History's Worst Decisions and the People Who Made Them, Illustrated Edition

by Stephen Weir

Synopsis "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."-George Santayana, philosopher and writer History is a catalogue of errors, and History's Worst Decisions shines a light on fifty of the biggest. Starting with Adam and Eve's original blunder in eating the apple, author Stephen Weir takes you on a tour of catastrophes from antiquity to modern times. From the Trojan War to Gallipoli, from the Boston Tea Party to the Enron scandal, famous figures of ancient times such as Cleopatra and Nero rub shoulders with more modern culprits like Churchill and Mugabe. History's Worst Decisions doesn't just point the finger at individuals, the actions of governments and corporations are also scrutinized. While the motivations - often sinister, sometimes naïve - that led those responsible to commit their mistakes are unveiled, as is the lasting impact that their decisions have had on the world that we live in today. Biography A graduate of Cambridge University, Stephen Weir is a writer and publisher who has worked on three continents. He has worked with authors as diverse as the Australian novelist Patrick White, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature, the noted British military historian John Keegan, and the billionaire George Soros.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Historical, Reference, Leadership, World History, Humor

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy this kind of book about history. But I can't give it more than 3 stars as there were a number of annoying little mistakes in the book which I caught. How many I didn't catch I don't know. For example, perhaps the worst decision that anyone ever made was Mao Zedong's decision in the late Fifties to have China make "the Great Leap Forward." In discussing that decision, the author mentions that Stalin's rule ended in 1956--wrong! Stalin died in 1953. In '56, Khrushchev began his "peaceful coexistence" policy which Mao disagreed with...Anyway, Mao wanted China to industrialize overnight. Farming was neglected as the peasants were ordered to make steel in homemade furnaces in their backyards. It was a total failure. But more than that, it was a horrendous catastrophe that was entirely manmade--as up to 40 million Chinese starved to death. Definitely one of the worst if not the worst decision in history in terms of the human cost. Yet, by the 21st Century, China had succeeded in becoming an industrial power, but not due to Mao's ideas.
I disagree with some of the decisions that were included in this book. Weir says the decisions included in this book are all idiotic ones, that exacted a high price. Belgian King Leopold II's decision to take control of the Congo and pillage it certainly exacted a high price for the Congolese people. Millions died--but wasn't it a good decision for Leopold? His genocidal policy enriched him greatly and he had more than enough money to do anything he wanted. He certainly didn't care about the African people. I'm sure his thinking was that Africa and the Africans existed only for the benefit of the whites....
Stephen Weir is either British or Australian ( I couldn't find it out) and so many of the decisions in the book were British ones. There could have been more American disasters! The Battle of the Somme in WWI was certainly one of the worst military disasters in all history. Field Marshal Douglas Haig got 420,000 of his men killed and failed to defeat the Germans. While Custer's defeat--and death-- at the hands of the Native Americans gets a mention, what about any of the decisions made during the US Civil War, a period of history I've always had a particular interest in? Lee's decision to send "Pickett's Charge" against the Union center at Gettysburg should certainly merit a mention as a most disastrous decision.
Weir includes great corporate blunders, such as those concerning Enron and Robert Maxwell, but misses some truly major bad governmental decisions of recent times. As the book was published in 2009, it could have included President George W. Bush's decision to invade Iraq in 2003. As far as I'm concerned, the book could be updated to include the worst decision ever made by the American voters--the election of Donald Trump as president of the USA in 2016.
It's silly but fun to read about Adam and Eve's original sin. Also included is the story of the Greek war against the city of Troy. Chernobyl is included, as it definitely should be, as are the Union Carbide disaster at Bhopal, India and, of course, the Titanic--but Y2K? Weir states that hundreds of billions of dollars were wasted on something that was NOT going to happen...

[Dirck Lint · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish I could like this book better; I enjoy contemplating the follies of the past, and it should be right up my alley. However, I caught so many small but strident errors that by the time I was half-way done I found myself unable to relax and have fun because I was both waiting for the next clanger and wondering what errors my own education didn't allow me to catch. Some examples:

- Napoleon believing that England is too distracted by the War of American Independence to be a threat and thus paddling off to Russia; since that war ended in 1783, the Brits were well over the distraction. The War of 1812 is an entirely other kettle of fish.

