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Swords into Plowshares: A Life in Wartime and a Future of Peace and Prosperity
In his latest book, Swords into Plowshares, Dr. Paul reveals an intensely personal side as he reflects on growing up during World War II. The book also provides a powerful critique of the corruption and corrosion produced by a 20th century full of war and killing. Ever the optimist, however, Paul leaves behind the ashes of a 20th century of war to finish with a stirring, liberating view of the future we may choose if we turn from war and violence.
237 pages, Paperback
First published July 17, 2015
About the author
Ron Paul
105 books560 followersRepublican United States Congressman from Lake Jackson, Texas, a physician, a bestselling author, and a former 2008 U.S. presidential candidate.
Originally from the Pittsburgh suburb of Green Tree, Pennsylvania, he studied at Duke University School of Medicine; after his 1961 graduation and a residency in obstetrics and gynecology, he became a U.S. Air Force flight surgeon, serving outside the Vietnam War zone. He later represented Texas districts in the U.S. House of Representatives (1976–1977, 1979–1985, and 1997–present). He entered the 1988 presidential election, running as the Libertarian nominee while remaining a registered Republican, and placed a distant third.
Paul has been described as conservative, Constitutionalist, and libertarian. He advocates a foreign policy of nonintervention, having voted against actions such as the Iraq War Resolution, but in favor of force against terrorists in Afghanistan. He favors withdrawal from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the United Nations, citing the dangers of foreign entanglements to national sovereignty. Having pledged never to raise taxes, he has long advocated ending the federal income tax, scaling back government spending, abolishing most federal agencies, and removing military bases and troops from foreign soil; he favors hard money and opposes the Federal Reserve. He also opposes the Patriot Act, the federal War on Drugs, No Child Left Behind, and gun control. Paul is strongly pro-life, and has introduced bills to negate Roe v. Wade, but affirms states' rights to regulate or ban abortion, rather than federal jurisdiction.
While Paul was a leading 2008 presidential candidate in some Republican straw polls, he saw substantially less support in landline opinion polls and in the actual primaries. Strong internet grassroots support was indicated by his popularity as a web search term, his lead in YouTube subscriptions, and, on December 16th 2007, the largest one-day fundraiser in U.S. political history, netting over $6 million in 24 hours through an independently organized effort. His book commenting on the presidential run, The Revolution: A Manifesto, became a bestseller immediately upon release and went on to be #1 on the New York Times nonfiction best sellers list.
Judge Andrew Napolitano calls him "the Thomas Jefferson of our day."
Ron Paul, the New York Post once wrote, is a politician who "cannot be bought by special interests."
"There are few people in public life who, through thick and thin, rain or shine, stick to their principles," added a congressional colleague. "Ron Paul is one of those few."
Originally from the Pittsburgh suburb of Green Tree, Pennsylvania, he studied at Duke University School of Medicine; after his 1961 graduation and a residency in obstetrics and gynecology, he became a U.S. Air Force flight surgeon, serving outside the Vietnam War zone. He later represented Texas districts in the U.S. House of Representatives (1976–1977, 1979–1985, and 1997–present). He entered the 1988 presidential election, running as the Libertarian nominee while remaining a registered Republican, and placed a distant third.
Paul has been described as conservative, Constitutionalist, and libertarian. He advocates a foreign policy of nonintervention, having voted against actions such as the Iraq War Resolution, but in favor of force against terrorists in Afghanistan. He favors withdrawal from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the United Nations, citing the dangers of foreign entanglements to national sovereignty. Having pledged never to raise taxes, he has long advocated ending the federal income tax, scaling back government spending, abolishing most federal agencies, and removing military bases and troops from foreign soil; he favors hard money and opposes the Federal Reserve. He also opposes the Patriot Act, the federal War on Drugs, No Child Left Behind, and gun control. Paul is strongly pro-life, and has introduced bills to negate Roe v. Wade, but affirms states' rights to regulate or ban abortion, rather than federal jurisdiction.
While Paul was a leading 2008 presidential candidate in some Republican straw polls, he saw substantially less support in landline opinion polls and in the actual primaries. Strong internet grassroots support was indicated by his popularity as a web search term, his lead in YouTube subscriptions, and, on December 16th 2007, the largest one-day fundraiser in U.S. political history, netting over $6 million in 24 hours through an independently organized effort. His book commenting on the presidential run, The Revolution: A Manifesto, became a bestseller immediately upon release and went on to be #1 on the New York Times nonfiction best sellers list.
