Descriere
Selected as a Financial Times Best Book of 2013
In Strategy: A History, Sir Lawrence Freedman, one of the world's leading authorities on war and international politics, captures the vast history of strategic thinking, in a consistently engaging and insightful account of how strategy came to pervade every aspect of our lives.
The range of Freedman's narrative is extraordinary, moving from the surprisingly advanced strategy practiced in primate groups, to the opposing strategies of Achilles and Odysseus in The Iliad, the strategic advice of Sun Tzu and Machiavelli, the great military innovations of Baron Henri de Jomini and Carl von Clausewitz, the grounding of revolutionary strategy in class struggles by Marx, the insights into corporate strategy found in Peter Drucker and Alfred Sloan, and the contributions of the leading social scientists working on strategy today. The core issue at the heart of strategy, the author notes, is whether it is possible to manipulate and shape our environment rather than simply become the victim of forces beyond one's control. Time and again, Freedman demonstrates that the inherent unpredictability of this environment-subject to chance events, the efforts of opponents, the missteps of friends-provides strategy with its challenge and its drama. Armies or corporations or nations rarely move from one predictable state of affairs to another, but instead feel their way through a series of states, each one not quite what was anticipated, requiring a reappraisal of the original strategy, including its ultimate objective. Thus the picture of strategy that emerges in this book is one that is fluid and flexible, governed by the starting point, not the end point.
A brilliant overview of the most prominent strategic theories in history, from David's use of deception against Goliath, to the modern use of game theory in economics, this masterful volume sums up a lifetime of reflection on strategy.
This is the paperback version of what is one of the most thorough histories of strategic thinking (Military History)
I include this to show that it is possible to find a genuinely new insight on finance by reading beyond the obvious. (Professional Investor)
Stunning reviews in hardback (The Bookseller)
Professor Freedman teaches War Studies at King's College, and was the official historian of the Falklands War. His book is the type of work you dive into, reread, underline, and ponder. And I did just that, making copious notes while being watched by the guy sitting next to me. He leaned over and pointed at the book. "Excellent choice, sir. Couldnt pick a better book." (Ancient Rome Refocused, Rob Cain)
The book is a masterly and definitive account of strategy. (David Lorimer, Network Review)
Rich in detail and deeply contextualising, this book is not only the longest but also the most diverse work in recent years on the evolution of strategy ... This book belongs with the classics in the field of strategic studies ... it provides a huge fund of information about the concept of strategy. It is first and foremost its historical depth that requires Freedman's work to be included in every library of status. (Marcel Berni, Reviews in History)
[Freedman's] books manage to delight the experts yet are still comprehensible to the general reader, a rare skill in this genre. On this occasion, he has produced what is arguably the best book ever written on strategy. (Washington Post)
Magisterial... wide-ranging erudition and densely packed argument. (The Economist)
This is a book of startling scope, erudition and, more than anything, wisdom. (Financial Times)
Comprehensive, vigorous survey of strategy and its evolution...A lucid text that raises questions while answering others (of great value to planners, whether of an advertising campaign or a military one.)