- The War of 1812 had forever put America out of England's hands (with reference to why the British Army had gotten out of practice prior to the Crimean War); see previous, and keep in mind that the War of 1812 was DECLARED by the US. Since the US didn't achieve any of the major goals of that war, it was a moderate win for England, which remained interested in British North America until at least 1867 when it became the Dominion of Canada... and probably rather after that.

- The use of animal grease on the paper cartridges of the Lee-Enfield rifle instigated the Sepoy Uprising; this is a bit of a niggle, but it is the sort of thing that lodges in the historian's imagination like a tiny splinter. The Lee-Enfield was a repeating rifle feeding brass cartridges which never had to go into anyone's mouth, so the Hindu and Moslem troops would have had little issue with it, but it also didn't enter service until 1895 and thus had VERY LITTLE to do with events in 1857. The Enfield Pattern 1853 rifle, a muzzle loader with paper cartridges (which were indeed opened with the teeth), is the one that was issued to the Sepoys and got them so upset.

- Custer's failure to grasp a tactical situation leads to reprisals which wipe out the Lakota people; the problem with this is that there's plenty of Lakota still around. I occasionally talk to some of them. Aside from my point, I also wish Weir had mentioned that Custer's dumbness was amplified by the US Army's unwillingness to adopt repeating firearms for fear of wasting ammunition-- not only was Custer outnumbered, he also had inferior weapons available (the Lakota were willing adopters of repeaters), which is such a rarity in US military history that not mentioning it is lamentable (citation).

- Prisoners freed from a Japanese POW camp in September of 1945 raise a cheer for King George V; that's very nice of them, but he'd died in 1936, five years before they were captured, they probably knew he wasn't king any more.

- The explosion of the reactor at Chernobyl was a hundred times larger than that of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima; since the building the Chernobyl explosion occurred in was still recognizable afterwards and other reactors at the site were still used for some years afterwards, I think that may be slightly inflated.

So... it's occasional fun, but there's this lurking concern that taints the reading. Reading the book certainly isn't one of history's worst decisions, but relying on it as a source is probably not so wise.

[Brent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting information, but marred by an awkward and stilted writing style.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found in an emporium of previously cared for books, and leafed through in a coffee shop by the pacific ocean. Like others have said, great idea for a book, but let down by having the uneven readability of something knocked off to quickly. Would be interested in a second version, but the author should read Gombrich's "A Little History of the world" to see how one can write economically and insightfully on sweeping events. However in these days of google it was good to look up little gems such as in the chapter on the Boxing Day Tsunami. So the story of Tilly Smith credited with rescuing a hundred tourists because of she had done Tsunamis in geography and recognised the signs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilly_S...

I'll leave it on the coffee table to have a look at some of the other "Worst Decisions"

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is just fun. Winston Churchill is responsible for a surprising amount of the world's terrible things. Anyway, if you're interested in history, this is a silly recap of most of the world's most terrible decisions (most of which were made by white people, everyone act surprised). I am surprised that the author chose to include things like Adam and Eve, but it's still fun. I'd recommend it for a quick and entertaining read.

[Graham Senders · Rating 1 out of 5]

Do not read this book unless you are prepared to do the work to verify the author's claims. There are plenty that are just wrong. And the author helpfully avoids footnotes, so you are on your own. Which is a good thing, as it means that you need to find reputable sources.
The word "why' should come into your mind and often. Why has the author chosen the Maginot Line and not the Munich agreement? Why the rabbits and not the cane toads? Why did he start with Adam and Eve? Why? Why?

