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Merchant, Soldier, Sage: A New History of Power
We live in an age ruled by merchants. Competition, flexibility and profit are still the common currency, even at a time when Western countries have been driven off a cliff by these very values. But will it always be this way?
David Priestland argues for the predominance in any society of one of three broad value systems - that of the merchant (commercial and competitive); the soldier (aristocratic and militaristic); and the sage (bureaucratic or creative). These 'castes' struggle alongside the worker (egalitarian and artisanal) for power, and when they achieve supremacy, they can have such a strong hold over us that it is almost impossible to imagine life outside their grip. And yet there does come a point of drastic change, usually because one caste becomes too dominant. The result is economic crisis, war or revolution, and eventually a new caste takes over.
Priestland argues, we are now in the midst of a period with all the classic signs of imminent change. As the history of the last century shows, there is good reason to be fearful of the forces that this failure may unleash. Merchant, Soldier, Sage is both a masterful dissection of our current predicament and a brilliant piece of history. The world will not look the same after you read this book.
David Priestland argues for the predominance in any society of one of three broad value systems - that of the merchant (commercial and competitive); the soldier (aristocratic and militaristic); and the sage (bureaucratic or creative). These 'castes' struggle alongside the worker (egalitarian and artisanal) for power, and when they achieve supremacy, they can have such a strong hold over us that it is almost impossible to imagine life outside their grip. And yet there does come a point of drastic change, usually because one caste becomes too dominant. The result is economic crisis, war or revolution, and eventually a new caste takes over.
Priestland argues, we are now in the midst of a period with all the classic signs of imminent change. As the history of the last century shows, there is good reason to be fearful of the forces that this failure may unleash. Merchant, Soldier, Sage is both a masterful dissection of our current predicament and a brilliant piece of history. The world will not look the same after you read this book.
331 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2012
27 people are currently reading
392 people want to read
About the author
David Priestland
7 books24 followersDavid Priestland is a British historian. He teaches modern history at the University of Oxford and is Fellow of St Edmund Hall.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
January 8, 2017
I have to admit that I ignored this book for quite a while, because of the title and my personal weariness with similarly-labelled archetypal models invariably attached to some spiritual outcome or direction.
I tend also not to notice review statements, unless by individuals. Having said that, I just noticed such a blurb on the front cover of my copy, describing the author and his product as "opinionated" – hardly a positive comment, and essentially inaccurate, according to my reading anyway, as Priestland is not an off-hand generator of models and explains and interprets throughout, displaying an excellent knowledge of global history, with a taste for the entertaining anacedote like Donald Rumsfeld's rationale for invading Iraq – essentially, "just blow up something to send a message" if I may paraphrase – or that the place with the largest number of workers shot in the late 19th-early 20th – and by a very long way – was the United States.
Priestland's aim is to provide an interpretative narrative for the acquisition and maintenance of power across the world from prehistoric times. He uses the term "caste" for these categories, thus locating gthe idea in Indian thought, but explains the similarities and differences. His categories – Merchant, Soldier, Sage are flexible in content as time goes on:
Sages, for instance can be shamans, priests, experts or simply the literate and they can be technocrats or creatives. They don't have to be "wise" Merchants can be hard or soft, the latter more socially interested than the former, who are more likely to value practicality over education (Priestland provides a lengthy history of this perspective). Soldiers can be warriors of any kind, but originally mostly .aristocrats and landholders. Priestland also includes a worker categor4y later in the book, contrasting its idea of equality with notions of cultural equality presented by some sages.
The author regularly refers to these categories as a means of keeping the reader in touch with his categories
I found these categories useful for situating myself, because I could agree with aspects of the worker perspective on equality, as well as the sage perspective and noted that these overlapping values have always been held. I also share particular sages' disdain for merchants and this ranges from not taking seriously qualifications in the business area (usually replete with ideas better explained elsewhere) to nit respecting businessmen just because they are such (there has to be something else).
I've been self-employed, but not in business: my accountant used to say he saw me as an artist and his explanation for sayi9ng that was surprisingly accurate. On the other hand, the current Managing Director of the local branch of a company that sells materials I taught from, said to me a couple of years ago that he was "running a business" notwithstanding his apparent genuine interest in ideas surrounding his products. I found this genuinely disappointing possibly because I find it hard to understand why someone would pursue money over ideas, notwitrhstanding my acquaintance with all too many people who do that.
