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The forces of freedom are challenged everywhere by a newly energized spirit of tyranny, whether it is Jihadist terrorism, Putin's imperialism, or the ambitions of China's dictatorship, writes Waller R. Newell in this engaging exposé of a thousand dangers. We will see why tyranny is a permanent threat by following its strange career from Homeric Bronze Age warriors, through the empires of Alexander the Great and Rome, to the medieval struggle between the City of God and the City of Man, leading to the state-building despots of the Modern Age including the Tudors and 'enlightened despots' such as Peter the Great. The book explores the psychology of tyranny from Nero to Gaddafi, and how it changes with the Jacobin Terror into millenarian revolution. Stimulating and enlightening, Tyrants: Power, Injustice, and Terror will appeal to anyone interested in the danger posed by tyranny and terror in today's world.
List of contents
Introduction: the strange career of tyranny; Part I. The Rage of Achilles: From Homeric Heroes to Lord and God of the World; Part II. City of God or City of Man? The Tyrant as Modern State-Builder; Part III. The Eagles Will Drop Dead from the Skies: Millenarian Tyranny from Robespierre to Al Qaeda; Conclusion: how democracy can win.
About the author
Waller R. Newell is Professor of Political Science and Philosophy at Carleton University, Ottawa, where he helped found and also teaches in the College of the Humanities, Canada's only four-year baccalaureate in the Great Books. He has held a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship for University Teachers and a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Postdoctoral Fellowship. His books include Tyranny: A New Interpretation (Cambridge, 2013); The Soul of a Leader: Character, Conviction and Ten Lessons in Political Greatness (2010); and The Code of Man: Love, Courage, Pride, Family, Country (2003). He served on the first Reagan Administration transition team in the areas of humanitarian affairs and human rights. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from Yale University, Connecticut.
Summary
This book will appeal to anyone interested in the danger posed by tyranny and terror in today's world, the psychology of tyranny, and how it is shaped by the history of fiction, art, and architecture. Written in a clear, colorful style, the book is suitable for readers of all levels.