[Anurag Modak · Rating 1 out of 5]

Overlooking the numerous historical inaccuracies and grammatical/typographical errors present throughout, this book is not an encyclopedia so much as a pop culture anthology of already-well-known historical blunders. Stephen Weir takes a highly Anglo-centric view of history, briefly touching on Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome before rapidly transitioning his focus to certain events during the rise and fall of the British Empire, and ultimately relegating Asia and Africa to brief one-off entries. Moreover, Weir frequently ascribes to idiocy numerous acts and policies that were, in fact, the result of pure negligence or willful malice, demonstrating a poor understanding of the historical context of the events that he discusses. In fact, the author treats most of the entries relatively superficially and offers little-to-no new insights or analysis. This book should only be read for entertainment and not with a view to gain any real understanding of the events highlighted in this anthology.

[Mega · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shows the humanity of the leaders of the ol

[Joel Gray · Rating 2 out of 5]

AS IN ALL REVOLUTIONS, THE MOMENT AN OPRESSED GROUP SEIZES POWER FROM AN EVIL GOVERNMENT, IT RAPIDLY ACQUIRES THE MEANS, TECHNIQUES AND TERMINOLOGY OF THE OLD REGIME.

Heading overseas for obscure reasons to take over a land you don't know much about is not good for those at home.

66-75% of native Australian mammal species vanished as a direct result of rabbit infestation. The introduction of myxomatosis in the 1950's killed about 95% of Australia's rabbit population.

In 1867-1868 reservations were created, whereby native America tribes surrendered their land rights in exchange for designated properties where they could theoretically live in peace.

1503 out of the 2210 on the Titanic died. Its capacity was 3500. The Titanic only had 20 lifeboats which could carry 1178 people. It would have been 'too much clutter' to have all 48 on decks. Very few lifeboats were filled when lowered into the water for fear of them breaking (which they wouldn't have).

More lifeboats, better distress signals and 24-hour ship to ship radio communications were all introduced pot the Titanic.

Over the years the greedy have gambled and lost their fortunes on foolish ventures and non-existent investment opportunities.

[James · Rating 1 out of 5]

I saw this one at a bookstore. After perusing the section on cleopatra I concluded that this book is not historically accurate. I am reading "the rise and fall of Alexandria" which is very well researched. It makes it clear that the fall of cleopatra was not "a bad decision" on her part to ally with mark Antony. It was much more the result of decisions made by her predecessor Ptolemy 4 combined with the actions of her brother, the beheading of Pompeii, and the decisions of various actors of Rome including Julius Caesar and Octavian

If this book makes such simplistic conclusion on this topic and in Adam and Eve, then how can I trust the rest of the book?

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first 2/3 of the book is a great read. Great history, perspective and stories. I like the way each "Bad Decision" is categorized by they 7 deadly sins. The format is good. The book succeeds in bringing history to life and summarizing these events, many human caused disasters.
I cared less for the last 1/3 of the book. That part covers more recent events, AIDS and has more to do with Corruption, Greed, and sloth. Not heroic miscalculations rather more coverups, megalomaniacs.
Overall the book's topics are heavy with failings of the crumbling British empire and I suspect the author is very familiar with British history.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Im sure many others here, like myself, picked this up as a Barnes & Noble bargain book (I paid $7 for it after my teacher discount). I don't really understand what the gripe is. Its clever, straight to the point, and a great concept. I am even planning to use a couple chapters as a reference in discussing with my 9th grade world history classes. If you were looking for a reference book or some ground-breaking historical text you probably should have ventured somewhere else in the store. I liked it, didn't love it, but its far better than many of the reviews here have stated.

[Nathan Langford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recomment this book for 2 simple reasons: first - it is interesting set of 'reads' whether you agree with authors view of these events being history's worst decisions; and, second - the chapters are short, sweet and to the point so the book can be picked up and put down quickly. A great companion or extra book to carry with you when you are unsure how much reading time you might have between 'things'.

[Emma W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting book but there were some inaccuracies. It gets the “what happened” but the “why” is oversimplified massively.

My second issue was the chapter on Jonestown. Rather than putting the blame on Jim Jones, it was put onto the victims of the massacre. Cult followers are by and large vulnerable people. There were also many who were forcibly injected with cyanide or shot, so all the people who died were not from drinking the kool-aide.

