Sign up for our newsletters to receive our Best of 2024 ezine!

Summary and Reviews of Colossus by Niall Ferguson

Colossus by Niall Ferguson

Colossus

The Price of America's Empire

by Niall Ferguson
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus (6):
  • Readers' Rating (2):
  • First Published:
  • Apr 1, 2004, 400 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Apr 2005, 400 pages
  • Rate this book

About This Book

Book Summary

Niall Ferguson brings his renowned historical and economic depth of field to bear on a bold and sweeping reckoning with America's imperial status and its consequences.

Is America an empire? Certainly not, according to our government. Despite the conquest of two sovereign states in as many years, despite the presence of more than 750 military installations in two thirds of the world’s countries and despite his stated intention "to extend the benefits of freedom...to every corner of the world," George W. Bush maintains that "America has never been an empire." "We don’t seek empires," insists Defense Secretary Rumsfeld. "We’re not imperialistic."

Nonsense, says Niall Ferguson. In Colossus he argues that in both military and economic terms America is nothing less than the most powerful empire the world has ever seen. Just like the British Empire a century ago, the United States aspires to globalize free markets, the rule of law, and representative government. In theory it’s a good project, says Ferguson. Yet Americans shy away from the long-term commitments of manpower and money that are indispensable if rogue regimes and failed states really are to be changed for the better. Ours, he argues, is an empire with an attention deficit disorder, imposing ever more unrealistic timescales on its overseas interventions. Worse, it’s an empire in denial—a hyperpower that simply refuses to admit the scale of its global responsibilities. And the negative consequences will be felt at home as well as abroad. In an alarmingly persuasive final chapter Ferguson warns that this chronic myopia also applies to our domestic responsibilities. When overstretch comes, he warns, it will come from within—and it will reveal that more than just the feet of the American colossus is made of clay.

Contents



Introduction

Part I: Rise

  1. The Limits of the American Empire
  2. The Imperialism of Anti-Imperialism
  3. The Civilization of Clashes
  4. Splendid Multilateralism

Part II: Fall?

  1. The Case for Liberal Empire
  2. Going Home or Organizing Hypocrisy
  3. "Impire": Europe Between Brussels and Byzantium
  4. The Closing Door

Conclusion: Looking Homeward

Statistical Appendix

Acknowledgements

Notes

Bibliography

Index


Introduction

It used to be that only foreigners and those on the political fringes referred to the "American Empire." Invariably, they did so in order to criticize the United States. Since the attack on the World Trade Center in September 2001, however, there has been a growing volume of more mainstream writing on the subject of an American empire. The striking thing is that not all those who now openly use the "e" word do so pejoratively. On the contrary, a number of commentators seem positively to relish the idea of a U.S. imperium.

There is ...

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Reviews

BookBrowse Review

BookBrowse

This is a not a light-weight, quick read - but it is well worth it nonetheless. Even if you don't feel compelled to buy the book itself, the next time you're in a bookstore I encourage you to invest 15 minutes into reading the introduction in full (part of which is excerpted at BookBrowse), because the intro outlines the arguments that Ferguson details more fully in the remainder of 'Colossus' and is a thought provoking read in its own right...continued

Full Review (333 words)

This review is available to non-members for a limited time. For full access, become a member today.

(Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).

Media Reviews

Michiko Kakutani - The New York Times
Like his earlier books, Colossus shows off Mr. Ferguson's narrative élan and his ease in using political, economic and literary references to shore up his arguments about history.

The Washington Post's Book World - David Ingatius
Ferguson's book reads more like a long essay than a systematic work of history; it covers a wide swath of intellectual territory, but thinly. The book was written to accompany a British television series, and it has a fade-in, fade-out jumpiness that works better on the screen than on the printed page.

Booklist - Brendan Driscoll
Amid the torrent of books on terrorism, liberalism, American empire, and the apocalypse, Ferguson's stands out not in its premise--suggesting that America is an empire is nothing new--but in its assertion that an American empire is good for the world (this coming from a European writer).

Kirkus Reviews
Is America ready to rule the world? Probably not. But, argues the author, it had better gear up to the task.....Discomfiting, highly provocative reading, with ammunition for pro and con alike.

Publishers Weekly
The erudite and often statistical argument has occasional flashes of wit and may compel liberals to rethink their opposition to intervention, even as it castigates conservatives for their lackluster commitment to nation building.

Reader Reviews

Bill Davice

A curate's egg
An enjoyable but annoying read that lays claim to being an historical work whilst adopting the less demanding techniques of journalism. At times, the research base is magnificent. But there are some breathtakingly shallow dismissals of opposing ...   Read More
John

Although the big suprise of 'Colossus' does indeed come with its promotion of American imperialism, one gets the feeling that Ferguson has discarded his professional objectivity for the sake of a little controversy. Taking an unlikely stance on a ...   Read More

Write your own review!

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Beyond the Book



Niall Ferguson is Herzog Professor of Financial History at the Stern Business School, New York University, and Senior Research Fellow at Jesus College, Oxford University. Born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1964, he lives in New York and Oxfordshire, England.

A partial bibliography:

  • The Cash Nexus: Money and Power in the Modern World, 1700-2000
  • Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power
  • The Pity of War: Explaining WWI
  • The House of Rothschild (2 books)
One small note of interest, when I checked bookseller rankings last year, when the book was released in hardcover, 'Colossus' was selling better in the UK (...

This "beyond the book" feature is available to non-members for a limited time. Join today for full access.

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Read-Alikes

Read-Alikes Full readalike results are for members only

If you liked Colossus, try these:

  • Justice jacket

    Justice

    by Michael J. Sandel

    Published 2010

    About this book

    More by this author

    Michael J. Sandel's "Justice" course is one of the most popular and influential at Harvard. Up to a thousand students pack the campus theater to hear Sandel relate the big questions of political philosophy to the most vexing issues of the day. Justice offers readers the same exhilarating journey that captivates Harvard students.

  • The Shock Doctrine jacket

    The Shock Doctrine

    by Naomi Klein

    Published 2008

    About this book

    More by this author

    The bestselling author of No Logo exposes the rise of "disaster capitalism" and destroys the myth of the global "free market".

We have 9 read-alikes for Colossus, but non-members are limited to two results. To see the complete list of this book's read-alikes, you need to be a member.
More books by Niall Ferguson
Search read-alikes
How we choose read-alikes

Books with similar themes


Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern
    The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern
    by Lynda Cohen Loigman
    Lynda Cohen Loigman's delightful novel The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern opens in 1987. The titular ...
  • Book Jacket: Small Rain
    Small Rain
    by Garth Greenwell
    At the beginning of Garth Greenwell's novel Small Rain, the protagonist, an unnamed poet in his ...
  • Book Jacket: Daughters of Shandong
    Daughters of Shandong
    by Eve J. Chung
    Daughters of Shandong is the debut novel of Eve J. Chung, a human rights lawyer living in New York. ...
  • Book Jacket: The Women
    The Women
    by Kristin Hannah
    Kristin Hannah's latest historical epic, The Women, is a story of how a war shaped a generation ...

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
In Our Midst
by Nancy Jensen
In Our Midst follows a German immigrant family’s fight for freedom after their internment post–Pearl Harbor.
Who Said...

At times, our own light goes out, and is rekindled by a spark from another person.

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Big Holiday Wordplay 2024

Enter Now