People who think governments should be run like a business are obviously not like me, partly because I fail to see evidence for this perspective, a very influential one in US politics and elsewhere. There's a book called Gospel of Wealth, apparently, which would stattle Jesus of Nazareth quite a lot, I would think.
Anyway, the book takes us to all corners of the globe at various times, except, disappointingly, Australia and New Zealand, although I can see how his narrative fits in. There are insightful continuous interpretations of events in Britain, Germany, Russia, Scandinavia, India, China, Japan, the Middle East, USA.
The latter part of the book is extremely insightful in interpreting the past century or so, particularly the circumstances of the Great Depression and its aftermath, which Priestland relates to the current situation. Perhaps this is where The Economist thinks he is "opinionated" although it seems plausible enough for me given my own reading. Actually, there are comments here that anticipate the current situation as far as populism, Trumpism etc goes.. I must admit that I struggled through this part because so much recent reading and observation has made the relevant issues so important and transparent.
The book also has a very interesting Appendix where Priestland explains the origins of his interpretive model in the work of Marx, particularly Weber, Bourdieu and others. This bolsters his narrative, already a very plausible interpretation, at any rate for this reasder who has read widely in history all his life. There are a reasonable number of endnotes.
This book is well-written and for a general audience, although it helps if you are broadly familiar with particular names dates and places. If it hadn't been so hot where I am, I would have read it in a much shorter time.
I tend also not to notice review statements, unless by individuals. Having said that, I just noticed such a blurb on the front cover of my copy, describing the author and his product as "opinionated" – hardly a positive comment, and essentially inaccurate, according to my reading anyway, as Priestland is not an off-hand generator of models and explains and interprets throughout, displaying an excellent knowledge of global history, with a taste for the entertaining anacedote like Donald Rumsfeld's rationale for invading Iraq – essentially, "just blow up something to send a message" if I may paraphrase – or that the place with the largest number of workers shot in the late 19th-early 20th – and by a very long way – was the United States.
Priestland's aim is to provide an interpretative narrative for the acquisition and maintenance of power across the world from prehistoric times. He uses the term "caste" for these categories, thus locating gthe idea in Indian thought, but explains the similarities and differences. His categories – Merchant, Soldier, Sage are flexible in content as time goes on:
Sages, for instance can be shamans, priests, experts or simply the literate and they can be technocrats or creatives. They don't have to be "wise" Merchants can be hard or soft, the latter more socially interested than the former, who are more likely to value practicality over education (Priestland provides a lengthy history of this perspective). Soldiers can be warriors of any kind, but originally mostly .aristocrats and landholders. Priestland also includes a worker categor4y later in the book, contrasting its idea of equality with notions of cultural equality presented by some sages.
The author regularly refers to these categories as a means of keeping the reader in touch with his categories
I found these categories useful for situating myself, because I could agree with aspects of the worker perspective on equality, as well as the sage perspective and noted that these overlapping values have always been held. I also share particular sages' disdain for merchants and this ranges from not taking seriously qualifications in the business area (usually replete with ideas better explained elsewhere) to nit respecting businessmen just because they are such (there has to be something else).
I've been self-employed, but not in business: my accountant used to say he saw me as an artist and his explanation for sayi9ng that was surprisingly accurate. On the other hand, the current Managing Director of the local branch of a company that sells materials I taught from, said to me a couple of years ago that he was "running a business" notwithstanding his apparent genuine interest in ideas surrounding his products. I found this genuinely disappointing possibly because I find it hard to understand why someone would pursue money over ideas, notwitrhstanding my acquaintance with all too many people who do that.
People who think governments should be run like a business are obviously not like me, partly because I fail to see evidence for this perspective, a very influential one in US politics and elsewhere. There's a book called Gospel of Wealth, apparently, which would stattle Jesus of Nazareth quite a lot, I would think.
Anyway, the book takes us to all corners of the globe at various times, except, disappointingly, Australia and New Zealand, although I can see how his narrative fits in. There are insightful continuous interpretations of events in Britain, Germany, Russia, Scandinavia, India, China, Japan, the Middle East, USA.
The latter part of the book is extremely insightful in interpreting the past century or so, particularly the circumstances of the Great Depression and its aftermath, which Priestland relates to the current situation. Perhaps this is where The Economist thinks he is "opinionated" although it seems plausible enough for me given my own reading. Actually, there are comments here that anticipate the current situation as far as populism, Trumpism etc goes.. I must admit that I struggled through this part because so much recent reading and observation has made the relevant issues so important and transparent.
