 pp)

Book club selection (via PJ; session held 25 June, 2017).

Another book that held up really well on second reading; see discussion from first reading here.  Also a good book club selection, interesting conversation as these topics remain relevant.