Synopses & Reviews
An acclaimed historian offers an optimistic view of the future of the United States in the light of Roman history Maybe the end of the American ascendancy is not upon us. Maybe the U.S. will continue to dominate the world for centuries. Now award-winning historian Thomas Madden delivers an optimistic view of our nation's future.
Madden shows that the power of the ancient Roman republic and the U.S. was built on trust between allies, not the conquest of enemies. The far-reaching implications of this fact are essential reading for anyone who cares about the challenges we face now and in the years ahead.
Packed with stories from Roman history that offer amazingly obvious and explicitly stated parallels to our recent history, Empires of Trust is a narrative pleasure and a hopeful inspiration.
Review
"An entertaining comparison by an astute historian. . .Gems for history buffs as well as those who have never considered that something that happened before 1900 might matter."
-San Francisco Chronicle
"A breakout book."
-Richard Ellis, author of Founding Fathers
Synopsis
Does America face the same destiny endured by ancient Rome? Beginning with a Roman story strikingly parallel to the American Abu Ghraib scandal, Madden provides a much-needed historical context to this burning contemporary debate. Photos throughout.
About the Author
Thomas F. Madden is a professor of history at Saint Louis University. His previous books include The New Concise History of the Crusades and Enrico Dandolo and the Rise of Venice. He has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and USA Today, and on A&E television, the History Channel, PBS, and National Public Radio.
Table of Contents
Empires of Trust
Preface 1. Empires of Trust . . . and the Other Ones
2. Distrusting Kings
3. Family Values
4. Building an Empire While Trying Not To
5. Becoming a Superpower
6. The Empire and Its Aging Cultural Parents
7. How an Empire of Trust Grows . . . and Grows
8. Pax
9. Fights Around the Dinner Table of Empire
10. The Threat of Terrorism
11. Crying Over the Fall
A Note on Sources
Notes
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Index