Εξουσία και απληστία: Μια σύντομη ιστορία του κόσμου

by Philippe Deane Gigantès, Μαρία Παππά (Translator)

Ποια υπήρξε η κινητήρια δύναμη των ανθρώπων στην πορεία τους μέσα στην ιστορία;
Το βιβλίο αυτό πραγματεύεται τη φύση της ανθρώπινης απληστίας και την αδιάκοπη δίψα για εξουσία, χαρακτηριστικά που καθόρισαν τον τρόπο εξέλιξης των παγκόσμιων γεγονότων σε κάθε ιστορική περίοδο και πολιτισμό.
Πρώτα παρουσιάζονται οι μεγάλοι νομοθέτες, όσοι φρόντισαν να διασφαλίσουν την ύπαρξη μιας δίκαιης κοινωνίας -Μωυσής, Σόλωνας, Πλάτωνας, Ιησούς-, και στη συνέχεια οι παραβάτες των νόμων, οι μεγάλοι άρπαγες. Στα πρόσωπά τους καθρεφτίζονται οι φύλαρχοι πολεμιστές των πρωτόγονων κοινωνιών, οι κάθε λογής τύραννοι, αποικιοκράτες και κατακτητές τού σήμερα.
Ο Φίλιπ Τσιγάντες επικεντρώνεται στα δραματικά επακόλουθα των πράξεών τους για τον πολιτισμό: σταυροφορίες, αιματηρές επαναστάσεις, πόλεμοι με αναρίθμητα θύματα, τρομοκρατικές ενέργειες όπως εκείνη της 11ης Σεπτεμβρίου, σ’ έναν κόσμο που μεταμορφώνεται σταδιακά σε παγκόσμιο χωριό.
Η συναρπαστική και γλαφυρή άποψη του συγγραφέα για την παγκόσμια ιστορία καταδεικνύει το λόγο για τον οποίο δεν καταφέραμε να ωφεληθούμε από τα μαθήματα της ιστορίας.
Προσιτή σε ειδήμονες και απλούς αναγνώστες, αυτή η σύντομη ιστορία του κόσμου προσφέρει βαθύτερη γνώση γύρω από τα μεγάλα ζητήματα των καιρών μας και δείχνει το δρόμο προς ένα πιο πολιτισμένο μέλλον.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Political Science, Politics

358 pages, Paperback

First published July 23, 2002

About the author

Philippe Deane Gigantès (August 16, 1923 – December 9, 2004) was a veteran of the Second World War, journalist, war correspondent, POW of the Korean War, author, television commentator, Greek minister of culture, and Canadian senator. The name he adopted after his emigration to Canada, Philippe Deane Gigantès, was a combination of his original birth-name (Gerassimos Gigantes) and the nom-de-plume he had used during the 1960s, Philip Deane.

Reviews

[Tilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 αστερια.
Γενικά, είναι ενδιαφερον και ενημερωτικό βιβλίο.
Ο συγγραφεας προσπαθεί πραγματικά να έιναι αντικειμενικός και δίκαιος.
Αλλά, είναι εμφανως θρησκος, πραγμα που δεν του επιτρεπει να λεει όλη την αλήθεια για την απληστία και την εξουσιολαγνεια του χριστιανικού ιερατείου.
Διεκρινα και μια αντικομμουνιστική χροια με αναχρονιστικη και δασκαλίστικη ρητορία.
Επίσης είναι συντηρητικός και "βγάζει" ένα μεγαλοαστισμό στη γραφή του.
Το διαβασα, χωρίς να αποδεχομαι άκριτα την αποψη του.
Βιβλίο από το παρελθόν που, όταν το διαβαζεις τον 21ο αιωνα, πρεπει να βλεπεις το φόντο πίσω από τη ματιά του συγγραφεα.

