Carnage and Culture

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. <p/>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 <b>Carnage and Culture</b> 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.