
Stupid Wars
A Citizen's Guide to Botched Putsches, Failed Coups, Inane Invasions, and Ridiculous Revolutions
HarperCollins · Print & ebook · April 22, 2008
When winners write history, they sometimes "forget" to include their own embarrassing misjudgments.
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- Who it’s for
- Military blunders get a sharp, darkly comic treatment, with room for both laughter and a wince.
- Themes
- Military blunders, Political misjudgments, Consequences of war
- Genres
- Other Military Conflicts, Military History, 20th-Century History
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Start with this bookAbout this book
When winners write history, they sometimes "forget" to include their own embarrassing misjudgments. Fortunately, this take-no-prisoners edition of history isn't going to let the winners (or the losers) forget the mistakes of the past. Be prepared to laugh out loud—and gasp in horror—at the most painfully idiotic strategies, alliances, and decisions the world has ever known.
Continue reading
These stupid wars have been launched by democracies as well as monarchies and dictatorships, in recent decades just as often as in less "enlightened" times. The ridiculous and reckless conflicts chronicled in Stupid Wars include the misdirected Fourth Crusade, the half-baked invasion of Russia by the U.S., the U.K.'s baffling Falklands War, Hitler's ill-fated Beer Hall Putsch, several incredibly foolish South American conflicts, the Bay of Pigs fiasco, and many more. Whether you're a future dictator, war-mongering politician, royal mistress, or history lover, these blow-by-stupid-blow accounts will teach you the valuable lessons you need to stay off the list, including: - Don't declare war on all your neighbors at the same time. - Working radios, accurate maps, and weather-appropriate uniforms are big plusses. - Large amounts of bird poop and very small islands are probably not worth dying for. - Never invade Russia. - Seriously. It's a really bad idea.
History’s Bad Calls
Military blunders get a sharp, darkly comic treatment, with room for both laughter and a wince.
Come here for
- Foolish strategies, alliances, and decisions across eras
- A wry look at conflicts that went spectacularly wrong
Expect
- Brief, blow-by-blow accounts of botched wars and invasions
- Lessons delivered with jokes—and a few uncomfortable truths
Where it sits
| Other Military Conflicts | 70% |
|---|---|
| Military History | 55% |
| 20th-Century History | 35% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Military History
- Nuclear Warfare
- World War I History
- World War II History
Show all 8 publisher categories
- Other Military Conflicts
- Naval History
- Iraq War (2003-2011)
- Civil Wars
- Authors
- Ed Strosser, Michael Prince
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- April 22, 2008
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Military blunders · Political misjudgments · Consequences of war
- Reading lane
- Military History