Carnage and Culture Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power

Examining nine landmark battles from ancient to modern times–from Salamis, where outnumbered Greeks devastated the slave army of Xerxes, to Cortes’s conquest of Mexico to the Tet offensive–Victor Davis Hanson explains why the armies of the West have been the most lethal and effective of any fighting forces in the world.

Looking beyond popular explanations such as geography or superior technology, Hanson argues that it is in fact Western culture and values–the tradition of dissent, the value placed on inventiveness and adaptation, the concept of citizenship–which have consistently produced superior arms and soldiers. Offering riveting battle narratives and a balanced perspective that avoids simple triumphalism, Carnage and Culture demonstrates how armies cannot be separated from the cultures that produce them and explains why an army produced by a free culture will always have the advantage.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Vivid . . . ambitious . . . Challenges readers to broaden their horizons and examine their assumptions. . . . [Hanson] more than makes his case.”–The New York Times Book Review

“No one offers a more compelling picture of how wars reflect and affect the societies, including our own, that wage them.” —National Review

“Hanson . . . is becoming one of the best-known historians in America . . . [Carnage and Culture] can only enhance his reputation.” —John Keegan, Daily Telegraph (London)

“Victor Davis Hanson is courting controversy again with another highly readable, lucid work. Together with John Keegan, he is our most interesting historian of war.” —Jean Bethke Elshtain, author of Women and War

From the Inside Flap

ne landmark battles from ancient to modern times–from Salamis, where outnumbered Greeks devastated the slave army of Xerxes, to Cortes’s conquest of Mexico to the Tet offensive–Victor Davis Hanson explains why the armies of the West have been the most lethal and effective of any fighting forces in the world.

Looking beyond popular explanations such as geography or superior technology, Hanson argues that it is in fact Western culture and values–the tradition of dissent, the value placed on inventiveness and adaptation, the concept of citizenship–which have consistently produced superior arms and soldiers. Offering riveting battle narratives and a balanced perspective that avoids simple triumphalism, Carnage and Culture demonstrates how armies cannot be separated from the cultures that produce them and explains why an army produced by a free culture will always have the advantage.

From the Back Cover

“Vivid . . . ambitious . . . Challenges readers to broaden their horizons and examine their assumptions. . . . [Hanson] more than makes his case.”–The New York Times Book Review

“No one offers a more compelling picture of how wars reflect and affect the societies, including our own, that wage them.” —National Review

“Hanson . . . is becoming one of the best-known historians in America . . . [Carnage and Culture] can only enhance his reputation.” —John Keegan, Daily Telegraph (London)

“Victor Davis Hanson is courting controversy again with another highly readable, lucid work. Together with John Keegan, he is our most interesting historian of war.” —Jean Bethke Elshtain, author of Women and War

About the Author

Victor Davis Hanson is the Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow in Residence in Classics and Military History at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, a professor of Classics Emeritus at California State University, Fresno, and a nationally syndicated columnist for Tribune Media Services. He is also the Wayne & Marcia Buske Distinguished Fellow in History, Hillsdale College, where he teaches each fall semester courses in military history and classical culture. He is the author of The Soul of BattleAn Autumn of War, and Ripples of Battle, all published by Anchor Books. His most recent book is The Savior Generals (Bloomsbury 2013). Hanson was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2007, the Bradley Prize in 2008, as well as the William F. Buckley Prize (2015), the Claremont Institute’s Statesmanship Award (2006), and the Eric Breindel Award for opinion journalism (2002). He divides his time between his farm in Selma, CA, where he was born in 1953, and the Stanford campus.

Book Knowledge
Book Knowledgehttps://www.thethinkingconservative.com/previews/books-magazines/
Book Knowledge shares books, magazines and other sources that help us grow in our knowledge of conservatism and help us make a difference in our country.

Columns

Tariffs Will Make America Rich Again

The US won World War II because we could outproduce our enemies, Peter Navarro explained, and the American “arsenal of democracy” permitted the Allies to triumph.

America’s sport export

The popularity of baseball in Japan and Korea contrasts to a shrinking American audience where the average age of your MLB fan is a 57-year-old Caucasian man. 

The Black Conservative Manifesto, 2025

Black conservatives present this manifesto to the Black community and the nation as a blueprint for progress and improvement. 

 CIA Looked for the Ark of the Covenant?

The CIA's Project Sunstreak assembled people gifted in psychoenergetics to do “remote viewing” in an attempt to locate the Ark of the Covenant.

The Greek Bailout Revisited – Miscalculated and Misconceived

A body of opinion exists which accepts the premise that the basic rationale behind Greece’s 3 bailouts was either miscalculated or badly misconceived.

News

Why Eggs Are Cheaper in Mexico and Canada

Canada and Mexico have active federal measures to control the price of eggs, while the United States does not.

Top FDA Vaccine Official Peter Marks Resigns From Agency

Dr. Peter Marks, who was involved in Operation Warp Speed to produce COVID-19 vaccines, submitted his resignation citing Sec. RFK Jr's initiatives.

Wisconsin AG Petitions State Supreme Court to Block Musk’s $1 Million Payments

Wisconsin’s AG submitted emergency petition to prevent Musk from paying $1 million to two random Wisconsinites who signed petition against activist judges.

University of Minnesota Says ICE Detained International Graduate Student

Leaders from the University of Minnesota said in a statement this week that an international graduate student is being detained by ICE.

Social Security Commissioner Corrects Record on Local Office Closures

“Recent reports in the media that the Social Security Administration (SSA) is permanently closing local field offices are false,” the agency said.

US to Upgrade Military Command in Japan to Deter China: Hegseth

Def. Sec. Hegseth said Japan is indispensable to combatting Chinese aggression in the South Pacific and plans will enhance U.S. military command there.

Passenger Plane and Air Force Jet Divert to Avoid Collision at Reagan National

Passenger plane and Air Force jet were forced to divert course to avoid a mid-air collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport outside D.C..
spot_img

Related Articles

Popular Categories

MAGA Business Central