Pesado, académico pero genial.

La lección que me llevo? No te preocupes mucho por los calificativos y nombres que usan tus políticos para el régimen que manejan. Mirá un poco más y te darás cuenta que detrás de tus repúblicas y democracias hay siempre una oligarquía que lleva la batuta.

Y que una revolución es simplemente el cambio de una oligarquía por otra. No importa como quiera llamarse. ( )

This book about Ancient Rome and its republic is a monumental work. It belongs in the library of anyone interested in Ancient Rome. A few more quotes from the book:
"When a Party has triumphed in violence and seized control of the State, it would be plain folly to regard the new government as a collection of amiable and virtuous characters. (509) The nobiles, by their ambition and their feuds, had not merely destroyed their spurious Republic: they had ruined the Roman people. (513) The Roman had once boasted that he alone enjoyed libertas while ruling others. It was now evident that obedience was the condition of empire—‘idemque huic urbi dominandi finis erit qui parendi fuerit.’. (Seneca, Dec clem. I, 4, 2.)" (517) ( )

A college text, I recall. A clear presentation of the ferment of the period preceding the Augustan Empire. Syme was using the material to advance the idea that Octavian was a man with a totalitarian bent, and program that he gradually shaped and implemented. I rather agree. though there has been two revisions since the original publication in 1939, the book is still to be found. ( )

This book is a classic. It is true that Syme assumes knowledge but given that it was written in the1930s as fascism grew and that contemporary situation informs his writing he is forgiven for his assumption. I woould recommend this book to anyone with a desire to learn more of the chaotic, bloody, politically thrilling end of the republic ( )

This book focuses exclusively on individual agency. The author explicitly rejects other modes of historical explanation, such as social or economic theories. The agency approach has its merits, but this book was clearly intended for specialists. You have to be very familiar with the personages of this period to appreciate the analysis. For non-specialists the overwhelming barrage of unfamiliar names and lack of general narrative soon become tedious.