[Peter Wolfley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over the course of human history, a lot of stupid things have been done. The only issue I take with this book is the author makes no allowance for honest mistakes. To him every bad thing was a result of mankind's idiocy. No doubt we've done some really mindless things but I don't believe we can chalk it all up to that. Sometimes, with limited knowledge and perspective, mistakes will be made.

[James Patterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really a bit of a disppointment. Just bland and trying too hard to wrap it around the motivating cause, such as sloth or greed. Some good historical knowledge and out-of-the-way factoids save it from being two stars.

[Anne Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some errors, but overall the book was interesting and informative. The occasional bizarre fact was what I liked. A sampling follows:

James I was known as king of England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Puloway and Puloroon. (p61)

Rabbits were introduced into southern England by the Normans in 1066 and by the twentieth century had made it to the Scottish Borders. In Australia, in 1859, Thomas Austin persuaded his brother to send 24 rabbits from England for a Christmas hunt in Geelong. In 1866, 14000 were shot on his estate alone, 20 years later, the devastation had reached Queensland and by 1900 they had crossed the desert into the Northern Territory. (p84)

In 1862, President Lincoln who liberated Afro-American slaves, nevertheless had no problem in ordering the mass hanging of 38 Santee Sioux. In 1864, Kit Carson force-marched 8000 Navajo to their new "home" across New Mexico. (p89)

In 1936, Yezhov became People's Commissar for Internal Affairs (head of the NKVD) and began a purge of Russia's leadership. About half the political and military establishment were killed in the next two years. Automatic guilty verdicts were instated against anyone - and their wives and children over 15 - deemed "socially dangerous". This included anyone negotiating with or considered influenced by foreign powers. Since the new corps of the Red Army were German-trained, this essentially included all of them. A corps was created with German assistance to train the army against the growing German threat and was then killed for consorting with Germans. (p139) The Soviet Army was so demoralised by the time of Hitler's invasion that Stalin had to abandon the class struggle and declare a Great Patriotic War to mobilise enough forces to defeat the Nazi threat. (p140)

Japanese forces attacked Singapore the same day as Pearl Harbor, destroying 90% of the aircraft. (p145) Both symbolically and strategically, the whole hemisphere slipped from British control the days the guns in Singapore failed to turn. (p147)

In 1952, Farouk of Egypt was overthrown by generals and in 1953, a republic was declared, bringing to an end 5000 years of monarchical rule. (p169)

During the Suez crisis, secret talks between Britain and France produced Operation Musketeer: Israel would attack Egypt, then call for Anglo-French help. The invasion went ahead and a force seized Suez. America intervened, forcing a ceasefire and withdrawal of the Anglo-French troops. British influence in the region declined as Egypt nationalised British interests, (p171)

The toxic nature of thalidomide is passed on genetically. (p177)

In the 1950s, one million Africans received an oral polio vaccine in Stanleyville in what was once the Belgian Congo. 76% of the early cases of AIDS turned up about ten years later in the same villages where the vaccines were used. (p180)

[Sudip Rakshit]

Very entertaining reading..Indeed! But all true disastrous stories ...
Beginning from Adam and Eve and ending with the South and SE Asian Tsunami the book gives a very good overview of 50 the decisions which lead to huge loss of lives, famines, bankruptcies of people institutions and countries, environmental disasters etc etc..the Motivations as highlighted clearly at the beginning of each story belonging to categories of: anger, charity, envy, fait, gluttony, greed, hope, lust, pride and sloth. Along with this the author also provided for each incident - the Main Culprit, Damage done and Why - in each introduction.
Some examples Nero, Cleopatra, Pope Alexander, Winston Churchill (multiple times!), Sepoy mutiny in India, Suhrawardy and Indian partition and the Bengal rice Famine, Thalidomide, Mao Tse Tung, Union Carbide, Murphy's law and the missing hyphen, Lockheed (Milstar 2 crashed because one parameter was entered as -0.1992476 instead of the correct -1.99476! loss of US$750 million in 1999 - also The Mars Orbiter was launched in 1998 plunged straight into the Mars atmosphere instead of finding orbit - reason a contractor Lockheed Martin data in Imperial Units, but had been ordered in metric units - this is taught in Year 1 Under grad engineering courses!) Chernobyl, Enron, Y2K, AIDS,
Wonderful reading - great anecdotes and in my opinion quite balanced...not biased...
I read it over a few months as it is made it easier to consume and reflect on..
As the author points out - an oft-repeated phrase - but to which the powers that be surprisingly do not heed to - "the inspired famous phrase - "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it".

