Great Feuds in History by Colin Evans October 26, 2006

GREAT FEUDS IN HISTORY Ten Struggles that Shaped the World
By Colin Evans
This is another book I bought because it looked interesting and was on sale and I would never have read because it kept getting pre-empted by more intriguing books. Thanks to my A to Z challenge, I made myself read it and it was very interesting. I learned all kinds of trivia and some good names for our family "Name Game." The author claims these high-stakes personal contests are history's most significant human struggles. I'm not sure I agree with all that and that they all shaped the world, but they are pretty compelling. Here is a list of the ten feuds included in the book:
1. Elizabeth I vs Mary, Queen of the Scots. They fought over the crown of England. Elizabeth was the obvious winner as Mary ended up losing her head.
2. Parliament (Oliver Cromwell) vs Charles I. This fight was over the divine right of monarchy. Charles felt that since he was the king, he should be able to do anything he wanted. Oliver Cromwell disagreed. Parliament won as Charles also lost his head. (It's scary being in a feud, isn't it?) Cromwell ruled the country for years, but eventually died alone and depressed.
3. Aaron Burr vs Alexander Hamilton. These two both wanted to be president in the worst way. Neither achieved that goal as Burr shot and killed Hamilton in a duel which effectively killed his political aspirations.
4. The Hatfields vs the McCoys. "Sad to say, the feud by which all others in America are judged and perhaps the single most famous feud in history, had its origins in nothing more quarrelsome or momentous than an old razorback hog." This feud ends in a draw but not until several family members are killed.
5. Stalin vs Trotsky. This feud centers on who would succeed Lenin and control the USSR. Stalin is the obvious winner as he was clearly more ruthless, but just barely. Trotsky is exiled and then assassinated.
6. Roald Amundsen vs Robert F. Scott. In a Norwegians vs the English race to be first to reach the South Pole, Amundsen wins because of his attention to detail and better knowledge of the terrain. Scott reaches the Pole several weeks later but he and his party freeze to death on the way back.
7. Duchess of Windsor vs the Queen Mother. At stake was the crown and the British empire. The Queen Mother triumphs as England refuses to have a twice-divorced American "tramp" as their queen.
8. Bernard Montgomery vs George Patton. Both wanted to known as the greatest Allied general of World War II. While they were both great generals, they also were egotistical and arrogant and this feud cost the lives of thousands of soldiers. I'd call it a draw.
9. Lyndon B. Johnson vs Robert F Kennedy. Wow, these two really despised each other. You know the story, Johnson refuses to run for a second term and Kennedy is shot while campaigning to replace him.
10. J Edgar Hoover vs Martin Luther King. This was a fight over the civil rights movement. Hoover pulled out all the stops and tramped over all kinds of constitutional rights to discredit King. And while King was cut down in the prime of his life, his legacy in history certainly far outshines that of Hoover.
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This book was a great way to pick up a little bit of history in short vignettes. I enjoyed the format and learned a lot.
Rating: 3.75

2 Comments:
Jnorr said...
Thanks for the book review, I'll check it out. To let you know, Burr could have been president in 1800. He tied with Jefferson and the Federalists wanted to make him president. He could have made deals to make him president, but he didn't. Pretty interesting, really.
Framed said...
jnorr, I read about that. I guess I'm glad he didn't win. Jefferson makes such great copy. Burr seems quite despicable looking back over 200+ years, but Jefferson had a nubmer of faults also. I enjoy reading about that time period.