[Joan · Rating 1 out of 5]

You can see from my read dates of about 4 months duration that I really struggled to get through this book. If it hadn't been a gift, I doubt I'd have finished it. It is simplistic and blithely ignores anything that counters his theme that power and greed runs the world. Sure, it is true to some extent, no one could deny that. But to say it is the main and only instinct is not reasonable either. I'm trying to decide whether to give this 1 or 2 stars. I didn't enjoy the book. I don't feel I gained anything from reading it. Towards the end, my motivation was to get this book off my currently reading list but I really hate doing DNF. So I succeeded in that. Maybe I'll hang onto the book long enough to offer it back to the son who gave it to me in the first place. I'm lowering it to 1 star. I simply can't think of anything praiseworthy about the book.

[Φερειπείν · Rating 4 out of 5]

Εξουσία και απληστία. Μια σύντομη ιστορία του κόσμου. Philippe Gigantès.
📖📖📖
Σ' αυτή τη σύντομη ιστορία του κόσμου ο Gigantès κάνει μια ανασκόπηση της κεντρικής σημασίας του δίπολου εξουσία- απληστία, που υπήρξε, (και κάτι μου λέει πως συνεχίζει) η κινητήριος δύναμη κάθε ανθρώπινης δράσης. Άξιοι νομοθέτες που πάλεψαν για μια κοινωνία δομημένη στο δίκαιο και οργανωμένη στην ειρηνική συνύπαρξη, αλλά και αντιρρησίες, παραβάτες και φιλόδοξοι παρατάσσονται στα μάτια μας, ενώ ξεδιπλώνουν τις ικανότητες τους μέσω των δραματικών γεγονότων που ακολούθησαν τις πράξεις τους. Μια κοινωνία που λογοδοτεί μπροστά στη τραγικότητα της και την ανικανότητά της να μάθει από τα λάθη της ιστορίας της.

[Paula Dembeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Canadian writer of this volume has had an interesting life. He has at various times been a prisoner of war, a history professor, a writer for a TV public affairs program and a Canadian Senator.

Philippe Gigantes uses a survey of world history to present his thesis that greed and the eternal quest for power have shaped the evolution of world events. Taking the reader through a quick grand romp through recorded time, he identifies two groups, “The Rule Makers” who have tried to give structure and order to society and “The Grand Acquisitors” who in their lust for power, break the rules so they can get and have what they want. He includes among the “Rule Makers” figures such as Moses who introduced us to the Ten Commandments, Solomon who laid out a set of democratic principles and Jesus with his concept of forgiveness. Each tried to provide an infrastructure which would advance a fair and just society. He then argues that it is actually the “Rule Breakers” not just “The Grand Acquisitors” who broke all the rules to satisfy their greed and gain power. He includes in this group Agripinna who manipulated her husband Claudius and her son Nero in her quest for power, Cortez with his conquest of Latin America, and the Crusaders with their desire to maintain an all-powerful Christian church. He is quick to identify that the “Rule Breakers” did not operate alone and he does not let their entourages off the hook. Surrounded by morally corrupt individuals and groups in power, “Rule Breakers” worked together with like-minded others, using every means they had, to acquire what they felt was their share of wealth and power. It seems greed and power have always been incredible motivators. He also shows how revolutionary systems were not always bad and sometimes were even just, but they were often selectively applied or routinely broken, serving as a cover for the pursuit of monetary rewards and power. Sometimes power was the simple selective application of justice. He also admits that revolutionary systems were not always destructive and it is important to remember that they also gave us the Industrial Revolution as well as systems of railways and roads. So, he agrees that “Acquisitors” can also be “givers” as well as “destroyers”.

Gigantes believes human greed is timeless. Going back as far as Adam and Eve, there have always been those who have reached for something more to which they feel they were entitled. In today’s world, little seems to have changed as we see corporate executives who have it all, obsessed with having even more. They consider their accumulated wealth insufficient, losing a grip on their understanding of the boundaries of need and want, so ready to risk personal and financial ruin in the eternal and non-ending struggle to reach for even more. We do not seem to have learned the lessons history has been trying to show us.

