Strategy

A History

By: Lawrence Freedman

Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray

In Strategy: A History, Sir Lawrence Freedman, one of the world's leading authorities on war and international politics, captures the vast history of strategic thinking, in a consistently engaging and insightful account of how strategy came to pervade every aspect of our lives. The range of Freedman's narrative is extraordinary, moving from the surprisingly advanced strategy practiced in primate groups, to the opposing strategies of Achilles and Odysseus in The Iliad, the strategic advice of Sun Tzu and Machiavelli, the great military innovations of Baron Henri de Jomini and Carl von Clausewitz, the grounding of revolutionary strategy in class struggles by Marx, the insights into corporate strategy found in Peter Drucker and Alfred Sloan, and the contributions of the leading social scientists working on strategy today. The core issue at the heart of strategy, the author notes, is whether it is possible to manipulate and shape our environment rather than simply become the victim of forces beyond one's control. Time and again, Freedman demonstrates that the inherent unpredictability of this environment - subject to chance events, the efforts of opponents, the missteps of friends - provides strategy with its challenge and its drama. Armies or corporations or nations rarely move from one predictable state of affairs to another, but instead feel their way through a series of states, each one not quite what was anticipated, requiring a reappraisal of the original strategy, including its ultimate objective. Thus the picture of strategy that emerges in this book is one that is fluid and flexible, governed by the starting point, not the end point. A brilliant overview of the most prominent strategic theories in history, from David's use of deception against Goliath, to the modern use of game theory in economics, this masterful volume sums up a lifetime of reflection on strategy.

Download the accompanying reference guide.©2013 Lawrence Freedman (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Do you know everything Jeeves?

"I really couldn't say sir."

erudite, fascinating, loved it
A real workout for my aging brain.

a v e r y l o n g a n t h o l o g y

very thorough.. but even narrator lost track rambling from military to political to business to...

What is Strategy?

Here in this book, you learn how strategy is used by historical figures.
How is it that these individuals have been able to conquer their opponents with less than ideal situations? Not enough troops, not enough manpower , not enough what? Could you tell that conquerors of all ages have done one thing in mind, and that is to strategize. What does your opponent plan on doing, what do they think *YOU* are going to do, what will you feign to have the upper hand with a miscalculation?
Listen to this book, and you'll get a broad understanding of how people use this to their advantage. Whether you are just curious to know more, or are wanting to do better in life situations ( whether it be business, or moments of ambiguity )
Don't just play chess, conquer your enemies with strategy.

insightful

an amazing journey of learning and intrigued. what breathtaking review of strategy and its profound affects on our society today.

Good book but poor reader

As a professor of business strategy and an enthusiast of military strategy I am impressed by the scope for this book. It would be improved by better linkages between the sections rather than just jumping from military to political strategy, for example. The reader is pretty poor as he mispronunces some standard English words such as “posthumous” and completely mispronounces most foreign words, especially those in French. For example, he pronounced repertoires as repertories. Perhaps the worst was his pronunciation of the most famous ever sociologist, the German Max Weber, as “Webber” rather than “Veber”. He should have been given a guide.

I tired to give it four stars for overall and story but the system keeps changing the stars.