Judge Andrew Napolitano calls him "the Thomas Jefferson of our day."
Ron Paul, the New York Post once wrote, is a politician who "cannot be bought by special interests."
"There are few people in public life who, through thick and thin, rain or shine, stick to their principles," added a congressional colleague. "Ron Paul is one of those few."
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 12, 2015
Dr. Paul strikes again! He is one of the greatest statesmen of our time. As a congressman, he always spoke his mind and never voted along party lines. Ron was an individual who actually fulfilled his oath to obey the constitution. This is by far one of my favorite of his books primarily because it addresses an issue that is slowly devastating our nation fiscally and slowly eroding our civil liberties. Ron writes about the horrors of war and that governments will go to great lengths to lie and brainwash their people to support unjust wars. The thesis of the book as stated on page 211is, “This book is about the needlessness of war and whose interests are served by war.”
There were times when it took me 45 minutes just to read 10 pages because it made me think and digest just how sinister government bureaucrats are about convincing us that their wars are the right thing. It’s funny how almost all government officials want the people to do their bidding while they sit behind and watch healthy, young, and able bodies risk their lives for money, politics, and lies. I respect Ron Paul greatly for exposing this horrible atrocity and never giving in to the statists who are always so eager to pull the trigger. When Ron Paul ran for president in 2008 and 2012, we had a chance to elect someone who would stand for our countries principles, for liberty, and prosperity by continuously advocating for a foreign policy of peace, prosperity, and honest friendship. We blew it!
There were times when it took me 45 minutes just to read 10 pages because it made me think and digest just how sinister government bureaucrats are about convincing us that their wars are the right thing. It’s funny how almost all government officials want the people to do their bidding while they sit behind and watch healthy, young, and able bodies risk their lives for money, politics, and lies. I respect Ron Paul greatly for exposing this horrible atrocity and never giving in to the statists who are always so eager to pull the trigger. When Ron Paul ran for president in 2008 and 2012, we had a chance to elect someone who would stand for our countries principles, for liberty, and prosperity by continuously advocating for a foreign policy of peace, prosperity, and honest friendship. We blew it!
October 10, 2015
Ron Paul details reasons why the US should no longer police the world, and makes the case for a noninterventionist foreign policy. He also shows the effects of blowback from US interference around the world. Dr. Paul makes it clear how war profiteers and other special interests gain from these actions while the public suffers in multiple ways. I recommend this book to anyone who may be skeptical of the constant state of war that we're in.
March 16, 2016
Ron Paul does it again, stating how the systematic change to a tyrannical government is what we need to end the senseless death of millions of innocent people. unfortunately, his message will not be publicized or heard by many due to their own ignorance of personal liberties and prosperity.
December 27, 2018
When I review a book that is supposed to promote a certain type of political philosophy, a huge part of the grade I gave it depends on its ability to convince me to support whatever position the author is trying to promote. Now in this book, I was able to deduce the purpose of Ron Paul writing this was to convince the reader to become anti-war and support a foreign policy that the founders wanted (a non-interventionist policy).
I no longer consider myself libertarian is because I can no longer stand with its, what I now consider, egregious foreign policy. I believe that the United States of America has been the greatest global peace keeping force in all of human history and that is not a libertarian stance. So, has Dr. Paul convinced me to surrender back to believing in a libertarian foreign policy? No.
The main bulk of this book centers on how much damage comes out of war. How it is harmful to economy, leads to death and suffering, leads to PTSD for veterans, etc. That is great, but I guess what he and other libertarians in general fail to realize is that no one (except maybe neocons) is not anti-war. Non-libertarians believe that the United States of America, with all of its military might, should protect certain democratic allies abroad and keep them safe against nearby threats of autocratic regimes. By maintaining global presence, the US prevents war and keeps the world safe for democracy. In the beginning, he talks about why the US should not have involved itself in the Korean War, but he never addresses what interventionists think regarding that war. If we hadn’t gone in, the north would have won and now South Korea, the thriving capitalistic democracy that it is, would not exist. It would be a communist shit hole rule by Kim Jong Un. There are other examples of this throughout the book.
There are a few redeeming parts, such breaking the constitutionality of certain wars and how that power has been abused, but that is pretty much it- 6/10.
