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Barbed Wire: A Political History
No less than the internal combustion engine, the transistor, or the silicon chip, barbed wire is a quintessentially modern invention, a product that has influenced the lives of millions of people across the globe since its invention in the late nineteenth century. Now in paperback, Barbed Wire: A Political History demonstrates that the invention of barbed wire was a major breakthrough with far-reaching consequences. Cheap and mass-produced, barbed wire accomplished what no other product did before it, or has since done more effectively: the control of vast amounts of open space.
Razac describes how barbed wire has been employed in the harnessing of nature, brutal mass warfare, political conquest and repression, and genocide. In a narrative that spans the history of the American frontier, the trenches of World War I, the Holocaust, and beyond, Barbed Wire: A Political History looks unflinchingly at a central and fascinating strand of modern life.
Razac describes how barbed wire has been employed in the harnessing of nature, brutal mass warfare, political conquest and repression, and genocide. In a narrative that spans the history of the American frontier, the trenches of World War I, the Holocaust, and beyond, Barbed Wire: A Political History looks unflinchingly at a central and fascinating strand of modern life.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 2, 2016
Sinänsä yllätyin miten mielenkiintoisen tutkimuskohteen niinkin yksinkertainen keksintö kuin piikkilanka voi muodostaa. Yllättävän havannoiva teos kaikessa lyhykäisyydessään.
October 23, 2018
And another intellectual fraud produces a tax payer sponsored book. Fallacies, inaccuracies, everything to serve a socialist fairy tale. P. 30:
> Le Homestead Act vote en 1862, en partie sous la pression des fermiers pauvres en manque de terre, consacre la volonte du gouvernement d'accelerer le rythme de l'avancee vers l'Ouest. Tout citoyen americain peut alors obtenir gratuitment un droit de propriete sur quatre-vingts hectares de terre publique a condition qu'il les cultive.
The only correct fact is the year.
1. Some of the poor farmers were not even English speakers. Most were not eligible to vote.
2. There is no farmer "en marque de terre". The farmer might not be the owner.
3. The government is not a person and it does not have a will. That is a common mistake for the academic bureaucrats in French.
* actually, it was a political game between the Yankee politicians and the Southern slave owners.
4. Hence, the people voting the law were not pushing for the West, but limiting the expansion of the South.
5. Not only citizens. Those eligible to naturalization could apply too.
6. It was an important mention "who has never borne arms against the United States Government or given aid and comfort to its enemies"
7. It's not 80ha. It's a bit less than 65ha, 20% less than stated.
8. "Terre publique" is just Razac's shallow understanding of the issue at hand. It's government land and public domain. It does not include roads, railroads, and so on.
9. It's not about doing agriculture. It is about converting a random plot of land into agricultural land. And the unmentioned term is 5 years. In 5 years the claimant has to prove land improvements in order to apply for the deed.
And all the above is just the first few statements of a longer paragraph that elucubrates on the exploitation of the proletarians by the railroad owners. Which is even more stupid than the quoted part simply because the abuse of the railroad companies was mandated and enforced by the government.
The book might be interesting. But the story needs first a documented writer and second someone who is willing to tell the story of the barbed wire and not a failed writer producing another Marxist fairy tale.
> Le Homestead Act vote en 1862, en partie sous la pression des fermiers pauvres en manque de terre, consacre la volonte du gouvernement d'accelerer le rythme de l'avancee vers l'Ouest. Tout citoyen americain peut alors obtenir gratuitment un droit de propriete sur quatre-vingts hectares de terre publique a condition qu'il les cultive.
The only correct fact is the year.
1. Some of the poor farmers were not even English speakers. Most were not eligible to vote.
2. There is no farmer "en marque de terre". The farmer might not be the owner.
3. The government is not a person and it does not have a will. That is a common mistake for the academic bureaucrats in French.
* actually, it was a political game between the Yankee politicians and the Southern slave owners.
