Name: In the Shadow of the Gods: The Emperor in World History
Price: 1118.00 TWD
Availability: InStock
Author: Dominic Lieven
ISBN: 9780735222199

portada In the Shadow of the Gods: The Emperor in World History

In the Shadow of the Gods: The Emperor in World History

Type

Physical Book

Author

Dominic Lieven

Publisher

Viking

Year

2022

Language

English

Pages

528

Format

Hardcover

Dimensions

23.6 x 16.1 x 4.4 cm

Weight

0.79 kg.

ISBN13

9780735222199

Synopsis "In the Shadow of the Gods: The Emperor in World History "

A dazzling account of the men (and occasional woman) who led the world's empires, a book that probes the essence of leadership and power through the centuries and around the world. From the rise of Sargon of Akkad, who in the third millennium BCE ruled what is now Iraq and Syria, to the collapse of the great European empires in the twentieth century, the empire has been the dominant form of power in history. Dominic Lieven's expansive book explores strengths and failings of the human beings who held those empires together (or let them crumble). He projects the power, terror, magnificence, and confidence of imperial monarchy, tracking what they had in common as well as what made some rise to glory and others fail spectacularly, and at what price each destiny was reached. Lieven's characters--Constantine, Chinggis Khan, Trajan, Suleyman, Hadrian, Louis XIV, Maria Theresa, Peter the Great, Queen Victoria, and dozens more--come alive with color, energy, and detail: their upbringings, their loves, their crucial spouses, their dreadful children. They illustrate how politics and government are a gruelling business: a ruler needed stamina, mental and physical toughness, and self-confidence. He or she needed the sound judgement of problems and people which is partly innate but also the product of education and experience. A good brain was essential for setting priorities, weighing conflicting advice, and matching ends to needs. A diplomatically astute marriage was often even more essential. Emperors (and the rare empresses) could be sacred symbols, warrior kings, political leaders, chief executive officers of the government machine, heads of a family, and impresarios directing the many elements of soft power essential to any regime's survival. What was it like to live and work in such an extraordinary role? What qualities did it take to perform this role successfully? Lieven traces the shifting balance among these elements across eras that encompass a staggering array of events from the rise of the world's great religions to the scientific revolution, the expansion of European empires across oceans, the great twentieth century conflicts, and the triumph of nationalism over imperialism. The rule of the emperor may be over, but Lieven shows us how we live with its poltical and cultural legacies today.

Dominic Lieven

(Author)

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Dominic Lieven es un historiador británico nacido en 1952, especializado en la historia de Rusia, los imperios europeos y las monarquías. Perteneciente a una familia aristocrática de origen báltico-alemán, creció en un entorno intelectualmente rico que influyó en su vocación académica. Estudió en la Universidad de Cambridge y fue becario en la Universidad de Harvard, lo que consolidó su formación como investigador en historia internacional.

Lieven inició su carrera académica en la London School of Economics, donde fue profesor de historia rusa y europea durante varias décadas. Más tarde se incorporó al Trinity College de Cambridge como investigador senior. Es autor de varias obras influyentes que han redefinido la comprensión occidental sobre el Imperio ruso, entre ellas destacan sus estudios sobre Nicolás II, las guerras napoleónicas y el colapso del régimen zarista.

Su estilo combina un uso riguroso de fuentes primarias, especialmente en ruso, con un enfoque comparativo que sitúa a Rusia dentro de las dinámicas más amplias de los imperios europeos. Reconocido internacionalmente, ha recibido múltiples premios y distinciones por su contribución a la historiografía. A lo largo de su carrera, Lieven ha defendido una visión matizada del poder imperial, el papel de las élites y los desafíos de la modernización en contextos autocráticos.

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