The book also has a very interesting Appendix where Priestland explains the origins of his interpretive model in the work of Marx, particularly Weber, Bourdieu and others. This bolsters his narrative, already a very plausible interpretation, at any rate for this reasder who has read widely in history all his life. There are a reasonable number of endnotes.
This book is well-written and for a general audience, although it helps if you are broadly familiar with particular names dates and places. If it hadn't been so hot where I am, I would have read it in a much shorter time.
April 9, 2013
Either I don't know anything about history, or this book is filled with inaccurate, or at least insanely overgeneralized, statements. The Soviet Union was soldierly? The US is not? What about the ancient empires he mentions that probably didn't work as he described them? Why were the 1920's, andnot the gilded age, that were dominated by merchants? It goes on.
More broadly, it seems like the historian sees caste opposition and balancing, though it seems like the three castes are always reinforcing each other. I just didnt buy the interpertation.
More broadly, it seems like the historian sees caste opposition and balancing, though it seems like the three castes are always reinforcing each other. I just didnt buy the interpertation.
September 17, 2017
This was excellent. A really useful way of looking at history through a different lens and one that can convincingly help explain the rise of Donald Trump and Brexit (crucially, this book was published in 2012 before this was apparent to most commentators). It also provides a better understanding of the political tensions surrounding the Euro project and the current struggle within the Democratic Party to focus on economic issues (paying attention to the neglected issues of the workers) or the interests of a culturally tolerant class (the creatives, who are less concerned with economic inequality, but far more concerned with autonomy and cultural freedom). Like the best history, this gives one a framework for understanding the recent past, the present, and ideally, a way to navigate some of the trend changes in the future. Highly recommend.
April 14, 2013
There was a lot of oversimplification here, starting with the title. What Priestland actually describes are tendencies that exist in combination as well as alone--not three castes but more or less three cultural "leanings" that combine into a much larger number.
May 19, 2013
As soon as I saw this book, I knew I wanted to read it. I suppose I always have the hope that we, as humans, can look back at what people have done in the past and learn a few lessons. Why else study history? The writer teaches modern history at the University of Oxford, so to me, he seemed qualified to explain some broad trends in history that might shed a ray of light on the economic upsets of the past few years. His idea is that there are three broad "castes" that rise and fall in cultures, impacting the lives of ordinary people who live under their power. Those castes are the merchant, soldier, and sage of the book's title.Or, as the author more elegantly says: " ...the conflicts and alliances among these castes and their values as they adapt to the changing environment--economic, technological, geopolitical, and ideological--are some of the main locomotives of history. Societies are transformed when an alliance of groups, embodying particular caste values, is able to impose itself more successfully than its rivals." (p.10). He says in the introduction that the book is intended for the lay reader, not the academician. It is , indeed, very clearly presented. We are today dominated by the merchant caste, and that is no surprise, but how did that happen? What are the implications? This is just a fascinating story. Fast forward to his last chapter, "Davos Man", and read what he says about our current situation:
"So why has the 2008 crisis not brought greater change? One reason is that the immediate crisis was overcome so much more quickly than in the 1930s; middle-class Americans do not have to walk past large groups of the homeless in the subway, as they did during the worst years of the Depression. But crucial too, is the power the merchant has built up since the 1970s. He has vastly greater political, economic, and cultural resources than was the case in the 1920s. He can rely on global networks of merchant-friendly islands and tax havens, to which he threatens to decamp (along with his tax revenues) if he doesn't get his way. He has spent decades penetrating the political arena--especially in the United States, where money is so central to the political process--and his commitment to low taxes, privatization, and deficit reduction has become ideologically dominant. The spread of a flexible, market-oriented private sector since the 1970s has also given him many more allies among the mass of the populations--employees in the private sector are much more likely to accept market values than others....The 2008 crisis has therefore resolved nothing. The West has restored the old pro-merchant world order, but the underlying problems that caused the crisis are still there. Meanwhile, as society frays, the warrior is waiting in the wings." (pgs. 261-262).
The world is a complex place. No one book can explain away our woes. This book has some interesting ideas though and is well worth the time spent reading it.