4. Hence, the people voting the law were not pushing for the West, but limiting the expansion of the South.
5. Not only citizens. Those eligible to naturalization could apply too.
6. It was an important mention "who has never borne arms against the United States Government or given aid and comfort to its enemies"
7. It's not 80ha. It's a bit less than 65ha, 20% less than stated.
8. "Terre publique" is just Razac's shallow understanding of the issue at hand. It's government land and public domain. It does not include roads, railroads, and so on.
9. It's not about doing agriculture. It is about converting a random plot of land into agricultural land. And the unmentioned term is 5 years. In 5 years the claimant has to prove land improvements in order to apply for the deed.
And all the above is just the first few statements of a longer paragraph that elucubrates on the exploitation of the proletarians by the railroad owners. Which is even more stupid than the quoted part simply because the abuse of the railroad companies was mandated and enforced by the government.
The book might be interesting. But the story needs first a documented writer and second someone who is willing to tell the story of the barbed wire and not a failed writer producing another Marxist fairy tale.
April 26, 2009
I think that anyone alive today would benefit from reading this book. Barbed wire is inevitably a perfect metaphor for the despicable way humans are treated, and this book was a great reminder of how often human captivity occurs in the world under the premise of lies. It focuses on its use in the genocide of indigenous North Americans, trench warfare in WW1, and concentration camps in WW2.
I skimmed the last 3 pages because I wanted to return it to Solidarity before I had to be back at work, but I will give them a proper reading soon. It's a short book; go check it out!
I skimmed the last 3 pages because I wanted to return it to Solidarity before I had to be back at work, but I will give them a proper reading soon. It's a short book; go check it out!
March 25, 2011
I enjoyed reading Barbed Wire: A Political History, but I felt that there was something lacking. I would consider this book to be more of a short introduction to this oftentimes (morbidly) fascinating topic. For me, this book would have been better if included more technical information about "the devil's rope". However as it stands, this Barbed Wire: A Political History was a quick and interesting summary of the occasions where barbed wire shaped the world.
July 11, 2018
Very disappointed in this. Felt less like a historical discussion of the use of barbed wire and more like a college student's argumentative essay focused on why American ideals and systems of surveillance are both effective and kinda evil. Very bland, cursory glance at history. Bleh.
October 28, 2015
Πάρα πολύ ενδιαφέρον. Το συρματόπλεγμα ως χρησιμότητα και συμβολισμός. Και επίκαιρο τη συγκεκριμένη χρονική στιγμή με τους πρόσφυγες.
August 26, 2025
I love histories of things. This isn't that.
This book is titled Barbed Wire: A Political History, and that's what it is. It is a short study of how humans have used barbed wire as a tool of oppression. It starts with barbed wire's use in the American West to split up land and how that helped screw over the natives. It then explored how barbed wire was used in WWI, which led to the invention of terrible tools that could break through, and the psychological impact the artificial brambles had on all sides. The author posits that it became representative of the futility of war. Then, the author talks about the use of the wire in the German concentration camps and how barbed wire became forever a tool to delineate the in-group from the out-group. In the final chapters, it talks about the grossness of using barbed wire in places like private compounds, checkpoints, refugee camps, etc. which happens all over the world.
Overall, it was interesting, but there was a lot of opinion for a book with "History" in the title.
This book is titled Barbed Wire: A Political History, and that's what it is. It is a short study of how humans have used barbed wire as a tool of oppression. It starts with barbed wire's use in the American West to split up land and how that helped screw over the natives. It then explored how barbed wire was used in WWI, which led to the invention of terrible tools that could break through, and the psychological impact the artificial brambles had on all sides. The author posits that it became representative of the futility of war. Then, the author talks about the use of the wire in the German concentration camps and how barbed wire became forever a tool to delineate the in-group from the out-group. In the final chapters, it talks about the grossness of using barbed wire in places like private compounds, checkpoints, refugee camps, etc. which happens all over the world.
Overall, it was interesting, but there was a lot of opinion for a book with "History" in the title.
