Barbara W Tuchman is is an amazing historian, twice recipient of the Pulitzer Prize, she enriches history like a terrific storyteller .
In THE MARCH OF FOLLY : FROM TROY TO VIETNAM, she does precisely as the title states, proceeds to take the reader on a journey from 1194-1184 BC all the way.to 1973 AD. The uniting theme….
” Mankind, it seems, makes a poor performance of government than almost any other human activity. Why do holders of high office so often act contrary to the way reason points and enlightened self-interest suggests? Why do intelligent mental processes seem not to function?”
Though written in 1984, what could be more apropos thinking of our current political choices in 2025? In essence this is a case study of “misgovernment”. Think of government as a verb and not a noun, she states that misgovernment can be found in four kinds:
1) Tyranny or oppression
2) Excess ambition
3) Incompetence and decadence
4) Folly or perversity
This book is concerned with the last, that pursuit of policy contrary to the self-interest of the constituency of the state involved. I love the fact that she points out that it must be judged counter-productive in its own time, not merely by hindsight. This is crucial because all policy is determined by the mores of its age.
The term “wooden headedness” refers to the prototype of future folly, starting in the mists of Time, with the Trojan War. Tuchman looks into why exactly the Trojans took in the wooden horse. Then we transition to 1470 AD and peek into the Renaissance Popes particularly the stretch of 1470-1530 where the Catholic Church manages to destroy its own credibility and provoke the Protestant Secession.
Looking into a string of either corrupt or inept Popes and their reign, we are introduced to fascinating figures such as Sixtus IV( Francesco della Rovere); Innocent VIII( Giovanni Batista Cibo); and my personal favourite, Alexander VI( Rodrigo Borgia). Yes he fathered Lucretia & Cesare Borgia fame. Then we move on to Julius II ( Giuliano della Rovere), the warrior pope, famous for his association with Michelangelo. He also created the crisis with the Indulgences that were to provoke Martin Luther into his protest. Its reminiscent of the current US administration’s titular leader….
Tuchman leaps forward to 1945, looking at the policy that led America to enter Vietnam. Starting with the complexities of the French and their inability to get on with anyone not French, she looks at how the French in their desire to retain colonial influence, threatened not to cooperate with the US in Europe, unless the US provided support in Vietnam. Tuchman shows how America betrayed its principles in supporting a colonial policy that, in turn, gradually dragged in the US military eventuating in the US fighting against North Vietnam for seven years, just to leave so that Communists could commit democide on the South Vietnamese.
Democide is the murder of any person or people by their government, including genocide, politicide, and mass murder. After their victory the Communists decided to reduce the population of Saigon which had become swollen with an influx of people during the war resulting in overcrowding and high unemployment.
The grand utopian plan was “Re-education” for former soldiers in the ARVN. So in order to regain full standing in society they would need to move from the city and take up farming. This displaced 5 million people, resulting in 200,000-300,000 of them meeting a grisly end in the camps. Sadly this would have happened regardless of whatever Communist regime rules. Dissent is not a collective ideal, neither is freedom of speech, as belief and thoughts are an anathema to Communists and Nazis.
Thus we end a fascinating review of folly through the span of man. In this day and age we love to forget the past, assuming to have outgrown it. So “THIS” time, they( the leaders, the media, the pundits, etc) have it all right. This Time humanity will see an era of progress and love and humility….blah blah blah.
If you study enough history you’ll find a tale that is as detailed and implicit in our very DNA. While the overall arcs of history trends upwards, we must not forget that the timeline has its peaks and valleys. But no worries, ‘THIS’ time these guys will have it all figured out.
Subsequent history supports this book’s view regarding the folly of the Vietnam War and the US involvement is a painful reminder of the ominous parallels that followed events in Afghanistan. Barbara Tuchman is one of my favourite great writers of history having a way of viewing history as few can, without self-righteous sermons, just a commentary while telling a great story
