Summary of Alistair Horne's Hubris

By IRB Media

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

#1 The opening years of the twentieth century seemed to promise continued Victorian peace, prosperity, and progress. But the century would soon be torn asunder by the Franco-Prussian War, the end of a century of Pax Britannica, and all its optimistic assumptions.

#2 The Boxer Rebellion, which took place in China in 1900, was a demonstration of the strength of the Chinese proletariat, who were outraged by the unequal treaties that the foreign devils had imposed on them. The European powers, who were responsible for these treaties, were rocked by the outbreak of the Boxer Rebellion.

#3 The first arms race was between the navies of the world’s major powers, who were quickly replacing their wooden-hulled ships with ironclads. The race also offered newcomers an entrée into the world of naval warfare.

#4 The Japanese were known in the West for their skill in the decorative arts, and Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado, a farce on contemporary England, was extremely offensive to Japanese critics.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822515406

IRB Media

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Insights on Alistair Horne's Hubris

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 opening years of the twentieth century seemed to promise continued Victorian peace, prosperity, and progress. But the century would soon be torn asunder by the Franco-Prussian War, the end of a century of Pax Britannica, and all its optimistic assumptions.

#2

The Boxer Rebellion, which took place in China in 1900, was a demonstration of the strength of the Chinese proletariat, who were outraged by the unequal treaties that the foreign devils had imposed on them. The European powers, who were responsible for these treaties, were rocked by the outbreak of the Boxer Rebellion.

#3

The first arms race was between the navies of the world’s major powers, who were quickly replacing their wooden-hulled ships with ironclads. The race also offered newcomers an entrée into the world of naval warfare.

#4

The Japanese were known in the West for their skill in the decorative arts, and Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado, a farce on contemporary England, was extremely offensive to Japanese critics.

#5

The Japanese were descended from the brother of the Sun Goddess, a contentious and violent figure called Susanoo-no-Mikoto. In a direct line from him came the first emperor, Jimmu Tenno, who, after a great deal of combat and bloodshed, set up court in the central province of Yamato.

#6

The Japanese were able to maintain their self-isolation for nearly two centuries, until the mid-twentieth century, when they were forced to open up their country to the outside world.

#7

The Japanese were eager to join the modern world, and they began by copying and improving on the West’s models. They soon developed an intense desire to expand their empire.

#8

In 1894, Japan went to war with China. The war was largely about colonial acquisition, and it gave Japan a chance to demonstrate its newly acquired military hardware. The European powers were shocked by the harsh terms imposed by Japan.

#9

The Japanese were forced to give up Port Arthur, a strategic location that gave them control over Korea, in exchange for a thirty million tael bribe. The Russians then wanted to take over the port.

#10

In the late 1800s, Russia began building a spur line that connected Port Arthur to Vladivostok, via Harbin. This was the Chinese Eastern Railway, and it shortened the route by about four hundred miles. Japan seethed with rage over the Russians’ rail enterprises.

#11

On February 6, 1904, Vice Admiral Heihachiro Togo, commander in chief of Japan’s Combined Fleet, summoned his commanders and informed them that