Despite some questionable choices in examples, however, Tuchman was able to supply an ample amount of evidence for her thesis in her information about the corruption plaguing the Catholic church prior to the Reformation. This fact, while certainly acknowledged in history books, rarely receives the importance it deserves. This example, and perhaps that of Vietnam, were the most convincing ones that leaders throughout history have displayed an inherent proclivity that is decidedly "contrary to the way reason points and enlightened self-interest suggests" (Tuchman 1985, 1). Her chronicles of America's imperialist appetites and the wanton destruction it achieved in a fruitless siege in Vietnam for years should be taught as much as, if not more, than certain other areas of U.S. history.
Aided by the surety of hindsight, Tuchman's analysis of the Revolutionary Way in the U.S. is equally adept and indicates the extent to which policy in British government contributed to the loss of its colonies. The external reasons for the unpopular taxation and the needs for the British to raise currency are well elucidated in this manuscript, and explain how the circumstances for revolt were actually made manifest. For the most part, however, a good deal of The March of Folly: from Troy to Vietnam, is fairly consistent with other books depicting the history...
The corruption of the papacy in the years leading up to the Reformation is fairly common knowledge, although the author provides more detail than most sources, due in no small part to the length of her manuscript and the amount of room she had to describe this event. Other events, however, such as the U.S. involvement in Vietnam, may be found to be at variance with the chronicles of conventional historical sources. The information that Tuchman presents makes it seem as though the U.S. government never had any intention of "winning" the war. Due to the plethora of evidence she utilizes to back up this allusion, this particular notion seems tough to dispute.
Although it was probably prudent of the author not to involve too many examples from one government, she very easily could have detailed U.S. blunders in the Cuban Revolution and the Bay of Pigs invasion, and many other historical occurrences involving this country. Altogether, the author was able to discuss a number of important aspects of history that do not get discussed enough, which is the primary strength of this work. With a little more variety in the examples used, her conviction would have been unassailable.
References
Tuchman, Barbara. The March of Folly: From Troy To Vietnam. New York: Ballantine Books, 1985.