"So why has the 2008 crisis not brought greater change? One reason is that the immediate crisis was overcome so much more quickly than in the 1930s; middle-class Americans do not have to walk past large groups of the homeless in the subway, as they did during the worst years of the Depression. But crucial too, is the power the merchant has built up since the 1970s. He has vastly greater political, economic, and cultural resources than was the case in the 1920s. He can rely on global networks of merchant-friendly islands and tax havens, to which he threatens to decamp (along with his tax revenues) if he doesn't get his way. He has spent decades penetrating the political arena--especially in the United States, where money is so central to the political process--and his commitment to low taxes, privatization, and deficit reduction has become ideologically dominant. The spread of a flexible, market-oriented private sector since the 1970s has also given him many more allies among the mass of the populations--employees in the private sector are much more likely to accept market values than others....The 2008 crisis has therefore resolved nothing. The West has restored the old pro-merchant world order, but the underlying problems that caused the crisis are still there. Meanwhile, as society frays, the warrior is waiting in the wings." (pgs. 261-262).
The world is a complex place. No one book can explain away our woes. This book has some interesting ideas though and is well worth the time spent reading it.
May 5, 2015
David Priestland's book gives a compelling and novel view of human history. I found his argument of a competition of 'castes' in society convincing and has supported my conviction a society needs a balance of the 'castes' and their respective ideologies if it is to be healthy. The ill effects of the run-away 'merchant' caste in today's world are clear, and Priestland argues persuasively that 'merchant' ascendency since the 1980's leading to their ultimate dominance, has been an unhealthy thing for much of society. Moreover, the mistakes of the 1920's have been repeated and I, at least, have been persuaded that there needs to be regulation of international finance if we are not to repeat 1929 and 2008 over and over again. The scale of the book throughout history and different cultures is excellent and helps highlight the recurrence of values and attitudes. It also helps us to see history in entire cycles offering a better understanding of the forces that shaped the modern world and the possible effects of our actions. I only give the book 3 stars as I felt that his more nuanced arguments escaped my limited economic knowledge, and although the 'merchant' is the dominating character of our age and the one receiving the attentions of reform I felt that Priestland focused too much on this class to the expense of others, even if the 'sage' caste did receive attention as the solution to the overbearing merchant through guidance and regulation. An attention to the other castes and how they affect the character and direction of society would surely make the book more far reaching in it's vision of human history. Nevertheless, Merchant, Soldier Sage is a thought provoking book and worth reading if you are interested in the history of power and the creation of the modern world.
March 11, 2019
I struggled with this book to start with, I found the uses of 'castes' too facile, although by the end I had found it an easy and reasonable read that was quite sparing historically, although fortunately it was no Whiggish history.
At the end, in an appendix, it is explained that the book is an attempt to meld Marx's class history with Weber's ideal types (hence the 'castes' as ideal types) mixed with some Michael Mann, Bourdieu and other modern social theorists. Having understood this, at the end, then, in hindsight, the construction and style of the book makes sense.
It is perhaps a sober (in multiple meanings of the word), but light in its critical theory, read (given the earlier meld of Marx and Weber was the Frankfurt School). But if I was to credit it by calling it 'popular history' using classic social theorists for a non-academic audience, then it succeeds as it is very easy reading. As such I don't regret reading it, it was a pleasure reading something lighter for a change, but it has also left me wanting to get my teeth into something heavier too.
At the end, in an appendix, it is explained that the book is an attempt to meld Marx's class history with Weber's ideal types (hence the 'castes' as ideal types) mixed with some Michael Mann, Bourdieu and other modern social theorists. Having understood this, at the end, then, in hindsight, the construction and style of the book makes sense.
It is perhaps a sober (in multiple meanings of the word), but light in its critical theory, read (given the earlier meld of Marx and Weber was the Frankfurt School). But if I was to credit it by calling it 'popular history' using classic social theorists for a non-academic audience, then it succeeds as it is very easy reading. As such I don't regret reading it, it was a pleasure reading something lighter for a change, but it has also left me wanting to get my teeth into something heavier too.
January 8, 2023
The title is the kind that really makes you want to roll your eyes because you know this is going to be the type of book that tries to make some grand statement and everyone in the media proceeds to tell you how important it is (c.f. Sapiens) but it's actually not unconvincing in parts. For instance, understanding that Gorbachev was first and foremost anti-bureaucracy, or in explaining the failure of Bretton Woods.
However, I think it's somewhat let down by its own dogmatism - I do not, for example, think that totalitarianism is about castes.