I no longer consider myself libertarian is because I can no longer stand with its, what I now consider, egregious foreign policy. I believe that the United States of America has been the greatest global peace keeping force in all of human history and that is not a libertarian stance. So, has Dr. Paul convinced me to surrender back to believing in a libertarian foreign policy? No.
The main bulk of this book centers on how much damage comes out of war. How it is harmful to economy, leads to death and suffering, leads to PTSD for veterans, etc. That is great, but I guess what he and other libertarians in general fail to realize is that no one (except maybe neocons) is not anti-war. Non-libertarians believe that the United States of America, with all of its military might, should protect certain democratic allies abroad and keep them safe against nearby threats of autocratic regimes. By maintaining global presence, the US prevents war and keeps the world safe for democracy. In the beginning, he talks about why the US should not have involved itself in the Korean War, but he never addresses what interventionists think regarding that war. If we hadn’t gone in, the north would have won and now South Korea, the thriving capitalistic democracy that it is, would not exist. It would be a communist shit hole rule by Kim Jong Un. There are other examples of this throughout the book.
There are a few redeeming parts, such breaking the constitutionality of certain wars and how that power has been abused, but that is pretty much it- 6/10.
October 31, 2023
Dr. Ron Paul, what else can I say honestly? This book was written in 2015 and it lays out plainly the issues that we are facing today in 2023. Dr. Paul even references the war in Ukraine, Middle East Conflicts and the big bad wolf that is Russia.
In this book there is a lot of discussion about the issues of a constant state of warfare that has engulfed the American Political System, which it has. Explaining of course the evils of a fiat monetary policy, and how that helps create these pro-longed wars, and how the government uses Big Tech to create propaganda to feed the people lies about other people and help push for more wars.
Overall Dr. Paul does a great job detailing how we got here, and more importantly how we get out.
If you are looking for a new way to get out of the normal Right vs. Left I suggest to you, Dr. Ron Paul.
In this book there is a lot of discussion about the issues of a constant state of warfare that has engulfed the American Political System, which it has. Explaining of course the evils of a fiat monetary policy, and how that helps create these pro-longed wars, and how the government uses Big Tech to create propaganda to feed the people lies about other people and help push for more wars.
Overall Dr. Paul does a great job detailing how we got here, and more importantly how we get out.
If you are looking for a new way to get out of the normal Right vs. Left I suggest to you, Dr. Ron Paul.
November 7, 2017
I found Dr. Paul's treatise on war and peace to be enlightening. However, while he makes a myriad of excellent points, very little is said about how to actually solve the problems on a practical level. Dr. Paul approaches it more from a philosophical level.
This book has changed my attitude towards American interventionism abroad somewhat, but I still would love to read a book about how the ideas put forth in this book can be implemented on a practical and realistic level.
This book has changed my attitude towards American interventionism abroad somewhat, but I still would love to read a book about how the ideas put forth in this book can be implemented on a practical and realistic level.
March 15, 2018
One of my favorites of Ron Paul's books. As usual he packs a bunch and holds nothing back in this view into the flaws of American foreign policy. The U.S. government is one of the main reasons why world peace will never happen. Hopefully more people will read this book and start paying attention to the nonaggression principle. It could save lives, thousands of lives.
July 6, 2017
I love all of Ron Paul's books. They are very insightful and show you how war is a business both sides of government secretly support. Recommend this book.
November 28, 2016
I love Ron Paul. Up to this point, I've loved everything I've read by him including Revolution: A Manifesto, End the Fed, Liberty Defined, and The School Revolution. Perhaps it is because I am too familiar with his work that I found this book to be rather uninspiring.
He really seems to repeat himself over and over. He steadfastly challenges modern popular opinion on war (which is itself brave and commendable) but I don't think he has really advanced the conversation. He attempts to deal with the common "isolationist" argument but doesn't address the equally common genocide objection. This is a tough question but one libertarians face whenever they discuss the issue with opponents. He discusses the famous Swiss neutrality but doesn't effectively take on the objection that their neutrality was only made possible by American intervention.
A lot of his arguments take the form of "the myth that war does not help the economy has been disproved". I certainly agree but I didn't find any persuasive arguments as to how. That may have required a larger book but in the 230 pages, of this book several arguments were repeated again and again. I didn't disagree with anything he said but I didn't find anything that I felt could change someone's mind or even make them give pause. Perhaps the book was meant to be more of a rallying cry for the already initiated; a sermon for the choir to give encouragement. I will say it has encouraged me to think more about how non-intervention can be better promoted but was not especially enlightening or inspiring.
