Hubris

The Tragedy of War in the Twentieth Century

By: Alistair Horne

Narrated by: James Adams

“EMINENTLY PROVOCATIVE AND READABLE.”—THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Sir Alistair Horne has been a close observer of war and history for more than fifty years and in this wise and masterly work, he revisits six battles of the past century and examines the strategies, leadership, preparation, and geopolitical goals of aggressors and defenders to reveal the one trait that links them all: hubris.

In Greek tragedy, hubris is excessive human pride that challenges the gods and ultimately leads to total destruction of the offender. From the 1905 Battle of Tsushima in the Russo-Japanese War, to Hitler's 1941 bid to capture Moscow, to MacArthur's disastrous advance in Korea, to the French downfall at Dien Bien Phu, Horne shows how each of these battles was won or lost due to excessive hubris on one side or the other. In a sweeping narrative written with his trademark erudition and wit, Horne provides a meticulously detailed analysis of the ground maneuvers employed by the opposing armies in each battle. He also explores the strategic and psychological mindset of the military leaders involved to demonstrate how devastating combinations of human ambition and arrogance led to overreach. Making clear the danger of hubris in warfare, his insights hold resonant lessons for civilian and military leaders navigating today's complex global landscape.

A dramatic, colorful, stylishly-written history, Hubris is a much-needed reflection on war from a master of his field.

masterful

Very fascinating and delivered with all the flair, humor and nuance of the Queen's English!

Excellent analysis, outstanding narration

This is the best audible audio book I have listened. Superbly written, excellent analysis of the several war episodes chosen and an absolutely outstanding narration. It doesn't get better than this.

Very good read

Thoroughly enjoyed the book. The examples chosen we perfect examples and the authors writing was superb.

Also enjoyed the narration

I Never Heard W ll Explained this Way!

Where does Hubris rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I very much enjoy stories of WW ll & Vietnam. This Book covers several less known wars, especially between the Japanese & Russia. But Alistair Horne also covers a more well known, but rather short,look at the Pacific War, especially the Battle of Midway. Everything covered, Hubris's is the driving force behind the instigators. Very well read, most interesting to hear. I highly recommend it to those who wonder about the price of war & the driving force of Hubris. The once again fall of the French, in Vietnam this time, should have warned all of the American leaders of what disaster lay ahead for the USA! ND John

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was the Russian General Zhukov & his handling of the little know 1939 battle with the Japanese in Manchuria, a very bloody affair! This set the stage for the Russian General's actions in the soon to come WW ll & was the main reason Japan decided not to attack Russia during the 1940's allowing Russia to send his eastern army against the German advance on Moscow! I will now look at history's great Wars to see if the parties involved studied history! I know most did not & then paid a high price.

Which character – as performed by James Adams – was your favorite?

Finally, someone (James Adams) gave a forthright reading of the King of Hubris, General McArthur!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

How Big Battles are Lost!

Any additional comments?

I loved "After a Win, Tighten Your Chin Strap"! How true!

Unexpectedly Enlightening

An excellent narrative of the warfare that consumed most of the world during the first half of the last century. The author's premise that hubris may be blamed for most the military history during that period is meticulously presented and defended. Many nuances that most historical narratives of that time are finely detailed. One would have to try hard not to learn something new from this book.