March 31, 2024
A oni koji ne mogu ući nigdje lutaju u društvenoj i prostornoj"ničijoj zemlji". Njima preostaje samo ono izvanjsko, vani, koje može biti posvuda, utoliko ukoliko predstavlja mrtvi kut liberalnog demokratskog uključenja, ne-mjesto izvrtanja biopolitičkog načela "dati da živi" u diskretno "pustiti da umre" u stvarnom ili društvenom smislu - a zašto ne i, jednog dana, isto tako diskretno, u "dati da umre"?
January 8, 2024
It was a very carefully crafted book that covered multiple points and reveiled something as simple as barbed wires cultural relevence for me, as a reader who does not see barbed wire on a daily basis and what barbed wire has done to comunities
September 14, 2008
Olivier Razac’s book, Barbed Wire: A Political History explores the importance of barbed wire, specifically on the American Prairie, during the Great War’s trench warfare, and in the architecture of Nazi concentration camps. By examining both the practical advantages and symbolic meanings of barbed wire in each of the three historical uses, Razac uncovers a common underlying purpose for barbed wire in its past employment, arguing that barbed wire is often used to distinguish between social groups and aid in the destruction of the “exterior” group, revealing the utility of using the history of an object as a vehicle for studying the past.
Razac’s study is compelling because he uses an object to study the past. This method is becoming more common among current historians, and I find it extremely interesting. By using barbed wire, a commodity that I generally don’t often think about, Razac compares three very different episodes in history in a unique and informative manner. It kept my interest and I learned quite a bit.
Razac’s argument is as compelling as his method for studying it. So I recommend reading Barbed Wire: A Political History for a quick read that forms a persuasive argument, uses an interesting methodology for studying history, and forces you to reconsider the importance of those seemingly insignificant objects, like barbed wire.
Razac’s study is compelling because he uses an object to study the past. This method is becoming more common among current historians, and I find it extremely interesting. By using barbed wire, a commodity that I generally don’t often think about, Razac compares three very different episodes in history in a unique and informative manner. It kept my interest and I learned quite a bit.
Razac’s argument is as compelling as his method for studying it. So I recommend reading Barbed Wire: A Political History for a quick read that forms a persuasive argument, uses an interesting methodology for studying history, and forces you to reconsider the importance of those seemingly insignificant objects, like barbed wire.
July 19, 2016
So, first of all, this is a really interesting concept for a book. Razac explores the political use and philosophy behind barbed wire, beginning with the partition of the West (and the subsequent marginalization of Native Americans), continuing through the use of barbed wire in the trenches in WWI, and ending with the quintessential use of barbed wire: the concentration camp. It's good in theory, and I even think the first part is very well done, if perhaps a bit shallow in execution.
However. Razac then goes on to a philosophical discussion of barbed wire and its use in political philosophy that feels a little over my head. It seems like the first part of the book was meant as a surface-level introduction to the idea and the second half suddenly became a 400-level text. It's interesting, don't get me wrong, but it took me quite a long time to figure my way through it. If you're looking for a simple introduction to the political philosophy of barbed wire, stop at the end of part 1. If you think you can handle something more (I basically couldn't), keep on going.
However. Razac then goes on to a philosophical discussion of barbed wire and its use in political philosophy that feels a little over my head. It seems like the first part of the book was meant as a surface-level introduction to the idea and the second half suddenly became a 400-level text. It's interesting, don't get me wrong, but it took me quite a long time to figure my way through it. If you're looking for a simple introduction to the political philosophy of barbed wire, stop at the end of part 1. If you think you can handle something more (I basically couldn't), keep on going.