[Victor Henrique · Rating 3 out of 5]

The decisions and choices that were made in those particular historical times were not taken because they were dumb, but moved by the deep impulses , feelings of grandeur we all have. The historical figures were quite witty , with some exceptions that are completly idiotic, of course . The world is indeed a chess board played by some powerful fools or smart ones , that by their mischief tends to ruin their own intelligence and natural gifts , both mental and emotional. So putting aside some History and political divergence that i have with the author, the book is a good read! Funny , well written , straight to the point and a very good piece to remember your history basics, yet don't be surprised to find some fun , funny and amazing parts of History you never imagined to be true , or at least that you considered to be true. You could be surprised to remember Erik the Red and Erikkson adventures on the way to "Greenland", The end of the World pope, Jorge de Poděbrady and his "old UN", the Manhattan trade and , of course, the many scientific bad choices that people survived to tell... and much more.

Despite some clear political agenda that was crystal clear in this book, wich made me reduce it to 3 stars, Weir made a great job. Stephen wrote the book as a small river filled with branches that can go to a very big ocean. It will just depend on you to follow this river ... and when you finish the book it's also up to you to discover the small curious branches and return up the main river , aiming to the ocean of World History.

[Lucas M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

O livro é indicado primordialmente para curiosos e interessados em fatos aleatórios e que engrandecem o repertório de conhecimento. É uma leitura de translado, sem muita necessidade de grande concentração e tempo. Um fato novo a cada página e assim a leitura flui. O rigor científico não é grande, mas o esforço de Stephen Weir de ter levantado tantas ocasiões sobre a "burrice" humana é notável. De reis à presidentes; de pessoas bem intencionadas à genocidas; de imperadores à líderes de pequenas repúblicas; de colonizadores à colonizados. Quase tudo no livro remete à citação inicial, de George Santayana, sobre a necessidade de relembrar o passado para não tornar a repeti-lo. A leitura é prazerosa e o bom humor de Weir é o grande responsável por isso, tanto quanto sua capacidade de articular-se bem em assuntos tão complexos como exploração espacial, ascensão e declínio de impérios e operações financeiras globais. Vale a pena a leitura. É preciso dizer, contudo, que o livro é bastante centrado no cenário político-cultural-ideológico britânico e isso pode ser estranho para leitores que desconhecem parte da história da ilha.

[Thomas · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a book which the publisher knew would sell on the title alone - and the author proved them right.

The history in the book is so bad as to be useless. Mistakes are everywhere, from small factual details that could have been found with a google, to big picture ideas that are supposed to be the basis of whole chapters

When the author has done enough research to be aware that what they're saying is dubious, they retreat to their made up axiom that if lots of people said something then it's usually true.

The choice of worst decisions is lazy and nonsensical, mostly a list of famous historical events whether or not they involved a bad decision. Several of them are fictional, at least one of them is an outright conspiracy theory.

On top of this little thought was put into understanding why a bad decision would be made - what I would have thought was the point of the whole book. Instead of looking at the societal pressures, historical context and the human biases that lead to bad decisions, the author will say "it's because of pride" and leave it at that.

And the writing is boring.

But apart from all that, it's a great title.

Listen to the Cautionary Tales podcast to see this concept done right.

[Martti · Rating 2 out of 5]

See üritab olla lühike kogumik meelelahutuslikke episoode ajaloost, kuid esimene peatükk on "Aadam ja Eeva" ning teine peatükk "Menelaos ja tema kadunud naine" ehk Ilus-Helena ja Trooja sõda, mis mõtemad on pigem mütoloogilised väljamõeldised. Seega raamat ei alga just paljutõotavalt. Edasi on väheke tõsisemad juhtumid, kuid eks ta üks segapudru ja kapsad ole, sensatsioonilises kastmes.

