Blood and Treasure: The Economics of Conflict from the Vikings to the Modern Era (Duncan Weldon)

Duncan Weldon’s Blood and Treasure: The Economics of Conflict from the Vikings to the Modern Era is a historic study of how economic forces shape conflict and state power. Weldon talks about the evolution of warfare from an economic perspective, from the ability to raise your money and manage your debts better than your foe to how warfare turned into an economic negative due to the evolution of war itself into a more violent, scorched earth style struggle. 

Weldon highlights over a dozen examples of economics and war, starting with the Vikings in the Middle Ages and continuing through the modern Russian conflicts with Ukraine. Each of these examples offer case studies that show why some states could fight longer and recover faster than rivals and how some states were better positioned going into conflict than others. Weldon artfully articulates in one part of the book that not all American dollars were equal at one time and also that the North’s ability to nationalize the dollar during the Civil War gave it a significant economic advantage over the South. 

The vast majority of the book is written with European examples. Genghis Khan does earn a chapter, as does colonial India in the 19th Century under the control of the British East India Company. However, much of the book is European or American in focus. That said, the context and history of war and economics over time is valuable as a way to gain understanding of how finance and power interact. Students of economic history and politics will find Blood and Treasure an enjoyable read.

MY RATING: 4

Conquering the North (John Man)

John Man’s Conquering The North: China, Russia, Mongolia, 2,000 Years of Conflict is a compelling and richly detailed study of the historical conflict over the Mongolian Steppe, fought between the Mongol people, Russia, and China. Man’s historical book focuses on the frontier zones that shaped empires, identities, and power over many centuries. His book brings clarity and attention to a region that is often overlooked in popular history, showing how geography, culture, and strategy combined to define the fate of not just these three nations but arguably the entire world.

The book traces the long contest between sedentary Chinese states and the nomadic peoples of the north, particularly the Mongols, whose mobility and military skill repeatedly reshaped the balance of power. Man explains how the rise of the Mongol Empire transformed Eurasia, and how Chinese dynasties sought to defend themselves through walls, diplomacy, and cultural assimilation. The emergence of Russia as a northern imperial force in the 17th Century adds a further layer, creating a three sided-struggle marked by shifting alliances.

Although the subject is complex, Man maintains momentum and coherence throughout. Conquering The North succeeds as both a history of power politics and a study of how frontiers shape world history and can change. It offers valuable insight into forces that continue to influence relations in the region today.

MY RATING: 4.5

1968: The Year the World Shook (Alexander Bloom)

In 1968: The Year The World Shook, author Alexander Bloom studies a year when protest, cultural change, and political conflict seemed to erupt across the globe simultaneously. The book argues that events in the United States, Europe, Latin America, and parts of Asia were not isolated crises but parts of a shared historical mood and generational shift. Bloom guides readers through student uprisings, civil rights struggles, anti-war demonstrations, and challenges to established authority, showing how many had hoped that rapid change was possible.

Bloom connects the fights for racial justice and against the Vietnam War in the United States with student uprisings in Paris and Mexico City, as well as the resistance to authoritarian rule in Czechoslovakia and elsewhere. By placing these stories side by side, the author highlights how media, music, and youth culture helped spread a sense of rebellion. While these events occurred in 1968, Bloom provides important context to show that the beginning of protests, and subsequent counter-protests from the establishment, were years in the making.

Overall, the book offers a concise and engaging introduction to a remarkable year in modern history, one that was more consequential for the course of the modern world than any since 1945. It’s accessible for general readers, yet thoughtful enough for students of history and politics. Bloom shows why the debates of that year still shape public life today in many societies worldwide.

MY RATING: 4