March 2

The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World before the War

By Barbara Tuchman

I'd always wanted to read this account of Europe in the 20 years preceding World War I.  The author describes the activities of the anarchists (bombings in a Paris Post Office, shootings in Madrid) and it sounds like Europe today. Instead of ISIS, the perpetrators are the turn-of-the last-century disenfranchised peoples.  It was not surprising to read of the incredible wealth of the richest landed gentry vs the poverty of the poor - no wonder the anarchists rose up, though some, surprisingly, were of the wealthy classes.  Tuchman also writes of the contemporary musicians, like Strauss
and Wagner, and the influence they wielded.  I got bogged down in some of the dates and activities thought themed-tolatter parts of the book, but this lengthy, detailed, well-researched book is definitely worth reading.  Best to know about the past in order to understand the present, and hopefully to prevent some of the same mistakes.