Montezuma arvab, et Cortez on jumal Quetzalcoatl. Kuningas George III tõstab makse ja Ameerika kolooniad mässavad ning iseseisvuvad. Napoleon jääb Vene talve kätte selleasemel, et talvituda Vitebskis ja koguda varusid. Küülikute toomine Austraaliasse, kus need ülijõudsalt paljunesid. Ahvena toomine Victoria järve, kus see 300 liigist 180 kohalikku olla hävitanud. CIA operatsioon demokraatia kukutamisel Iraanis. Jim Jonesi 900 usukultuseliiget joomas mürgitatud Kool-Aidi.

[Luiz · Rating 2 out of 5]

A idéia do livro é ótima; revisitar alguns grandes eventos históricos e rever algumas das piores decisões já tomada por pessoas proeminentes.

O problema é que a execução é inconsistente, e o texto e os fatos apresentados deixam a desejar. Em vários casos, eu me peguei indo pesquisar o assunto na web para ler mais sobre.

E quando o livro chega na Era Contemporânea (pós Guerras, principalmente) e as "Decisões" passam a ser relacionadas ao mundo dos negócios e deixa de ser decisões baseadas em coisas grandiosas e simplesmente pessoas escrotas tentando esconder suas sacanagens.

[Brittany Garcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is nothing wrong with this book as it surveys history with snap shots of the worst decisions including person, time, motivations, outcomes and some background information and maps but for some reason I thought this was a leadership book that was going to survey these decisions and provide insight for emerging leaders today or provide some wisdom...it is a fine book just not want I was hoping to get.

[Anson Cassel Mills · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though I wanted to like this book, the author's choice of subjects was idiosyncratic and his writing mediocre. I also caught a number of errors, the most startling being that Napoleon knew that England "would be diverted by the American War of Independence." (70) Still, the idea of the book is clever, it's nicely printed, and there are sparkly moments within its considerable mound of pitchblende.

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an entertainingly informative account of 50 bad historical decisions which had impact on others. The reasons behind the decisions vary from greed, to obtuseness, to ignorance, to arrogance and sometimes even lain naivety. The scariest thing I found was how dependent the future of the world is on ordinary human beings and how incredibly flawed they are. Terrifying. We are providing much material for another volume, always presuming the world is still here with people to read it!

[Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was ok, but the snark & sensationalism was off putting at times. I also started to question the accuracy of some of the accounts, most especially the one entitled Lockheed Martin, Columbine, & the Metric System. that one was riddled with misunderstandings & inaccuracy. makes me wonder about some of the other places in the vignettes that sounded off. I enjoyed reading it, but as light entertainment rather than actual history.

[Silver Sikka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kui pealkiri oleks olnud "Ajaloo halvimad otsused ja nende tegijad - minu nägemus", oleks 3 pluss...
Raamat koosnes "nupukestest" ja iga loo alguses oli kõrval kummaline motivatsioonitabel, kus määratleti antud idiootsuse , autori lemmiksõna, tagamaid.
Motivatsioon:
viha
armastus
usk
aplus
ahnus
lootus
iharus
uhkus
laiskus

Päris imelik...
Esimesed "idioodid" olid ka Aadam ja Eeva... Järgmised olid Menelaos ja Helena. Õnneks päris Lumivalgukeseni välja ei jõutud.

[Louise Umehara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting collection of the worst decisions made by leaders throughout history. From Adam and Eve to the Boxing Day tsunami. The motivation, main culprit, damage done and why are clearly set out at the beginning of each scenario. This provides a good segue into each story with enough information to form some understanding of tipping points in history.

[Tiago Andrade · Rating 2 out of 5]

Estilo mais floreado e pomposo do que informativo, fazendo com que muitos capítulos ficam confusos justamente porque o autor demora para chegar a o ponto. Algumas escolhas tendenciosas, como considerar os investimentos para combater o bug do milênio uma escolha errada, e algumas informações incorretas.