However, I think it's somewhat let down by its own dogmatism - I do not, for example, think that totalitarianism is about castes.
August 9, 2013
I wanted to like this book more than I did. Priestland presented some good ideas, but I felt he became weighed down eventually by generalizations. I did like the last chapter, with its insights into current interactions between nations--I thought his analysis of China and India were particularly apt. And, regretfully, I have to agree with his view that the U.S.'s current economic policy is unsustainable on a number of levels.
August 14, 2019
While I enjoyed reading the various "case studies", I found the author's main premise hard to follow, indeed even shallow; as if in presenting the facts to best argue his case he left out large chunks of history and ideas - especially religion - that also really matter and go a long way to discrediting his thesis. Almost a history of the last 2 centuries with the inconvenient bits left out!
August 29, 2021
The book posits an interesting paradigm with the “castes”, but ultimately it fell a bit flat. It is a pop history book, of course, but it left me hungering for more robust theory and analysis than provided in its pages. Not good, not bad, just so-so.
June 8, 2013
Priestland presents an interesting lens through which to view the history of power but singularly fails to see clearly through that lens.
April 10, 2015
Paradigm shift in thinking. Must read.
April 21, 2023
Not sure I like overly artificial and rigid constructs to explain
The Big Picture
---
To be charitable, you can think of society as a struggle between the King and his Generals
or the Elites and the Warriors
The Executive Branch and the Pentagon
A bit like Huntington's first book The Soldier and the State
---
And you could think there are the Corporations and Billionaires
as the third wheel
---
Nixon and Kennedy
fighting the Pentagon
with Howard Hughes and Rockefeller in the background
---
Honestly I think a way simpler model is that there's simply powerful factions
sometimes it's the soldiers
or the church
or the kings
or the Rockefeller's
or Davos
---
Really I think there is only one theme to the book
it's just a bitch list of a few power structures
A The soldiers leads one down the path to a totalitarian society and getting into a whole bunch of wars
B The Mandarins of Government bury us with endless laws and regulation and turn into Orwellian control freaks
C The Corporate and Financial and Business Whores just give us unstable markets and free-market ruin of society
Everything else in the book is like the worst of Chomsky and Fukayama in one!
---
I get nothing but messy bad vibes
Fine, Academia is having a power struggle against EVERYTHING
[and anyone that gets in their way]
Fine, the Soldiers are having a power struggle against the PLANET
[and anything that gets in their way]
Fine, the Business Whores are having a power struggle to take over as much as humanly possible on the GLOBE
[and anything that gets in their way]
The above I think is a far better thesis than the book.
Personally you can learn a lot more by playing the game Illuminati on your cellphone
or maybe the boardgames
and keep playing the game, until the knock comes on the door that you are going to be hanged from the streetlamp for using the wrong pronoun or that you once ate meat!
June 26, 2024
Like many other reviewers I wanted to like this book. And I did like the arresting title, boldness of the thesis, and the sweeping inclusiveness and originality of the historical theme. But sadly the overall thesis just doesn't work. The reconceptualisation of "castes" is ingenious but over-ambitious; it never manages to do the theoretical heavy lifting the thesis requires. The arresting title was partly anticipated in an article by social historian Harold Perkin (History Today, April 2002; he used the word "professionals" instead of "sages"). He applied it in a different, less ambitious but more effective way as justifications used by different groups within elites for extracting the agricultural surplus from the masses. In other words it doesn't explain power, but rather the ways different elites justified their power,. They are useful labels for "imperial ideologies". This is why, as reviewers have noted, working people are rather excluded from the discussion. The more limited use works; Priestland's over-ambitious one doesn't. It collapses under its own weight. Summing up, it's a crackling, stimulating but ultimately flawed book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2018
Wow, how do I start? It is very informative and very well put together particularly on 3 castes that evolved throughout the history of mankind. The comparison of relations among sages, warriors and merchants certainty a little bit different according to the listed countries. Why I couldn't bring myself to like this book? I could only think of one reason : this book is too draggy and up to the point, I felt giving up on reading it though I didn't. However, if you are interested in 2 vital components (politics and economics) that shaped the world as it is today, this is the right book.
February 13, 2025
An interesting, insightful and comprehensive review of political, social and economic trends over the past two millennia. At times I found the three caste breakdown confusing. That it took me three months of picking up the book and putting it down for something less serious or requiring less attention to detail speaks for itself. Great resource, though, for a current student of history and economics.
