This professor delves into the study of ancient Greece, focusing on its political thought and military conflicts. His work explores profound questions of war, peace, and the evolution of political systems, with a particular emphasis on the classical period. Through meticulous analysis of historical sources, he uncovers the complexities of human relationships and the shaping of civilizations, offering valuable lessons for the present day. His deep engagement with classical authors and their writings reveals the enduring legacy of Greek intellectual tradition.
In the third volume of his four-volume history of the Peloponnesian War, Donald Kagan examines the years between the signing of the peace treaty and the destruction of the Athenian expedition to Sicily in 413 B.C.
Since 1300
"Volume I: to 1740" A core text for introductory-level survey courses in Western Civilization and European History and Civilization. Written by leading scholars in the field, this authoritative text presents an engaging and balanced narrative of the central developments in Western history. Seamlessly integrating coverage of social, cultural and political history, this text is presented in a flexible chronological organization. The new Ninth Edition provides updated scholarship, expanded coverage of cultural history, the ancient Near East, late antiquity, imperialism, and the Holocaust.
For three decades in the fifth century B.C. the ancient world was torn apart by a conflict that was as dramatic, divisive, and destructive as the world wars of the twentieth century: the Peloponnesian War. Donald Kagan, one of the world’s most respected classical, political, and military historians, here presents a new account of this vicious war of Greek against Greek, Athenian against Spartan. The Peloponnesian War is a magisterial work of history written for general readers, offering a fresh examination of a pivotal moment in Western civilization. With a lively, readable narrative that conveys a richlydetailed portrait of a vanished world while honoring its timeless relevance, The Peloponnesian War is a chronicle of the rise and fall of a great empire and of a dark time whose lessons still resonate today.
In the fourth and final volume of his magisterial history of the Peloponnesian War, Donald Kagan examines the period from the destruction of Athens' Sicilian expedition in September of 413 B.C. to the Athenian surrender to Sparta in the spring of 404...
By lucidly revealing the common threads that connect the ancient confrontations between Athens & Sparta & between Rome & Carthage with the two calamitous world wars of the 20th century & the Cuban Missile Crisis, Kagan reveals new insights into the nature of war & peace that are vitally important & often surprising.
A new evaluation of the origins and causes of the Peloponnesian War, based on evidence produced by modern scholarship and on a careful reconsideration of the ancient texts.
The grandeur and power of Thucydides' The Peloponnesian War have enthralled readers, historians, and statesmen alike for two and a half millennia, and the work and its author have had an enduring influence on those who think about international relations and war, especially in our own time. In Thucydides, Donald Kagan, one of our foremost classics scholars, illuminates the great historian and his work both by examining him in the context of his time and by considering him as a revisionist historian.Thucydides took a spectacular leap into modernity by refusing to seek explanations for human behavior in the will of the gods, or even in the will of individuals, looking instead at the behavior of men in society. In this context, Kagan explains how The Peloponnesian War differs significantly from other accounts offered by Thucydides' contemporaries and stands as the first modern work of political history, dramatically influencing the manner in which history has been conceptualized ever since.
Exploring the evolution of historical writing in Greece, this work examines influential authors and historians from the fifth century BC onward. It delves into their contributions and perspectives, highlighting how they shaped the understanding of history and the Greek tradition. The analysis offers insights into the methodologies and narratives employed by these figures, providing a comprehensive overview of the development of historical thought in ancient Greece.
This book, the second volume in Donald Kagan's tetralogy about the Peloponnesian War, is a provocative and tightly argued history of the first ten years of the war. Taking a chronological approach that allows him to present at each stage the choices...
Traces Britain's international and defense policies in the years between World War I and II and studies the how their self-delusion and unwillingness to face their responsibilities affected the world at the start of World War II.