To the interested, I would recommend reading Chapters 1, 2, and 21. The rest was difficult to get through and mostly superfluous.
He really seems to repeat himself over and over. He steadfastly challenges modern popular opinion on war (which is itself brave and commendable) but I don't think he has really advanced the conversation. He attempts to deal with the common "isolationist" argument but doesn't address the equally common genocide objection. This is a tough question but one libertarians face whenever they discuss the issue with opponents. He discusses the famous Swiss neutrality but doesn't effectively take on the objection that their neutrality was only made possible by American intervention.
A lot of his arguments take the form of "the myth that war does not help the economy has been disproved". I certainly agree but I didn't find any persuasive arguments as to how. That may have required a larger book but in the 230 pages, of this book several arguments were repeated again and again. I didn't disagree with anything he said but I didn't find anything that I felt could change someone's mind or even make them give pause. Perhaps the book was meant to be more of a rallying cry for the already initiated; a sermon for the choir to give encouragement. I will say it has encouraged me to think more about how non-intervention can be better promoted but was not especially enlightening or inspiring.
To the interested, I would recommend reading Chapters 1, 2, and 21. The rest was difficult to get through and mostly superfluous.
October 23, 2016
Classic Ron Paul. Been a huge fan since the late 2000's. This man opened my eyes so that I am able to identify all the obstacles in the path to a society of peace and prosperity and how a society can chose to avoid those obstacles if peace and prosperity are the ends we seek. He taught me everything I should have been taught in my teen years but wasn't because so few people are educated in a worldview founded in non-aggression. If you have read several of Ron Paul's other books, there is nothing really new in this one. There are references to a few books I haven't read yet so I got that out of it. Otherwise I knew everything he talks about here from other works but this is a great summary on the uselessness and wastefulness of war. If you have never read Ron Paul's books, this is as good as any of the others as a starting point. Of all his books, this is the only one with him on the cover. Maybe because there is a little more about him in this book. His others are all about the philosophy and worldview, its never been about him, always about the ideas. I'll be forever grateful to him for his wisdom, outspoken nature and pursuit of enlightening the masses and sharing his message of non-aggression as a means of achieving peace and prosperity.
July 10, 2016
Dr. Paul's latest anti war manifesto is an inspiring read. Was it idealistic? Yes. But the world needs people who hold to their principles. Dr. Paul's positive outlook and faith in positive outcomes despite the hopelessness reported by mass media outlets is inspiring and refreshing. For me, it was very much like preaching to the choir, and got my anti war hackles up to a very intense degree. But I think sometimes we need that, it is healthy to hear that somebody shares your views and is very optimistic about the future because it so often seems like an uphill battle that we are destined to lose to the propagandists and those who mean well, but just lack the initiative to pursue and take for their own the responsibilities and blessings of individual freedom, individual liberty. This book I can highly recommend to one and all particularly if you are opposed to wars, and believe in peace as a matter of principle.
October 19, 2015
Ron Paul has become a controversial icon for simply being liberty minded. This book is a clear and understandable thesis of why he stands for freedom and how Americans can regain it. If you don't like to hear the status quo, that is the Republican and Democrat parties, challenged by the Constitution, don't bother reading. If you want encouragement on how to stage a peaceful recovery of government stolen liberties, here it is.
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November 25, 2015The complete argument against war
Ron Paul has presented the argument against war and the tyrants who plan and wage war in as concise and compelling a fashion as I have ever read. This is not a book to be considered lightly, as it is also a clarion call to deny politicians the cover to wage any wars and the money to fund them.
Ron Paul has presented the argument against war and the tyrants who plan and wage war in as concise and compelling a fashion as I have ever read. This is not a book to be considered lightly, as it is also a clarion call to deny politicians the cover to wage any wars and the money to fund them.
August 27, 2015
An Excellent book. Dr Ron Paul shines an important overview of the non-interventionism principle, consequences of military nation building and the mistakes performed by US Militarism throughout the 90's-2000's. A must for every International Relations Student and Analysts.
July 26, 2015
Pretty strong anti-war polemic from Ron Paul. Nothing really unexpected but it's nice to hear people who have held positions of power eloquently describe the problems within the current system.
November 3, 2015
Not his best work... I highly prefer The Revolution... or Audit the Fed.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews