Sunday, March 30, 2025

Review of The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt

This book review was written by Eugene Kernes   

Book can be found in: 
Genre = History
Book Club Event = Book List (05/10/2025)


Watch Short Review

Excerpts

“The household, the kinship network, the guild, the corporation – these were the building blocks of personhood.  Independence and self-reliance had no cultural purchase; indeed, they could scarcely be conceived, let alone prized.  Identity came with a precise, well-understood place in a chain of command and obedience.” – Stephen Greenblatt, Chapter 1: The Book Hunter, Page 19


“All the same, monastic rules did require reading, and that was enough to set in motion an extraordinary chain of consequences.  Reading was not optional or desirable or recommended; in a community that took its obligations with deadly seriousness, reading was obligatory.  And reading required books.  Books that were opened again and again eventually fell apart, however carefully they were handled.  Therefore, almost inadvertently, monastic rules necessitated that monks repeatedly purchase or acquire books.” – Stephen Greenblatt, Chapter 2: The Moment Of Discovery, Page 31 


“Authors made nothing from the sale of their books; their profits derived from the wealthy patron to whom the work was dedicated.  (The arrangement – which helps to account for the fulsome flattery of dedicatory epistles – seems odd to us, but it had an impressive stability, remaining in place until the invention of copyright in the eighteenth century.)  Publishers had to contend, as we have seen, with the widespread copying of books among friends, but the business of producing and marketing books must have been a profitable one.” – Stephen Greenblatt, Chapter 4: The Teeth of Time, Page 80


Review

Is This An Overview?

Books contain ideas that can change how a person thinks, they can swerve the behavior of society.  But the ideas contained in books are fragile, as the survival of books was under threat from various sources.  Until the advent of an educational system and mass literacy, there was low demand for books as few people read books.  Those who did read tended to remove books that were not aligned with their groups’ ideology.  Books were made of perishable material, which was damaged by weather, repeated use, and insects.  The book survival strategy, is to be copied.  Among those who could read, were the Benedictine monks.  Who kept to their code of requiring reading.  To read, they needed books.  Therefore housed, protected, and copied books.  Preserved ideas.  Preserved but not shared as much, for there was an ordeal to take a book out to read by someone other than a monk.

 

Few ancient books survived.  One book in particular was to be rediscovered, and influence the decisions of many people.  This was the book On the Nature of Things by Lucretius.  The ideas within the book stood in contrast to the religious fervor during the era when it was written and rediscovered.  Many ideas held in the book would later be validated through scientific procedures.  A book that swerved society from ecclesial to scientific. 

 

Caveats?

There were many sources of societal change than a singular book.  During the eras that the author was describing, there were various sources of influence and power struggles that culminated into the swerves.  There were other societies and groups that were interested in books.  


Questions to Consider while Reading the Book

•What is the raison d’etre of the book?  For what purpose did the author write the book?  Why do people read this book?
•What are some limitations of the book?
•To whom would you suggest this book?
•What is a Swerve? 
•What is On The Nature of Things?
•How as On The Nature of Things received? 
•What effect did the Greco-Roman mythology have on society?
•What made a person’s identity? 
•Who was Poggio?
•What did the Church think of curiosity?  
•What happened to the pope that Poggio served? 
•Why was Poggio interested in books?
•What happed in the Roman Empire was falling apart?
•Why should there a rule of complete silence?  What was the consequence for not being silent? 
•How did the Goths effect books?
•How to access a book protected by a Benedict librarian monk? 
•Why did people become monks?
•What is a scriptorium? 
•What kind of books were part of the ancient world? How did the form of the book change?
•How did monks copy books?
•How durable were the parchments used by the monks?
•Who was Epicurus? 
•What threatened a book? 
•What did authors earn from their books? 
•What is the purpose of the Museum? 
•What happened to Hypatia? 
•What influence did the pope have?
•What was the Bugiale? 

Book Details
Publisher:               W. W. Norton & Company
Edition ISBN:         9780393083385
Pages to read:          232
Publication:             2012
1st Edition:              2011
Format:                    eBook 

Ratings out of 5:
Readability    5
Content          5
Overall          5






Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Review of Industrial Policy for the United States: Winning the Competition for Good Jobs and High-Value Industries by Marc Fasteau, and Ian Fletcher

This book review was written by Eugene Kernes   

Book can be found in: 


Watch Short Review

Excerpts

Excerpts are provided by with permission from an author.

“Industrial policy is the deliberate governmental support of industries, with such support falling into two categories.  First are broad policies that assist all industries, such as exchange rate management and tax breaks for R&D.  Second are policies that target particular industries or technologies, such as tariffs, subsidies, government procurement, export controls, and technological research done or funded by government.” – Marc Fasteau, and Ian Fletcher, Introduction, Page 2

 


“Short-term investing can accomplish many important economic tasks, but some of the most crucial investments must be long term.  And there is nothing in capitalism guaranteeing that capitalists will have sufficiently long time horizons.  But without long-term investments, whose payoff may not come for years or even decades, businesses often won’t develop the next generation of technology, instead sticking with variations on what already exist.  Companies with short time horizons will cede market after market to rivals with longer time horizons.  Entire industries can be outcompeted by foreign rivals with time horizons artificially lengthened by their home country’s industrial policies.” – Marc Fasteau, and Ian Fletcher, Chapter 1: Why The Free Market Can’t Do Everything, Page 14

 


“The advantageousness of industries changes as technology advances.  Yesterday’s high technology becomes commoditized, loses patent and trade-secret protection, and diffuses around world.  Therefore, a technologically static industry’s advantageousness will generally decline over time, though barriers to industry entry can slow this process.” – Marc Fasteau, and Ian Fletcher, Chapter 2: The Dynamics Of Advantageous Industries, Page 27


Review

Is This An Overview?

Industrial policy is a deliberate governmental support for industries.  For government to support innovation, commercialization, retention of advantageous industries, reduce foreign competition for internal markets, and to manage the exchange rate to balance trade.  Government intervention is needed due to limits of the markets, to have government supply that which the markets cannot.  The limits to free markets include externalities, a focus on short term investments, and limited production and innovation to what provides the firm with readily monetized products.

 

Firms that rely on markets tend to lose competitiveness to foreign firms which are supported by governments.  Loss of competitiveness that leads to a loss of jobs, wealth, and tax revenue which hinders national defense.  Effective industrial policy includes a proactive mobilization of resources, long term strategies, coordinated related policies, and are consistent enough for firms to know how to allocate investments.  Policies need to enable advantageous economic activities, which are activities that contain increasing returns, high income elasticity of demand, susceptibility to repeated improvement, competition not limited to on a basis of price, and can accumulate human capital.  Industrial policy enables a mixed economy that is part public, part free-market private, part regulated private.

 

Caveats?

This book can be difficult to read, as various parts of the book contain a more technical manual on industries and policies.  The book is a guide for those seeking to know what policies are available and industries affected, not an introductory book on economic development.

 

This book can be used by every state, not just the United Sates.  The book provides an economic history of various states, with various successes and failures in using industrial policy.  As every state can use the same policies, each state can reciprocate a policy that is being used against them.  Each state can reciprocate the denial of technology and limit the internal market to foreigners.  This can exacerbate conflicts rather than provide opportunities for cooperation. 

 

The way the ideas in the book are expressed have contradictions.  1) The authors claim that the U.S. is supporting free trade with a lack of government support, then proceed to show how much government has been involved in developing industries.  The authors critique should be about the difference between what is publicly claims and what is being done, rather than on lack of government intervention.  2) The author makes the claim that government intervention is needed, as government can potentially improve outcomes when the free market provides suboptimal outcomes.  If government is needed when markets produce suboptimal outcomes, then markets can be claimed to be needed when government produces suboptimal outcomes.  Within the economic history provided, the authors provide references to governments not being optimal.  3) For effective industrial policy, governments require predicting the future of how technology will evolve, and which markets would be profitable.  Then to support those industries and markets with various policies, such as educating people for those future needs.  The problem is that this claim requires government officials to be rational agents.  Effective government intervention requires the same conditions which Neoclassical economic perspective held, that people are omniscient and omnipotent.  These views are no longer considered acceptable assumptions in economics. 

 

Questions to Consider while Reading the Book

•What is the raison d’etre of the book?  For what purpose did the author write the book?  Why do people read this book?
•What are some limitations of the book?
•To whom would you suggest this book?
•What is industrial policy? 
•What do people think of industrial policies? 
•What do Americans want from their government? 
•What industrial policies do the authors want? 
•What are the limits to free markets? 
•What is mainstream economics?
•What economic methodology do the authors approve of? 
•What are advantageous activities?  
•What is the problem with rent-seeking?
•What kind of economy promotes industrial policies?  
•What are the tools of industrial policy?
•What are the objections to industrial policy? 
•What is mercantilism? 
•What are the advantages and consequences of globalization?
•What is comparative advantage and what are the limitations of comparative advantage?
•What are trade deficits? 
•What was the Bretton Woods system?
•How can government effect innovation?
•What do patents do? 
•What industrial policy does or did the United States have?
•How much manufacturing is there in the U.S.?
•Why did the United States outperform other economies after WWII? 
•What industrial policy does or did Japan have?
•What industrial policy does or did Korea States have?
•What industrial policy does or did China have?
•What industrial policy does or did Germany have?
•What industrial policy does or did France have?
•What industrial policy does or did the United Kingdom have?
•What industrial policy does or did India have?
•What industrial policy does or did Argentina have?

Book Details
This book was provided to the reviewer by the author
Publisher:               Cambridge University Press
Edition ISBN:         9781009563338
Pages to read:          619
Publication:             2024
1st Edition:              2024
Format:                    Paperback

Ratings out of 5:
Readability    3
Content          4
Overall          3






Saturday, March 22, 2025

Review of The Republic Of Plato by Plato, and Allan Bloom

This book review was written by Eugene Kernes   

Book can be found in: 
Genre = Philosophy
Book Club Event = Book List (04/19/2025)


Watch Short Review

Excerpts

“”Doesn’t doing just things also produce justice and unjust ones injustice”  |  “Necessarily”  |  “To produce health is to establish the parts of the body in a relation of masting, and being mastered by, one another that is according to nature, while to produce sickness is to establish a relation of ruling, and being ruled by, one another that is contrary to nature.”  |  “It is.”  | “Then, in its turn,”  I said, “isn’t to produce justice to establish the parts of the soul in a relation of masting, and being masted by, one another that is according to nature, while to produce injustice is to establish a relation of ruling, and being ruled by, one another that is contrary to nature?”  |  “Entirely so,” he said.  |  “Virtue, then, as it seems, would be a certain health, beauty and good condition of a soul, and vice a sickness, ugliness and weakness.”” – Plato, Book II, Page 158


“”What else but what’s next?” I said.  “Since philosophers are those who are able to grasp what is always the same in all respects, while those who are not able to do so but wander among what is many and varies in all ways are not philosophers, which should be the leaders of a city?”  |  “How should we put it so as to speak sensibly” he said.  |  “Those who look as if they’re capable of guarding the laws and practices of cities should be established as guardians.”  |  “Right,” he said.  |  “But is it plain,” I said, “whether it’s a blind guardian or a sharp-sighted one who ought to keep watch over anything?”  |  “of course it’s plain,” he said.  |  “Well, does there seem to be any difference, then, between blind men and those men who are really deprived of the knowledge of what each thing is; those who have no clear pattern in the soul, and are hence unable – after looking off, as painters do, toward what is truest, and ever referring to it and contemplating it as precisely as possible – to give laws about what is fine, just, and good, if any need to be given, and as guardians to preserve those that are already established?”” – Plato, Book VI, Page 192

 


“”Well, then, I suppose that if the nature we set down for the philosopher chances on a suitable course of learning, it will necessarily grow and come to every kind of virtue; but if it isn’t sown, planted, and nourished in what’s suitable, it will come to all the opposite, unless one of the gods chances to assist it.  Or do you too believe, as do the many, that certain young men are corrupted by sophists, and that there are certain sophists who in a private capacity corrupt to an extent worth mentioning?  Isn’t it rather the very men who say this who are the biggest sophists, who educate most perfectly and who turn out young and old, men and women, just the way they want them to be?”” – Plato, Book VI, Page 199


Review

Is This An Overview?

The rule of the many cannot develop a just society, for the many are corruptible.  Most people would be willing to do harm to others to help themselves, but are prevented by the potential consequences of being caught.  The corruptible are those who cannot understand ideas that do not change, the perfect.  The corruptible mislead others, and therefore need to have their ideas removed from society. 

 

Within society, there are a few who can understand what is always the same, the philosophers.  The philosophers are those in possession of knowledge that make them worthy of being rulers, creating a necessary hierarchy.  Philosophers can become guardians of society, to preserve laws.  A just society needs philosopher-kings to lead them.  For a philosopher-king can withstand the corruption of the many, and educate the many to behave justly.  The soul of these guardians is filled by knowing that which is always the same, immortal and true. 

 

What Did The Ancillary Authors Think? 

The translator, and introductory author, claimed that The Republic was not written to be reasonable, to make valuable claims, but to be a drama of ideas.  To be outrageous and absurd.  To provoke thought.   To be read as dramatic irony rather than for political ideas. 

 

This claims seems to be problematic given that Plato’s contemporaries did not treat Plato’s ideas in such a way, and by dismissing the claims in the book removes Plato’s responsibility from the ideas.

 

Caveats?

This book is presented as a dialectic, a discussion of ideas, a dialogue.  The discussion is an illusion.  Plato uses Socrates as a method of explaining ideas, rather than explaining the ideas of Socrates the philosopher.  The characters who are part of the discussion, sometimes provide readily overcome criticism, but throughout most of the conversation, they just accept and praise every Socrates claim.  Deferring to Socrates rather than having a conversation with Socrates.  Just like how the people who are ruled are meant to defer to the philosopher-king who is supposed to know the appropriate decision.  The claims that are provided are generally flawed as they use irrelevant comparisons, have contradictions, and assume no possible alternative idea is acceptable. 


Questions to Consider while Reading the Book

•What is the raison d’etre of the book?  For what purpose did the author write the book?  Why do people read this book?
•What are some limitations of the book?
•To whom would you suggest this book?
•Where did the title, ‘The Republic’, come from?
•What was Socrates influence on Plato? 
•Who was critical of The Republic and why were they critical of the ideas?
•For what purpose does Bloom think The Republic was written for? 
•Why is Socrates?
•Is it possible to persuade people who do not listen?
•What is the benefit of doing certain type of work?
•What is the benefit of art?
•What would happened should someone possess a ring that made them invisible?  
•How should work be divided in a city?
•What is free from lies?
•What is the purpose of an education?
•Should terror be taught? 
•What are the two parts of a soul?
•Who are philosophers?
•What is corruption?
•Who are guardians?
•Who are the philosopher-kings?
•What is Plato’s cave?
•What are the forms of governance? 
•What brings about tyrants? 
•What is the noble lie?

Book Details
Introductory Author: Adam Kirsch
Translator:              Allan Bloom
Original Language: Ancient Greek
Translated Into:       English
Publisher:               Basic Books [Hachette Book Group]
Edition ISBN:         9780465094097
Pages to read:          449
Publication:             2016
1st Edition:              Circa 365 B.C.E.
Format:                    eBook 

Ratings out of 5:
Readability    2
Content          1
Overall          1






Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Review of The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail - But Some Don't by Nate Silver

This book review was written by Eugene Kernes   

Book can be found in: 
Book Club Event = Book List (08/16/2025)
Intriguing Connections = 1) How Does Data Get Use, And Misused?, 2) The Style of Math


Watch Short Review

Excerpts

“Meanwhile, exposure to so many new ideas was producing mass confusion.  The amount of information was increasing much more rapidly than our understanding of what to do with it, or our ability to differentiate the useful information from the mistruths.  Paradoxically, the result of having so much more shared knowledge was increasing isolation along national and religious lines.  The instinctual shortcut that we take when we have “too much information” is to engage with it selectively, picking out the parts we like and ignoring the remainder, making allies with those who have made the same choices and enemies of the rest.” – Nate Silver, Introduction, Pages 3-4



“The most calamitous failures of prediction usually have a lot in common.  We focus on those signals that tell a story about the world we would like it to be, not how it really is.  We ignore the risks that are hardest to measure, even when they pose the greatest threats to our well-being.  We make approximations and assumptions about the world that are much cruder than we realize.  We abhor uncertainty, even when it is an irreducible part of the problem we are trying to solve.” – Nate Silver, Chapter 1: A Catastrophic Failure Of Prediction, Page 20


 

“This book advises you to be wary of forecasters who say that the science is not very important to their jobs, or scientists who say that forecasting is not very important to their jobs!  These activities are essentially and intimately related.  A forecaster who says he doesn’t care about the science is like the cook who says he doesn’t care about food.  What distinguishes science, and what makes a forecast scientific, is that it is concerned with the objective world.  What makes forecasts fail is when our concern only extends as far as the method, maxim, or model.” – Nate Silver, Chapter 12: A Climate Of Healthy Skepticism, Page 403


Review

Is This An Overview?

Having a lot of information does not mean there is a lot of validity in the information.  There is difficulty in understanding large quantities of information, and difficult to differentiate between useful information from misinformation.  While people want useful information, want the Signal, much of the information is not useful, information that is noise.  Noise distracts people from the Signal.  The quality of predictions, or forecasts, depends on filtering the Signal from the Noise. 

 

The data, the evidence, the numbers do not represent themselves.  The evidence is represented by people, who tend to favor the evidence they want to hear.  Confirming their views which limits their decisions, and causes them to miss evidence that can affect the decisions being made.  People are biased, and therefore develop biased predictions.  To improve data-driven predictions, people need to improve their ability to sort the information. 

 

Prediction failures tend to have features in common such as focusing on what is wanted rather than what is, ignoring difficult to measure risks, making inappropriate approximations and assumptions, and misunderstanding uncertainty.  Forecasts tend to improve when people think of various alternative views, and update their views to new information. 

 

What Is Forecasting?

Models are a tool to represent the complexities of reality, they do not substitute for reality.  A prediction is a definite and specific statement of what might happen, while a forecast is a probabilistic statement of what might happen.  Risk is knowing what the options are, while uncertainty is not knowing the options or information that can affect the options. 

 

Systems which are dynamic and nonlinear (chaos theory), made predictions difficult.  People can change their behavior to a prediction, therefore changing the prediction itself into a self-fulfilling prediction as people support the claims or a failed prediction by avoiding the claims.

 

Good forecasts are those which over time make more correct predictions.  A Bayesian analysis is a method of updating beliefs, as the method gets the person closer and closer to the truth. 

 

Caveats?

Advice for how to improve decisions are described using examples, the advice is hidden within the examples.  The examples are noise that the reader needs to engage with to find the signal.   The value of the examples depends on the interests of the reader.  There is not much of a systematic analysis, a lack of a summary for the advice.  


Questions to Consider while Reading the Book

•What is the raison d’etre of the book?  For what purpose did the author write the book?  Why do people read this book?
•What are some limitations of the book?
•To whom would you suggest this book?
•Are statisticians able to predict outcomes? 
•Did Nate Silver predict political outcomes? 
•How did the printing press change the value of information?
•What do people want to hear? 
•Who speaks for numbers? 
•What is the quality of medical hypotheses?  
•What is information overload? 
•What is the rate of change for the noise and the signal? 
•What are common causes of prediction failures?  
•What is the difference between risk and uncertainty? 
•What is the difference between a good and bad forecast?
•What is the difference between a prediction and a forecast? 
•What do rating agencies do? 
•What did the rating agencies predict? 
•What does it mean to be out of sample?
•How does confidence effect predictions? 
•Who are hedgehogs and foxes?
•Who is more likely to appear on major media explaining their views? 
•What is the value of news? 
•What makes for a valuable baseball player? 
•What happened to weather forecasts? 
•What is Laplace’s Demon? 
•What is the value of a computer? 
•What is chaos theory?
•What happens when people do not trust their sources of information?
•Can earthquakes be predicted? 
•What is overfitting? 
•hat is the value of economic forecasts?  
•Can data be ignored? 
•Can the spread of diseases be predicted? 
•What is a self-fulfilling prediction?
•What is the value of a model? 
•How to gamble on sports? 
•What is the purpose of a Bayesian analysis?
•What is the frequentist approach? 
•How did chess change? 
•What is the Mechanical Turk?
•How to play poker? 
•Can the stock market be predicted?
•What are the forms of an efficient-market? 
•How does herding effect the quality of forecasts? 
•What do meteorologist think about climate change? 
•What is the use of skepticism? 
•Could 9/11 be predicted?
•Could the attack on Pearl Harbor be predicted? 


Book Details
Publisher:               Penguin Books [Penguin Group]
Edition ISBN:         9780143125082
Pages to read:          459
Publication:             2015
1st Edition:              2012
Format:                    eBook 

Ratings out of 5:
Readability    5
Content          5
Overall          4






Friday, March 14, 2025

Review of Bolivar: American Liberator by Marie Arana

This book review was written by Eugene Kernes   

Book can be found in: 
Book Club Event = Book List (05/31/2025)
Intriguing Connections = 1) Biographies: Auto, Memoir, and Other Types


Watch Short Review

Excerpts

“Despite all this, he was a highly imperfect man.  He could be impulsive, headstrong, filled with contradictions.  He spoke eloquently about justice, but wasn’t always able to mete it out in the chaos of revolution.  His romantic life had a way of spilling into the public realm.  He had trouble accepting criticism and had no patience for disagreements.  He was singularly incapable of losing gracefully at cards.  It is hardly surprising that, over the years, Latin Americans have learned to accept human imperfections in their leaders.  Bolívar taught them how.” – Marie Arana, Chapter 1: The Road to Bogotá, Page 4

 

“For many in Bolívar’s circle, this was the moment they had prayed for – a chance to seize the reigns and shape their economic destinies.  They gathered eagerly to form a local junta and, at least outwardly, profess loyalty to Ferdinand.  But Bolívar demurred.  His convictions about independence were absolute; he had little patience for those who would take up the banner of liberty while pledging allegiance to a king.” – Marie Arana, Chapter 4: Building a Revolution, Page 80

 

“Indeed, Bolívar needed all the help he could get.  He had barely been able to equip his soldiers.  No arms were manufactured in Venezuela and, although Bolívar was seizing lead, sulfur, and coal in order to forge bullets and make gunpowder, all guns and munitions had to be purchased from elsewhere.  This was no easy venture in a world reeling from Napoleon’s wars.  Britian had outlawed the arms trade, and the United States – aspiring to purchase Florida from Spain – categorically refused to sell arms to Spanish American rebels.  Bolívar was forced to buy illegally from merchant ships, and he welcomed Caribbean captains and businessmen to help him do it.  This shortage of guns would have dire effects on the war for independence; some historians claim it was a decisive factor in the second republic’s demise.” 


Review

Is This An Overview?

Even before Simón Bolívar was born, Spain was increasing how much control Spain had over the colonies.  Spain restricted political offices, increased taxes, monopolized production of various products, and monopolized trade with foreign states.  Spain restricted the flow of information to the colonies to keep them ignorant, to prevent the colonies from considering alternatives to Spain.  The colonies were prohibited from communicating with each other, which disabled collaborative efforts.  The income Spain derived from the colonies was not used to improve the conditions in the colonies, nor was the income spent on the public of Spain.

 

As the repression of Latin American people grew, so did the people’s willingness for independence.  Attempts at independence were made before Bolívar, without success.  Bolívar’s first attempt at a republic in Latin America came when France conquered Spain.  Although the first, and second of Bolívar’s attempt at removing the oppressive Spanish regime failed, the third was successful.  With each attempt, Bolívar gained experience and learned from failures.  Bolívar’s actions gained the people’s approval, becoming the Liberator.  Throughout the conflicts, Bolívar’s forces were generally underequipped, lacked supplies, and were inexperienced.  For all the deficiencies of the armed forces, Bolívar was still able to overcome the Spanish.

 

Bolívar wanted a united Latin America, but that was not to be.  Various people had betrayed Bolívar.  Regional politicians had their own personal ambitions, and began to denounce Bolívar.  Bolívar’s desire for a unified Latin American people required an authoritarian regime, for Latin Americans lacked the experience to govern themselves.  Bolívar became seen less as Liberator, and more as a king.  Even though Bolívar did not want the power.  Political competition and corruption prevented the unification of the people.

 

What Was The Latin American Experience With Slavery And Race?

Although the Spanish monarchy did not appreciate the atrocities committed by Christopher Columbus and other conquistadors, they accepted slavery as a method to make the people work.  To the monarchy, slavery was needed to keep the economy functioning.  Spanish people killed many Latin Americans, to the point of needing to import African slaves to compensate for the damage. 

 

Although Spanish and natives were mixing, there was a psychology of superiority.  Strict race dominance was developed.  It was better to be Spanish than indigenous Indian, and a culture of defining the different race mixes.  The penalty for being Indian, was to be forced to purchase food from the government, food that was often in poor condition.  Indians were forced to buy products they did not need for the government to acquire gold and silver.  Indians were forced to provide labor or taxes as tribute.  With persecution based on race, came various violent race related events.

 

What Was Bolívar’s Love Life?

Bolívar fell in love with María Teresa Rodríguez del Toro in Spain.  Their marriage was short, as María died shortly after arriving in Venezuela.  After María’s death, Bolívar traveled abroad.  Traveled to Paris were the idea of a person changing the course of a state’s identity took place.  Also traveled to the United States and witnessed how a former colony could quickly become a commercialized state. 

 

Bolívar was a measured hedonist.  Revolution was often mixed with pleasure, especially with Manuela Sáenz, who Bolívar fell in love with.  Bolívar hedonistic aspects at times created conflict with the armed forces.  Manuela later on joined the armed forces to be near Bolívar, to make sure Bolívar did not cause harm to their relationship.  On some of the assassination attempts on Bolívar, Manuela saved Bolívar’s life. 

 

What Was Bolívar First Attempt At A Republic?

France’s conquest of Spain gave the Spanish colonies the chance to gain their independence, and shape their own political and economic policies.  There were a variety of views as how to express their sovereignty, such as those who wanted sovereignty while expressing public loyalty to Spain.  Many people in the colonies had personal ties to Spain.  Bolívar was someone who wanted sovereignty without any limitations.  Various states did declared independence, declared their sovereignty, in the name of the king of Spain.  The colonies removed the Spanish officials.

 

Bolívar stayed away from the initial 1809 conflicts of independence, thinking that the revolution would be a failure due to the restraint.  As the independence movement seemed successful, Bolívar became a diplomate, for a mission to London.  The junta were cautious of Bolívar, but they lacked funds and Bolívar was willing to finance them. 

 

In London, Bolívar tried to convince Miranda to lead the revolution.  Miranda was someone who tried to gain independence for Spanish colonies before.  Bolívar and Miranda had disagreements, but appeared everywhere together.  Miranda did join Bolívar, and Bolívar enabled Miranda to occupy a government position.  Bolívar assisted Miranda in a variety of ways.  Although Bolívar supported Miranda, as Miranda became a commander, Miranda wanted Bolívar removed from a commanding officer post.

 

The problem with Venezuela’s new republic, was the distribution of power.  The officials claimed to be a full democracy, but the only people eligible to vote were property owners.  Enabling the perpetuation of the class structure, as power was handed to the rich. 

 

At this time, ignorance was endemic as Spain discouraged education.  Preventing people from understanding what liberty meant.  The people were divided by loyalty and race.  The military lacked experience, discipline, and arms. 

 

What caused the revolution to fail was an earthquake in Caracas.  An earthquake which the Church claimed was punishment for the insurrection.  Although Miranda accepted a dictatorship to unite the people, Miranda did not encourage military confrontations as Miranda did not think that independence was possible.  As Spain was regaining control, and under threat of potential civil war, Miranda made a pact with Spain.  Miranda surrendered, and tried to fee.  To Bolívar and others, these and other acts made Miranda seem like a traitor. 

 

Many revolutionary leaders were sent to prison.  Bolívar was saved by Iturbe.  After the escape, Bolívar had become an experienced revolutionary, who was humbled by defeat. 

 

What Was Bolívar Second Attempt At A Republic?

A few months after the failed Venezuelan revolution, Bolívar made plans and set out for another revolution.  Using people that society left behind.  Bolívar trained and took care of the people.  Made victories using guerrilla tactics, and continued to proceed on the offensive.  Many towns were freed before Bolívar’s arrival as the Spanish officials feared Bolívar’s troops.  The people being liberated, were interested in liberating their own people and land.  They had little interest in liberating other people and lands.

 

Bolívar signed a decree of war to the death, as a retaliatory measure.  A form of recrimination for the Spanish want to exterminate the republicans.  The decree was meant to support the republican troops, but had the effect of enabling violence.  Even with the decree, Bolívar allowed for a peaceful surrender, to show mercy. 

 

Bolívar’s success at overcoming Spanish forces using less people and supplies, eared Bolívar the title of Dictator and Liberator.  Two reasons for the failed second attempt at a republic, were race and lack of weapons.  Spain used race to divide the people.  Black, Indian, and mixed-blood accepted Spanish claims that it was the Creoles who were responsible for their misery, without understanding that it was the Spanish who made the Creole miserable who then oppressed others.  Race conflicts became civil war. 

 

The new enemy had become the llaneros.  Llaneros had a massive force, were undisciplined, and lawless.  Their apparent goal was plunder.  The people and regions were divided by people who proclaimed themselves supreme commanders.  Bolívar was faced with betrayal, traps, and Spain regaining the empire.  Spain wanted the colonies back and waged a war against democracy.  Bolívar was exiled by supposed allies, and fled to Haiti to avoid a trap in Cartagena. 

 

What Was Bolívar Third Attempt At A Republic?

Bolívar had difficulty uniting the people and leaders for the cause of the revolution.  Warlords had taken charge of Venezuela.  Although Bolívar lacked power and the armies of the warlords, the warlords did not have Bolívar’s reputation with the people.  Bolívar wanted to build alliances with Piar, Monagas, Zaraza, and Cedeño. 

 

This attempt at a unified republic created a need for establishing courts and due process in response to events that caused political turmoil.  While Spain tried to keep Americans ignorant, Bolívar made sure that Americans were informed.  The information gave Bolívar and the revolution recognition by foreign powers.  With foreign recognition, came supplies and foreign troops.  Supplies and troops did not stop many of the people in the army from deserting due to hunger.    

 

As Bolívar was getting older and had health complications, Bolívar wanted someone to become a younger version of Bolívar.  That someone was Sucre.

 

What Happened To Bolívar’s Desire Of A United Latin America?

Bolívar did not want to be a politician.  Bolívar’s goal was to remove the oppressors.  Although many regions favored a federalist system, Bolívar did not approve a federal system as there was too much division between the regions.  Division that needed a unified government to overcome.  Another reason for an authoritarian government was a consequence of colonial rule, Bolívar did not think that Latin Americans could rule themselves due to lack of experience.  Bolívar feared that illiterate masses would destroy order. 

 

Bolívar wanted a republic and authoritarian regime, by having a president appointed for life.  The president would be powerless to appoint legislature government or courts.  The appointment was powerful, and would be in perpetuity given that the president would influence who would be the successor. 

 

The problem was that the Bolívar’s idealism for a united Latin America and want for an authoritarian regime made people think that Bolívar wanted to be a king.  Bolívar gradually was seen less as a Liberator, and more as a king.  Bolívar did not actually want to be king, but these claims were in contrast to what people thought of Bolívar.

 

Political corruption and competition for power caused regional leaders to denounce Bolívar.  Trusted allies turned against Bolívar. 

 

Caveats?

The organization of the book can limit an understanding of the details.  Various details are provided on the events, that can create a confusion for the sequence of events.  As the book focuses on the complexity of Bolívar’s life, the interest in the different aspects depends on the reader.  


Questions to Consider while Reading the Book

•What is the raison d’etre of the book?  For what purpose did the author write the book?  Why do people read this book?
•What are some limitations of the book?
•To whom would you suggest this book?
•What military experience did Bolívar have when beginning Bolívar’s military adventure?
•Why was Bolívar compared to George Washington?  
•How much wealth did the family of Bolívar have in 1783? 
•Why was Hipólita chosen to be the nursemaid to Bolívar? 
•How did Hipólita effect Bolívar?
•How did Charles V effect Latin America?
•What did Simón de Bolívar do?  (Simón de Bolívar, ancestor to Simón Bolívar in the 16th century.)
•What did the Spanish monarchy of the 16th century think of slavery?
•What was the psychology of superiority in race of the people?
•Why were African people brought to Latin America?  
•What were the Native Indians supposed to purchase under the repartimiento laws?
•Where the family of Bolívar part of the nobility? 
•Who was Don Juan Vincente? 
•Who was María De La Concepción Palacios y Blanco? 
•What restrictions did the Spanish Bourbon regime impose on colonies circa 1776?
•Who was José Miguel Sanz and how did Sanz effect Bolívar?
•How was Bolívar behavior as a child?
•How did the Palacios family effect Bolívar?
•How did the Spanish try to control the colonies after 1767?
•What did Spain use the money (gold and silver) obtained for the colonies on? 
•Who was Simón Rodríguez and how did effect Bolívar?
•How did the British effect Spain? 
•What was the King Carlos IV status in Spain? 
•Who was Godoy? 
•Who was María Teresa Rodríguez del Toro? 
•How did Napoleon influence Bolívar? 
•How did Humboldt think that Spain kept its colonies? 
•What did Bolívar learn during the visit to the United States? 
•How did Napoleon conquer Spain? 
•Who was Miranda and how did Miranda affect Latin America?
•How did an earthquake in Caracas effect the revolution? 
•Why did Miranda become a Generalísimo? 
•What happened to Puerto Cabello?  
•Who is Iturbe and how did Iturbe effect Bolívar?
•What happened to Bolívar’s property after the 1809 revolution? 
•What did Bolívar do after arriving in Barranca? 
•What did people think of liberating people from different lands. 
•Why did Bolívar initiate a war to the death, and what were the consequences?  
•How did Bolívar earn the titles of Dictator and Liberator? 
•Who is Pepita?
•Who are the llaneros? 
•What caused the fall of the second republic? 
•How did Bolívar treat prisoners? 
•What happened with Ribas?
•What did Boves do?
•Why did Bolívar go to Haiti?  
•How did warlords control Venezuela? 
•What happened to Piar?
•How did Bolívar use the press?
•What did Bolívar think of a Latin America as a Federation?
•Who was O’Leary?
•What did Bolívar think of politicians? 
•How much income did Bolívar make leading the revolution? 
•Who is Sucre? 
•Who is Manuela Sáenz? 
•What did the Peru population think of the revolution? 
•Who was Santander?  
•What kind of political system did Bolívar want, and how did people respond? 
•What caused the fall of Bolívar?


Book Details
Edition:                   First Simon & Schuster paperback edition
Publisher:               Simon & Schuster Paperbacks [Simon & Schuster]
Edition ISBN:         9781439110201
Pages to read:          464
Publication:             2014
1st Edition:              2013
Format:                    eBook 

Ratings out of 5:
Readability    5
Content          5
Overall           5