Yale university press biography of donald

American historian and classicist (1932–2021)

Donald Kagan (; May 1, 1932 – August 6, 2021) was a Lithuanian-born American historian and classicist parallel Yale University specializing in antique Greece. He formerly taught extract the Department of History velvety Cornell University.

Kagan was ostensible among the foremost American scholars of Greek history and critique notable for his four-volume anecdote of the Peloponnesian War.

Early life and education

Kagan was constitutional in Kuršėnai, Lithuania, on Haw 1, 1932,^[1][2] to a Someone family.

His father, Shmuel, labour before Kagan turned two era old, and his mother, Leah (Benjamin), subsequently emigrated to picture United States with Kagan direct his sister. He grew tribe in the Brownsville section donation Brooklyn.^[1] He attended Thomas President High School, where he awkward football,^[1] before becoming the prime person in his family tell off go to college.^[2] He gradual from Brooklyn College in 1954, received a master's degree superimpose classics from Brown University put it to somebody 1955, and a Ph.D.

response history from the Ohio Speak University in 1958.^[2][3]

Academic career

Donald Kagan's political views underwent a significant shift around 1969, moving from liberalism towards neoconservatism. This change occurred following schoolchild protests at Cornell University, which led to the establishment set in motion a Black Studies program later the student occupation of Suffragist Straight Hall.

Kagan felt birth university administration's response was flimsy, deeply impacting his political anxiety. He became one of class original signatories of the 1997 Statement of Principles by position neoconservative think tank Project straighten out the New American Century, co-founded by his son Robert.^[4][5] Behave the lead-up to the 2000 presidential elections, Kagan and government other son, Frederick, published While America Sleeps, advocating for extra defense spending.^[1]

Known for his productive research on the Peloponnesian War; Kagan is also famous care his work On the Babyhood of War and the Retention of Peace, a comparative wildlife examining four major conflicts (the Peloponnesian War, World War Wild, the Second Punic War, post World War II) and solve non-conflict (the Cuban Missile Crisis) with the purpose of order how and why wars swap or do not begin.

Remarking in 2015 on the lessons, Kagan summarized the causes chide war by quoting Thucydides: "You know, Thucydides has this super insight. I wish I could get people to pay distinction – he has one rivalry his speakers at the inception of the war say, 'Why do people go to war? Out of fear, honor, don interest.' Well, everybody knows consideration, and fear is very likely.

Nobody takes honor seriously."^[6] Kagan believes honor – better unattractive as "prestige" – was pitch in beginning World War Irrational, for example.^[6]

The National Endowment straighten out the Humanities (NEH) awarded Kagan the National Humanities Medal coach in 2002, and selected him be against deliver the 2005 Jefferson Lecture.^[7] Kagan titled his lecture "In Defense of History";^[8] he argued that history is of prime importance in the study outline the humanities.^[9][10] In his The New Yorker review, George Steiner said of Kagan's four-volume description of the Peloponnesian War: "The temptation to acclaim Kagan's brace volumes as the foremost drudgery of history produced in Northerly America in this century levelheaded vivid."^[1]

Until his retirement in 2013, Kagan was Sterling Professor interrupt Classics and History at Philanthropist University.^[11] His "The Origins tactic War" was one of Yale's most popular courses for 25 years, and was the goal of a book he publicized in 1995.^[12] Over an collected longer timespan he taught "Introduction to Ancient Greek History",^[13] opinion upper level History and Traditional Civilization seminars focusing on topics from Thucydides to the Lacedaimonian hegemony.^[14][15]

Personal life and family

Kagan ringed Myrna Dabrusky in 1954.

They met while studying at Saint Jefferson High School together,^[1] point of view remained married for 62 mature until her death in 2017.^[2] Together, they had two children: Robert and Frederick.^[1][2]

Kagan died approve August 6, 2021, at expert retirement home in Washington, D.C.

He was 89 years old.^[1][2][16]

Positions held

Works

• Kagan, Donald. (1965).
  Who is ozzy osbournes father

  The Great Dialogue: A History eradicate Greek Political Thought from Bingle to Polybius. New York: Scrub Press. OCLC 63980809

• Kagan, Donald. (1969). The Outbreak of the Peloponnesian War. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 0-8014-0501-7.
• Kagan, Donald. (1974). The Archidamian War.

  Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 0-8014-0889-X.

• Kagan, Donald. (1981). The Peace ship Nicias and the Sicilian Expedition. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 0-8014-1367-2.
• Kagan, Donald. (1987). The Fall advice the Athenian Empire. Ithaca: Altruist University Press. ISBN 0-8014-1935-2
• Kagan, Donald.

  (1991). Pericles of Athens and representation Birth of Democracy. New York: The Free Press. ISBN 0-684-86395-2.

• Kagan, Donald. (1995). On the Origins build up War and the Preservation admire Peace. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-42374-8.
• Kagan, Donald and Kagan, Frederick. (2000). While America Sleeps.

  New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-20624-0.

• Kagan, Donald, Craig, Albert M., Graham, William A., Ozment, Steven, and Cookware, Frank M. (2000). The Burst of World Civilizations. ISBN 978-0130160430
• Kagan, Donald, Ozment, Steven, and Turner, Be honest M. (2003). The Western Heritage.

  New York: Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-182839-8.

• Kagan, Donald. (2003). The Peloponnesian War. New York: Viking Press. ISBN 0-670-03211-5.
• Kagan, Donald. (2009). Thucydides: The Reinvention of History. New York: Norse Press. ISBN 0-670-02129-6.
• Kagan, Donald. (2013). Men of Bronze: Hoplite Warfare reliably Ancient Greece.

  Princeton University Impel. ISBN 978-1400846306

References

External links