What the author challenges us to accept is not a different version of history which has already been recorded elsewhere. What he does suggest is that our belief that there is a real black and white world where there are clear boundaries between good and evil, is quite simply a myth. It is never that clear cut. The boundaries are often blurred.

This is definitely a worthwhile read and helps put some contemporary events such as 9/11, the Islamic Jihad, Enron, and the real estate and savings and loans scandals all in perspective. Gigantes gives us the opportunity to see many historical figures, from warring chieftains of early societies to robber barons of the 19th century as well as the present superpower struggle of nations, through a different lens.

An interesting idea and a good read which some may find somewhat academic in tone but is certainly aimed at the general reader.

[Cyrus Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, brief account of the stars of man's (and woman's) greed throughout history. The author is obviously a believer in the "big man" version of history and he makes an excellent case for it. What horrible people we are, it would seem, except for Solon who is given gracious words. I agree with Gigantes on this as well as his besmirching of Plato whose Utopian concepts have been used and abused for ill gains for 200 years. Aristotle, on the other hand, rocks.

Five stars for clarity and ease of access as well as for his opinions. Four stars for people already in the know.

[Jelena · Rating 1 out of 5]

Badly researched and sexist.

[Dimitris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Παρά τον πολλά υποσχόμενο τίτλο του, πρόκειται για ένα βιβλίο περιορισμένου ενδιαφέροντος.
Δεν είναι ούτε δοκίμιο ως προς τη σχέση εξουσίας και απληστίας, ούτε επιστημονικό ή ιστορικό σύγγραμμα που να διεισδύει στα ζητήματα που πραγματεύεται.
Αντ’ αυτού, ο συγγραφέας περιορίζεται σε μια ασταμάτητη καταγραφή ιστορικών γεγονότων από διαφορετικές περιόδους (ποιος, πότε και τι έκανε), τα οποία όμως είναι εν πολλοίς ήδη γνωστά στον μέσο αναγνώστη.
Μέσα στην εξιστόρηση αυτή, ο συγγραφέας προσπαθεί να αναδείξει το ζήτημα που αποτελεί το θέμα του βιβλίου του, το πώς δηλαδή η ανθρώπινη ιστορία διαμορφώθηκε με βάση την επιθυμία για εξουσία, πλούτη και ισχύ. Επ´αυτου όμως, η ανάπτυξη είναι επίπεδη, περιορισμένη και ασθενής, ενώ κατά σημεία γίνεται και ελαφρώς biased.
Αποτέλεσμα των ανωτέρω ελλείψεων είναι το βιβλίο να μην είναι τίποτε παραπάνω από ένα συνοπτικό ιστορικό εγχειρίδιο για νεαρούς αναγνώστες.
Τέλος, πρέπει να αναφερθεί (μιας και ο εκδότης δεν θεωρεί σημαντικό να το επισημάνει στο βιογραφικό του) ότι ο συγγραφέας Philippe Gigantes είναι ο γιος του Διοικητή του Ιερού Λόχου Χριστόδουλου Τσιγάντε.

[Introvert Insane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief but packed account of history through war & conquest. Showing we're all capable of it (regardless of race & religion... shoutout to Islamophobes who conveniently forget their history).

However, I do feel I need to make clear of some things and I hope that others could also clarify on other things as well.
1. Terrorists recruits youths that are "looking for a purpose" or those that are already feeling out of place as part of a diaspora - because they're much easier to indoctrinate as they're looking for a figure to look up to.
2. The youths are mostly never recruited at mosques.
3. Terrorists use a skewed version of religion to justify their movement that also vilify normal people for their "ignorance".
4. The fight for "sexual heaven" is just an overly simplistic look on their motivation & indoctrination - like they're just some horny teens (which they kind of are but it's more than that).

But the final line do make me laugh considering this was published back in 2002, it aged like milk; "They have learned the lesson - and perhaps found an answer."

