The Appetite of Tyranny

“Unless we are all mad, there is at the back of the most bewildering business a story: and if we are all mad, there is no such thing as madness. If I set a house on fire, it is quite true that I may illuminate many other people's weaknesses as well as my own. It may be that the master of the house was burned because he was drunk; it may be that the mistress of the house was burned because she was stingy, and perished arguing about the expense of the fire-escape. It is, nevertheless, broadly true that they both were burned because I set fire to their house. That is the story of the thing. The mere facts of the story about the present European conflagration are quite as easy to tell." (Summary by Gilbert Keith Chesterton) (2 hr 7 min)

Chapters

The Facts of the Case	13:56	Read by Ray Clare
The War on the Word	17:02	Read by Ray Clare
The Refusal of Reciprocity	19:23	Read by Ray Clare
The Appetite of Tyranny	17:02	Read by Ray Clare
The Escape of Folly	13:49	Read by Ray Clare
Letters to an Old Garibaldian - Letter 1	16:11	Read by Ray Clare
Letters to an Old Garibaldian - Letter 2	16:41	Read by Ray Clare
Letters to an Old Garibaldian - Letter 3	13:18	Read by Ray Clare

Reviews

interesting look at historical sentiments.

(4 stars)

Logan Nicholson

I appreciate Chesterton's perspective and how he can point out the absurd in global affairs. I don't think it is one of his best works, but a good read anyway. it is puzzling to a modern to see such strong argument against the "master race" while making sweeping generalizations about the temperament of various races, but also stateing that all people are that same. I wonder if perhaps back then the common term of race or nationality may have included that country's beliefs like we use the term culture. so we might say the German culture disposed them to be robotic. instead of the Prussian race is stiff and inflexible.

Root of the Nazis

(5 stars)

Stuart Gathmam

The master race conceit was at the root of WW I, long before Hitler.