February 4, 2014
In this exposition David Priestland analyses the role of caste power relationships in world history. The premise is interesting, and I found the simplicity of his definition of society into four 'castes' (warriors, merchants, sages and workers) to be inspired.
The essay is, in effect, the narrative of the rise of the merchant. Priestland asserts that in early civilisation the merchant was an outsider, rejected by agrarian societies which valued communality and heredity. Priestland then covers the expansion of the influence of the merchant, particularly with the growth of imperialism and the introduction of the British Gold Standard. The last half of the essay covers the from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present time.
As other have noted, Priestland begins to insert more of his own personal conclusions towards the end of the work; he blames the merchant's value system, built on greed and short-term gains, for the economic crises of the 1930s and in 2008. For some, this politicisation of the work 'taints' the historical value of this work. I, however, believe that Priestland was note writing under the pretence that this is an objective history, and he maintains from the beginning that this is his own original, and necessarily personal interpretation of world history. Hence I believe that this essay is still of scholarly value.
Priestland's work also serves as an interesting economic history of the world due to its definite focus on the merchant. If, like this reader, one attempts this book with very little background in economics then one may struggle somewhat with the economic concepts. However, I believe that I was able to understand most of what Priestland discussed; he has struck a good balance between economic concepts/jargon and layman-style explanations. Reading this work has piqued my interest in economics and economic history, and Priestland should certainly be praised for writing a popular history which encourages its readers to extend their own knowledge of the forces in the world around them.
Why does this book lose one star? Primarily I was disappointed with the depth of the discussion of the earlier civilisation, and would have preferred more extensive examples to back up the argument in these sections. Furthermore, at times the argument seemed lofty and philosophical; at these points the judicious use of evidence would have been appropriate to ensure that the ideas remain firmly grounded and that the reader continues to see them as linked to a historical reality.
Overall, I would say this is a 4.25/5. I enjoyed the read and would definitely recommend it to others.
The essay is, in effect, the narrative of the rise of the merchant. Priestland asserts that in early civilisation the merchant was an outsider, rejected by agrarian societies which valued communality and heredity. Priestland then covers the expansion of the influence of the merchant, particularly with the growth of imperialism and the introduction of the British Gold Standard. The last half of the essay covers the from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present time.
As other have noted, Priestland begins to insert more of his own personal conclusions towards the end of the work; he blames the merchant's value system, built on greed and short-term gains, for the economic crises of the 1930s and in 2008. For some, this politicisation of the work 'taints' the historical value of this work. I, however, believe that Priestland was note writing under the pretence that this is an objective history, and he maintains from the beginning that this is his own original, and necessarily personal interpretation of world history. Hence I believe that this essay is still of scholarly value.
Priestland's work also serves as an interesting economic history of the world due to its definite focus on the merchant. If, like this reader, one attempts this book with very little background in economics then one may struggle somewhat with the economic concepts. However, I believe that I was able to understand most of what Priestland discussed; he has struck a good balance between economic concepts/jargon and layman-style explanations. Reading this work has piqued my interest in economics and economic history, and Priestland should certainly be praised for writing a popular history which encourages its readers to extend their own knowledge of the forces in the world around them.
Why does this book lose one star? Primarily I was disappointed with the depth of the discussion of the earlier civilisation, and would have preferred more extensive examples to back up the argument in these sections. Furthermore, at times the argument seemed lofty and philosophical; at these points the judicious use of evidence would have been appropriate to ensure that the ideas remain firmly grounded and that the reader continues to see them as linked to a historical reality.
Overall, I would say this is a 4.25/5. I enjoyed the read and would definitely recommend it to others.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2013
Oxford’s Priestland (The Red Flag: Communism and the Making of the Modern World), an expert on the Soviet Union and scholar of 20th century comparative history, provides a nuanced, culturally aware, Marxist-influenced reading of the shifting ascendancies, rivalries and collaborations of three elite groups (the “castes” of merchant, soldier and sage). These groups are fluid; for instance, one of Priestland’s subjects, Robert McNamara, worked for years in corporate America (“merchant”), eventually heading Ford Motor Co. He was then recruited by President John F. Kennedy to serve in his administration (“sage”) as Secretary of Defense, whereupon his stewardship of the Vietnam War, first under Kennedy, then under Lyndon B. Johnson, enshrined his legacy as an exemplar of the “warrior caste.” Priestland begins his study with Genghis Kahn and Beowulf, and with uncommon erudition pays equal attention to Asia and the developing world and Western Europe and the U.S while managing to sustain narrative momentum. Priestland is not sanguine about the future; his story ends with the warrior’s disastrous demise in Iraq, the Wall Street merchant’s destruction of investment as a driver of economic growth, and the dubious rise of “Davos Man,” a closed elite of extraordinarily wealthy sages – many with business and military credentials – who annually attempt to contain the world’s problems at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
April 3, 2013
An interesting look at power from the framework of "caste" rather than class. I was especially taken with his rolling up of the sage and the priest - the similarity between their mindsets are interesting.