No, no they absolutely do not.

[Jacob Lehman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very engaging profile of "Grand acquisitors" who've shaped history and a few of the philosophers/leaders who've tried to articulate an alternate ethos of self-restraint. Some sloppy editing in places (unnecessary commas, etc.) but Gigantes tries to tell his history without equating focus with admiration or historical victimization with moral superiority. Both the statistics of combat in Renaissance Europe and some of the anecdotes of violence through history in the name of greed are sobering.

I read this as part of my ongoing project to read one book from every aisle in Olin Library. A fuller review and reaction will eventually be posted here: https://jacobklehman.com/library-read...

[Lily Naurava · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offers a great summary about the lives of great rule makers (Buddha, Solon, Jesus, Plato, Mohammed,…) and those of “Grand Acquisitors” (Napoleon, Agrippina, Pizarro, the Christian church…
Gigantès explains how the principles brought forward by the great rule makers and philosophers still exist in the way we structure society these days. The grand acquisitors broke the rules and changed history with their power moves in their quest to rule. It is interesting to read history in such a condensed form, very well explained. I would recommend this as a light and interesting book for anyone interested in politics and history.

[Charis Vradis · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a fun to read history of the world. It starts by describing the main religion leaders and philosophers, and how they described and imagined their societies. Then, presents stories of greedy people since ancient times, that have influenced a lot the world's history.
The only thing I didn't like, was the existence of some personal comments. I think it would be better to leave the story to be purely understood by the reader.

[Aleksander · Rating 2 out of 5]

Teatud inimesi ajendab tegudele õiglus, isamaa, patriotism jms. Enamikke ajendab võimuiha ja ahnus. Umbes sellest see raamat räägibki, inimkond jaotatakse kahte leeri: ühel pool loojad, teisel pool suurahnurid, kusjuures see piir on teinekord üpris ähmane. Mõnus lühike lugemine enne uinumist.

[Niveditha Rao · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boy am I glad to finally finish this! Reinforcing all the pro-European pro-allies angles, this book was more an exercise in peddling a convenient narrative rather than an objective look at history. Quite distasteful.

[Mike Kisil · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a book that aspires to explain how mankind has behaved over the centuries in order to arrive at the global society that we have today, it is remarkably dull.The predominant theme seems to be that religions have had a major hand in the rules and regulations that govern our attitudes to our fellow man/woman, depending mostly on his/her colour, creed and the level of jealousy we have of their innate happiness. That, and how various races have then sought to use religion as a pretext for violence against those who disagreed with them. We also get potted histories of the people who were significant in the fields of war and peace that for me lacked enough detail.
As a concise guide to anyone whose learning of global history was governed by what was on the syllabus of their GCE "O" level, the major personalities and events of history are described in broad brush strokes, as if the book is directed at the modern teenager whose attention span is governed by their use of a mobile phone. Sadly,Gigantes's disdain of them really does jump off the page. Published in 2002 and with his death in 2004, it reads like a book of its time. Perhaps the dryness of its tone reveals a man too esconsed in the world of academia and politics in Canada to give the book an unbiased accessability for the topic he is tackling. This then begs the question "what readership was he catering for?". Too glib and lacking in substance for the genuinely interested reader and not enough detail for the history scholar. A "C-" from me.

[RKanimalkingdom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I blazed through this book. The comical illustration caught my eye at the library and I thought, "why not?". The experiences the author, Philippe Gigantes has been through can only be measured by his many accomplishments. Having seen and experienced the dark side of humans; having amounted intellectual knowledge; having been in a position of power, this man knows humanity and history like the back of his hand. He has a kind yet blunt voice as he shows that humans have always been capable of horrendous things and that both man and women will do anything for power, wealth, land, sex, and fame. He shows how the human side of us that we thought was left in the past is still being taught and encouraged today. How past views/ideals still blind many whether they know it or not. How problems we created in the past still act as a time bomb for us today. This is a book that (in my opinion) gives a true, untarnished, uncorrupted, unbiased account of the past and how it shaped the world we live in today. No culture/civilization/country is spared from Gigantes scrutinizing eyes, yet it tells a very powerful message to the readers. What that message is, you must read to find out. This is a book for those who want to ponder and think about the past. How it shaped us. How it could have been different if just one event went differently. How nobody yet all carry blood on their hands. I truly encourage you to read this book. Go with an open mind and just listen to what Gigantes has to say. You will finish a more wiser man/woman.

