Merchant, Soldier, Sage (Paperback)

Paperback. A radical and pithy analysis of political history, the world we live in, and who's really in controlWho rules the world? David Priestland's remarkable book proposes a new approach to history, reimagining it as a constant struggle for power between three groups- the commercial and competitive merchant, the aristocratic and militaristic soldier, and the bureaucratic 'sage'. When one becomes too dominant, the result is economic crisis, war or revolution, and eventually a new caste takes over.The twentieth century was scarred by these violent shifts and now, as the merchants who rule our age look increasingly discredited, change seems certain again. Merchant, Soldier, Sage is both a brilliant history, and a masterful dissection of our current predicament. Competition, flexibility and profit are still the common currency, even at a time when Western countries have been driven off a cliff by these very values. But will it always be this way? This title argues for the predominance in any society of one of three broad value systems - that of the merchant; the soldier; and the sage. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.