From Plato to NATO: The Idea of the West and Its OpponentsFree Press, 1998 - 610 pages The end of the Cold war and the imminent unification of Europe raises urgent questions about the future of the "Western Alliance". FROM PLATO TO NATO analyses European civilisation's legacy from its inception and traces the ongoing debate about the West through to the present day. David Gress assesses historical accounts of the West and argues that while often attacked as a cover for exploitation, the legitimacy and unity of the West appears to contain both the rationality of the enlightenment and the mythological visions of fascism. It will be up to the Westerners to choose which 'West' they want to embrace. FROM PLATO TO NATO is the first book to make sense of the enduring value of Western politics and culture at a time when the West is facing its greatest challenge since World War Two - how to include new democracies in a world order that is struggling to preserve the egalitarian values of the Western Tradition. |
From inside the book
Results 1-3 of 57
Page 348
... communist regimes waged against their own citizens unremittingly from 1917 to 1989 . Rather , the end of World War II gave the Soviet Union and its supporters re- newed legitimacy in their long struggle to discredit and overthrow ...
... communist regimes waged against their own citizens unremittingly from 1917 to 1989 . Rather , the end of World War II gave the Soviet Union and its supporters re- newed legitimacy in their long struggle to discredit and overthrow ...
Page 408
... communism and capitalism . World War II , from the communist point of view , had been a temporary alliance of communism , the force of justice and freedom , with some cap- italists - America and Britain - against Germany , which was ...
... communism and capitalism . World War II , from the communist point of view , had been a temporary alliance of communism , the force of justice and freedom , with some cap- italists - America and Britain - against Germany , which was ...
Page 464
... communist chiefs were able to skim off substantial amounts of hard and to currency fi- nance a style of life unavailable to even the most hard - working of their sub- jects , though by no means extravagant by the standards of rich ...
... communist chiefs were able to skim off substantial amounts of hard and to currency fi- nance a style of life unavailable to even the most hard - working of their sub- jects , though by no means extravagant by the standards of rich ...
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
The Grand Narrative and Its Fate | 29 |
The Battle over Hellas | 49 |
Copyright | |
11 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
American American liberalism ancient argued became began believed bourgeois capitalism capitalist Carl Schmitt Catholic century B.C. Charlemagne Christian church claimed classical classical liberal Cold War Commodus communism communist cult culture decline defined democratic divine doctrine dominated early economic elites emperor enemies Enlightenment Europe European faith force France freedom French French Revolution geopolitical German global Grand Narrative Greece Greek historian Hitler human Ibid idea ideology imperial individual intellectual Islam king late antiquity later liberal democracy liberty Marxist meant medieval ment modern West Montesquieu moral myth nature Nietzsche nihilism Old West original Oswald Spengler passion peace philosopher political pope progress prosperity Quoted radical reason regime religion religious revolution Roman Empire Rome Schmitt scholars secular sense social society Soviet Union Spengler spirit story synthesis T.S. Eliot tion tradition twentieth century universal Virgil virtue wanted Western civilization Western identity wrote