[Gary Godefroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author, Philippe Gigantes, was born in Greece, became its Minister of Culture until it was dissolved by a military junta. He later moved to Canada and became a Senator, then speech writer for Pierre Trudeau. In between he spent time in the British Royal Navy in WWII and a Korean War POW camp. With that background he begins this short book with a discussion of the great philosophers and founders of our world's religions, then proceeds to march through a history filled with power, greed, and acquisition. This was an entertaining book I just happened to stumble upon. It's by an author who has experienced much of the human dark side and can be forgiven certain amount of cynicism.

[Brentman99 · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a person who has spent a lot of time studying and reading about history, I enjoyed this book. There was nothing startlingly new in it, but I thought that there was a good variety of conflicts covered. I would have liked to seen much more on WWI and WWII, and maybe some other, more recently conflicts, but there is only so much you can publish.

Not a bad book, but I'm still debating as to keep it or trade it.

[Gavin Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting glide through large chunks of world history. Gigantes' central theory of rule makers and grand acquisitors is pretty difficult to disagree with but hardly revolutionary. Still, it's a refreshingly objective approach to history. Add it to high school history reading lists?

[Christos Bouras · Rating 3 out of 5]

Καλό βιβλίο για να περάσεις εύκολα την ώρα σου. Δεν μου έμαθε κάτι παραπάνω. Ωστόσο κάποιες λεπτομέρειες από τους διαφόρους άρπαγες είχαν ενδιαφέρον. Το προτείνω σε κάποιον που θέλει να περάσει χαλαρά διαβάζοντας κάτι εύπεπτο.

[Roger B · Rating 4 out of 5]

concise, high-level overview of some important historical people, events and forces. best parts for me were the bios of agrippina, theodora and henry iv of france. gigantes seems to lean to the classical notion with mention of the permanence of human nature.

[Tassos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Όπως λέει και ο υπότιτλος "σύντομη ιστορία του κόσμου" είναι η φράση που το περιγράφει πλήρως. Δίνει ένα καλό έναυσμα για περαιτέρω μελέτη σε ζητήματα που αναλύει.

[Zois Kouris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Πολύ καλη προσέγγιση της ιστορίας στο θέμα της εξουσίας όπως εχει επιβληθεί στο παρελθόν. Το συνιστώ..

[Joerund Hage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding for its selection of stories designed to highlight a handful of critical eras.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an exercise in concise, easily accessible history, this is a first rate work. However, it's full of too many things that bother me, such as: (1) dismissing the Roman Empire as degenerate from the start, ignoring both the Augustan age, and the apex of the Pax Romana under the Flavian & Antonine emperors; (2) using the term "yellow" as a straightforward label for Asians...considering the publication date, the author shouldn't be going anywhere near such colour labels outside of satire or historical context; (3) covering Latin American in the 20th century by only referring to Cuba...which I wouldn't even consider lumping into Latin America, as it is easily its own sphere of influence...and ignoring the massive area that IS Latin America. This could have & should have been so much more; the most frustrating thing is that this book is full of brilliant condensed passages, in between the irritations and uncomfortable characterizations, only some of which I've mentioned above. A curate's egg to the power of 10.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Abandoned on page 111 of 227. The book was an easy read but seemed to have no point. The book is supposedly "ambitious " and "provocative" but the whole theory seemed to be there are good people and bad people. Maybe more of a theory appears later but I couldn't be bothered to keep reading to find out.