For me, the greatest power of the sage (linked to the merchant) in recent times has been the rise of "professionalisation" of occupations not previously seen as such. It comes about the same way each time - the identification of a corpus of knowledge, the establishment of an institute (usually protected by state legislation of one kind or another), and gated progression through grades that would be easily recognisable by any late antiquity mystery cultist or modern day mason. The holy grail of all would-be professions is the license to practice, enabling the exclusion of all non-members from their craft.
For me, the greatest power of the sage (linked to the merchant) in recent times has been the rise of "professionalisation" of occupations not previously seen as such. It comes about the same way each time - the identification of a corpus of knowledge, the establishment of an institute (usually protected by state legislation of one kind or another), and gated progression through grades that would be easily recognisable by any late antiquity mystery cultist or modern day mason. The holy grail of all would-be professions is the license to practice, enabling the exclusion of all non-members from their craft.
May 7, 2016
The Author delves on the caste systems of history and how they have shaped it. He looks at the warrior, the sage technocrat, the merchant and the worker and analyses what happened when they were the driving forces of history. While the worker has not been as effective as others, the warrior has been the most devastating. The sage technocrat, emphasises too much on established procedures while the merchant tends to overreach himself and bring about an economic disaster as happened in 2008. The Author recommends a compromise between the castes to come to an equitable distribution of power, though he is not too hopeful. The study of power by the Author, with continuous obsessive emphasis on the caste system, his central theme, makes the book difficult to grasp. Nevertheless his learnedness is all too obvious. The book will require a second reading at greater leisure
July 7, 2014
Another look at the class struggle. Get used to phrases like "worker-warrior" and "sage-technocrat."
The reading is breezy, with nice examples from literature that work very well.
There's logical inconsistency; ex, China is so successful because labor is so cheap. We can't make them raise wages. This book has a socialist bias, sometimes reading like an editorial. And after the thesis is explained, the rest becomes scattershot world history.
The author insists that we pay more serious attention to history. And in the next sentence he says more socialism is our only hope?
The reading is breezy, with nice examples from literature that work very well.
There's logical inconsistency; ex, China is so successful because labor is so cheap. We can't make them raise wages. This book has a socialist bias, sometimes reading like an editorial. And after the thesis is explained, the rest becomes scattershot world history.
The author insists that we pay more serious attention to history. And in the next sentence he says more socialism is our only hope?
March 7, 2015
I really enjoyed this take on history through the lens of the interaction of the roles of merchant, soldier and sage. It threw new light on much of the last thousand years of history and I think contributed to helping me understand the current balance of forces between markets, the warfare state and the intellectuals who talk about both. Well worth reading and critically examining his takes on this subject.
December 3, 2016
Interesting and very accessible view of history for the non expert, though I did feel that the author tried too hard to paint every scenario in terms of a conflict between the 3 groups. In a modern democracy, there are so many members of the 4th group, the workers, who have to be convinced and become followers of the other 3. So it comes back to a battle of ideas rather than warring castes. Definitely a realistic view of historical conflict and well worth a read.
May 14, 2013
This one started out really well, and I found myself reading the first third rather quickly. But, it quickly became stale and by the time I reached the "modern" times of the book, I found it to be little more than a political diatribe by the author.
Great when viewed the a historical lens, not so good when viewed as a modern day political manifesto.
Great when viewed the a historical lens, not so good when viewed as a modern day political manifesto.
December 20, 2014
The author looks at historical events of the world through the eyes of three distinct groups or classes. There are the merchants, the intellectuals, and the military. The one group neglected are the working class or peasants. The work is elitist.
February 25, 2013
Difficult to get into as it reads like an essay, particularly in the first one hundred pages. But, that said, it grew on me, even though I didn't find its narrative as convincing as its subtitle.
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