These days, we assume that a liberal democracy is the best form of government. But the world wasn’t always like this. How did we get here, and why did different countries get here at different times? From biological foundations of human behaviour to language and development of political systems, this is an enlightening read that helps us better understand the world we live in.
The stories of ordinary citizens of the former USSR, who went through multiple political upheavals, which shaped their minds and lives. From idealism to just wishing to escape the system, people had different hopes. Quite a brutal read, but well worth it.
In Guns, Germs & Steel, Jared Diamond showed how and why civilisations unfolded differently across the globe. In Collapse, he uses a five-point framework to analyse why different civilisations collapsed. He cites examples from the past and then examines modern societies, their challenges and what leads civilisations to make disastrous decisions. Not an easy read, and the depth of research sometimes overwhelms, but an insightful read.
An insightful and well-researched book that details how libertarian industrialists like the Koch brothers have (and continue to) systematically undermine America’s democratic system to impose their worldview. In a narrative that starts from the 1940s, it shows how, using the anonymity of charitable organisations, they have penetrated everything from academia to political activism, and have supplanted the Republican Party. A fascinating read.
The amazing story of how from an inconspicuous office in far away England, with less than a hundred employees, the East India Company controlled the destiny of a land as large and diverse as India. They started in 1600, and by the early 1800s, they had demolished the last credible threat to their domination in India – the Marathas. A corporation that arrived in India for trade, and ended up pillaging the country and finally giving it to the Crown on a platter.