Summary of Barbara W. Tuchman's The March of Folly

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

Book Preview: #1 The pursuit by governments of policies that are contrary to their own interests is a phenomenon that has occurred throughout history. Man makes a poorer performance of government than any other human activity.

#2 Government can be conducted for four types of reasons: tyranny, excessive ambition, incompetence, and perversity. Perversity is when a policy is pursued that is contrary to the self-interest of the state.

#3 The French Revolution, great example of populist government, reverted quickly to autocracy once it acquired an able administrator. The revolutionary regimes of Jacobins and Directorate could manage their own followers enough to keep order, but they could not collect taxes or install a competent administration.

#4 The classic case of wooden-headedness was Plan 17, the French war plan of 1914, which concentrated on a French advance to the Rhine. The assumption was that the Germans could not deploy enough manpower to extend their invasion around through western Belgium and the French coastal provinces.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Mar 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669363637

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Insights on Barbara W. Tuchman's The March of Folly

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The pursuit by governments of policies that are contrary to their own interests is a phenomenon that has occurred throughout history. Man makes a poorer performance of government than any other human activity.

#2

Government can be conducted for four types of reasons: tyranny, excessive ambition, incompetence, and perversity. Perversity is when a policy is pursued that is contrary to the self-interest of the state.

#3

The French Revolution, great example of populist government, reverted quickly to autocracy once it acquired an able administrator. The revolutionary regimes of Jacobins and Directorate could manage their own followers enough to keep order, but they could not collect taxes or install a competent administration.

#4

The classic case of wooden-headedness was Plan 17, the French war plan of 1914, which concentrated on a French advance to the Rhine. The assumption was that the Germans could not deploy enough manpower to extend their invasion around through western Belgium and the French coastal provinces.

#5

Individual sovereignty was government’s normal form for so long, it exhibits the human characteristics that have caused folly in government since the beginning. Rehoboam, King of Israel, son of King Solomon, succeeded his father at the age of 41 in approximately 930 B. C. , about a century before Homer composed the national epic of his people.

#6

The kingdom of Judah, which contained Jerusalem, was never reunited with the kingdom of Israel. The twelve tribes were split by their conflict, and they could not maintain the empire that David and Solomon had established. They were reduced and divided, and they were less able to withstand aggression by their neighbors.

#7

The Aztec state of Mexico was rich, sophisticated, and predatory. It was surrounded by mountains on a plateau in the interior. The Aztec rulers were advanced in the arts and sciences, and they conducted annual campaigns to capture slave labor and victims for sacrifice from neighboring tribes.

#8

When the Spanish arrived in Mexico, they were greeted with ceremony and brought to the palace. Montezuma, the emperor, did not try to stop them or bar their way. He sent magnificent gifts that displayed his wealth, and letters urging the visitors to turn back that indicated his weakness.

#9

The category of wooden-headedness is when a person’s beliefs become a delusion that is maintained against natural evidence, and this can lead to negative consequences for all parties involved.

#10

The Visigoths, a group of Gothic tribes that had invaded the Roman empire in the 4th century, had established themselves in control of most of Iberia by the end of the 5th century. They were the first to recognize that for a ruler opposed by two inimical groups, it is folly to continue antagonizing both at once.

#11

The Spanish monarchy, having failed to develop a workable government, was overthrown by the Moors in 711. The country was in disarray, and government began to develop as a recognized function with recognized principles, methods, and agencies.

#12

Solon was the sixth archon, or chief magistrate, in the 6th century B. C. He was chosen to save the state from economic distress and social unrest. He abolished slave labor, extended suffrage to the plebeians, and reformed the currency to encourage trade.

#13

The product of a new nation, George Washington was a leader who shines among the best. Around him in extraordinary fertility, political talent bloomed. The Founding Fathers were fearless, high-principled, and deeply versed in ancient and modern political thought.

#14

The French, Russian, and Chinese revolutions were all caused by the need for change, and the American system was created because of it. However, between flashes of good government, folly has its day.

#15

The Huguenots were a Protestant sect that were being persecuted by the Catholics. The King decided to banish them, and the persecution began in 1681.

#16

The Edict of Nantes, which allowed the Huguenots to practice their religion