Victor D. Hanson: Why Germany Engaged in an Unwinnable WWII

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. A very good book on this topic is "The March of Folly" by Barbara Tuchman

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_March_of_Folly

The book is about "one of the most compelling paradoxes of history: the pursuit by governments of policies contrary to their own interests."[1] It details four major instances of government folly in human history: the Trojans' decision to move the Greek horse into their city, the failure of the Renaissance popes to address the factors that would lead to the Protestant Reformation in the early sixteenth century, England's policies relating to American colonies under King George III, and the United States' mishandling of the conflict in Vietnam.[2][3] More than half of the book deals with US intervention in the Vietnam War, while the other three case studies are shorter.[3]

Tuchman applies the concept of folly to 'historical mistakes' with certain features in common: the policy taken was contrary to self-interest; it was not that of an individual (attributable to the individual's character), but that of a group; it was not the only policy available; and it was pursued despite forebodings that it was mistaken.