December 3, 2013
In two sections, the first looking at three specific periods of history and how barbed wire was used at the time- the settling of the American West, the trenches in WWI and the German Concentration Camps of WWII. The second examines how the wire was used to divide peoples and worlds, how it has ended up have connotations of control and even less positive meanings. And how does this fit into my reading tastes and the world I inhabit (Marklandia)? It all revolves around the way that barbed wire is used to define space, and give meaning to the space thus divided. On the one side we have settlers, ranchers, respected parts of the community. The other only has savages and those who have turned their backs on the civilized community. (Three guesses as to which side I find myself inhabiting.) It's all about how we try to give location meaning. Not sure I would recommend it to any of you, but definitely of worth.
August 9, 2013
A political and cultural history of barbed wire. Razac focuses on focuses on the use of barbed wire in three crucial aspects of modern history: by American ranchers during the mid/late 1800s to both parcel up land for private use and end the roaming ways of Native Americans; as an effective killer in the defensive stalemates of World War One; and lastly that of the concentration camps of World War Two. Quite French, but don't hold that against it... B.
May 8, 2014
I really enjoyed Razac's book, not a history so much as part political economy/part cultural studies. Razac is quite powerful when he explores how barbed wire develops and becomes not just a kind of fence but a way to define space, who can belong to what space and how spaces become symbolically loaded. Barbed wire becomes a boundary that divides US/THEM and sets up power relationships that themselves become the foundation for historical development of socio-cultural and state systems.
August 21, 2015
While Razac's book is not what I was originally looking for (a detailed history of the development and usage of barbed wire), it is a profound thing in it's own right. It is a dense, concise, short, poetic sketch of barbed wire as a unique entity in human history. Don't let the small page count discourage you - there's not a word wasted in this beautifully bleak book.
July 20, 2007
Tells the history and the use of barbed wire over the years since its invention in the US. Very interesting.
June 12, 2014
Ultimately more of a surface-level introduction than a deep analysis, but really well written.
October 2, 2024
Good soup. Inteligente
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May 17, 2017Barbed Wire: A Political History Review
The young philosopher Olivier Razac writes masterfully and eloquently. A brave Novel this was, breakin away figurative barriers with this book. The philosophy touches deep in this book which binds together politics and philosophy and human nature. These topics are the subject of this book Barbed Wire: A Political History.
The book begins retelling the fictitious west as a land of bloodied strife between the Native Americans and the settlers. In reality there was bloodies strife but there was also mass ethnocide that occurred during this time that that this novel beautifully illustrates. This novel reveals the true nature of this time period shrouded in legend and western movies, this book delves deep into theme that an american would rather not relive. It make us confront myths and legends about the wild west.
The novel moves forward in time ever so slowly to WWI and the use of barbed wire in that conflict and the figurative and literal sense of the wire that made it so feared. It then turns a chapter in history to WW ll in which Holocaust occurred ever so changing the face of the Europe. The novel illustrates the quite sudden impact barbed wire had on the victims of the Holocaust and the delves deeper into the political and figurative boundaries that barbed wire had on the victims.
The novel does not progress much after the use of barbed wire in WW ll, There is no need. This is a masterfully written book.
The young philosopher Olivier Razac writes masterfully and eloquently. A brave Novel this was, breakin away figurative barriers with this book. The philosophy touches deep in this book which binds together politics and philosophy and human nature. These topics are the subject of this book Barbed Wire: A Political History.
The book begins retelling the fictitious west as a land of bloodied strife between the Native Americans and the settlers. In reality there was bloodies strife but there was also mass ethnocide that occurred during this time that that this novel beautifully illustrates. This novel reveals the true nature of this time period shrouded in legend and western movies, this book delves deep into theme that an american would rather not relive. It make us confront myths and legends about the wild west.
The novel moves forward in time ever so slowly to WWI and the use of barbed wire in that conflict and the figurative and literal sense of the wire that made it so feared. It then turns a chapter in history to WW ll in which Holocaust occurred ever so changing the face of the Europe. The novel illustrates the quite sudden impact barbed wire had on the victims of the Holocaust and the delves deeper into the political and figurative boundaries that barbed wire had on the victims.
The novel does not progress much after the use of barbed wire in WW ll, There is no need. This is a masterfully written book.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews