The Appetite of Tyranny: Including Letters to an Old Garibaldian

A brisk, razor‑sharp essay opens the work, laying out the tangled web of promises and betrayals that pulled Europe into conflict. The author walks the reader through a series of stark “facts” – Prussia’s duplicitous moves, Belgium’s doomed neutrality, England’s hesitant declarations – while probing the deeper logic that lets tyranny feed on broken oaths. The prose is witty and incisive, turning diplomatic minutiae into a vivid portrait of a continent teetering on the brink of catastrophe.

Interwoven with this analysis are a handful of letters addressed to an aging Garibaldian, offering a personal counterpoint to the grand political narrative. These missives reveal the human side of the crisis, hinting at the anxieties, loyalties, and moral doubts of those caught in the swirl of events. Listeners will find a compelling mix of scholarly insight and intimate reflection, inviting them to reconsider how simple promises can spiral into a continent‑wide conflagration.