Lovely travel writing as always. Tom Holland’s brother James Holland is a World War II historian and host of the We Have Ways of Making You Talk Podcast. He is far warmer to Americans (perhaps because of his deep study of the Western Allies or perhapsbecause we buy so many of his books).
If you want to go really deep into the French Revolution, Mike Duncan’s Revolutions podcast has a really long run of episodes on it (he also has good deep dives on the Engliah Civil War and the American Revolution). The French revolutions impact was in really promoting the rise of Nationalism in Europe on the part of the Germana and Italians. But there were a lot of intervening events before they became nations. The French Revolutions also wouldn't have happened without the American Revolution and our revolution created a far bigger impact with the idea of governments (at least if you consider it together with the constitutional convention).
French Revolution was a disgusting moment in history, far too highly rated, and lefty pundits and professors who gush and ooze over the beauty of it truly, deeply need to understand -- on a human level -- what that infernal moment did. They love reading about it, centuries and an ocean away. They would not have enjoyed living through it
You provided one of the better and more succinct descriptions of that particular variety of "soft anti-Americanism" that was a regular feature with some I worked with in the years I lived on the Continent. I consider it more of ignorance encouraged by a desire to feel better of oneself v. "The Other", than any malice.
I remember a few years ago starting to listen to them, and it seemed two or three shows wouldn't go by without some sneering comment. I decided not to listen, and then started up again as things got slower.
6 July 1976 was, for me, memorable. My LPOIC and I were called to the wardroom by the COB, where the CO, CDR William Houley, pinned my Dolphins into my chest above the left pocket of my Seafarer dungarees.
On 8 July 1976, our CSE crew departed the boat and crammed ourselves (five bodies, five seabags, and one locked steel case) into a newly rented Fiat 124 and began our journey to Naples and the Naval Support Activity.
Life in the U.S. Navy was, on occasion, truly an adventure.
In 1976, I did give a lot of thought to our history and our founding. I didn't think we had yet achieved the lofty goals of our Declaration, but I felt we had come a long way toward achieving them.
I wonder if Professors Holland and Sandbrook are a bit skeptical about America because of the malignant would-be dictator that we Americans have twice in the last 10 years elected to rule us.
Your thoughts on the French Revolution reminded me of the famous quote attributed to Zhou Enlai, that it was (in 1972) "too early to tell" the impact of the French Revolution. I dug in a bit, however, and learned that story derives from a misunderstanding. Only just now did I learn that Zhou was apparently referring to the uprising of French students and the general strikes of 1968, only four years before! That makes a lot more sense.
Lovely travel writing as always. Tom Holland’s brother James Holland is a World War II historian and host of the We Have Ways of Making You Talk Podcast. He is far warmer to Americans (perhaps because of his deep study of the Western Allies or perhapsbecause we buy so many of his books).
If you want to go really deep into the French Revolution, Mike Duncan’s Revolutions podcast has a really long run of episodes on it (he also has good deep dives on the Engliah Civil War and the American Revolution). The French revolutions impact was in really promoting the rise of Nationalism in Europe on the part of the Germana and Italians. But there were a lot of intervening events before they became nations. The French Revolutions also wouldn't have happened without the American Revolution and our revolution created a far bigger impact with the idea of governments (at least if you consider it together with the constitutional convention).
French Revolution was a disgusting moment in history, far too highly rated, and lefty pundits and professors who gush and ooze over the beauty of it truly, deeply need to understand -- on a human level -- what that infernal moment did. They love reading about it, centuries and an ocean away. They would not have enjoyed living through it
You provided one of the better and more succinct descriptions of that particular variety of "soft anti-Americanism" that was a regular feature with some I worked with in the years I lived on the Continent. I consider it more of ignorance encouraged by a desire to feel better of oneself v. "The Other", than any malice.
I remember a few years ago starting to listen to them, and it seemed two or three shows wouldn't go by without some sneering comment. I decided not to listen, and then started up again as things got slower.
6 July 1976 was, for me, memorable. My LPOIC and I were called to the wardroom by the COB, where the CO, CDR William Houley, pinned my Dolphins into my chest above the left pocket of my Seafarer dungarees.
On 8 July 1976, our CSE crew departed the boat and crammed ourselves (five bodies, five seabags, and one locked steel case) into a newly rented Fiat 124 and began our journey to Naples and the Naval Support Activity.
Life in the U.S. Navy was, on occasion, truly an adventure.
In 1976, I did give a lot of thought to our history and our founding. I didn't think we had yet achieved the lofty goals of our Declaration, but I felt we had come a long way toward achieving them.
I wonder now at my naivete.
Dobro pozhalovat' domoy
I wonder if Professors Holland and Sandbrook are a bit skeptical about America because of the malignant would-be dictator that we Americans have twice in the last 10 years elected to rule us.
It would make me feel better to think so, but I think their views were formed before his political rise.
Your thoughts on the French Revolution reminded me of the famous quote attributed to Zhou Enlai, that it was (in 1972) "too early to tell" the impact of the French Revolution. I dug in a bit, however, and learned that story derives from a misunderstanding. Only just now did I learn that Zhou was apparently referring to the uprising of French students and the general strikes of 1968, only four years before! That makes a lot more sense.
Yeah, so much for Zhou's "inscrutability".