• The Square and the Tower

  • Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook
  • By: Niall Ferguson
  • Narrated by: Elliot Hill
  • Length: 17 hrs and 22 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (999 ratings)

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The Square and the Tower

By: Niall Ferguson
Narrated by: Elliot Hill
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Publisher's summary

A brilliant recasting of the turning points in world history, including the one we're living through, as a collision between old power hierarchies and new social networks

Most history is hierarchical: it's about emperors, presidents, prime ministers, and field marshals. It's about states, armies, and corporations. It's about orders from on high. Even history "from below" is often about trade unions and workers' parties. But what if that's simply because hierarchical institutions create the archives that historians rely on? What if we are missing the informal, less well documented social networks that are the true sources of power and drivers of change?

The 21st century has been hailed as the Age of Networks. However, in The Square and the Tower, Niall Ferguson argues that networks have always been with us, from the structure of the brain to the food chain, from the family tree to freemasonry. Throughout history, hierarchies housed in high towers have claimed to rule, but often real power has resided in the networks in the town square below. For it is networks that tend to innovate. And it is through networks that revolutionary ideas can contagiously spread. Just because conspiracy theorists like to fantasize about such networks doesn't mean they are not real.

From the cults of ancient Rome to the dynasties of the Renaissance, from the founding fathers to Facebook, The Square and the Tower tells the story of the rise, fall, and rise of networks, and shows how network theory - concepts such as clustering, degrees of separation, weak ties, contagions, and phase transitions - can transform our understanding of both the past and the present.

Just as The Ascent of Money put Wall Street into historical perspective, so The Square and the Tower does the same for Silicon Valley. And it offers a bold prediction about which hierarchies will withstand this latest wave of network disruption - and which will be toppled.

©2018 Niall Ferguson (P)2018 Penguin Audio
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

“Captivating and compelling. Whether describing the surprisingly ineffective 18th century network of the mysterious Illuminati that continue to be the subject of crank conspiracy theorists or the shockingly effective 20th century network of Cambridge University spies working for the Soviets, Ferguson manages both to tell a good story and provide important insight into the specific qualities that power successful networks.” (The New York Times)

“Remarkably interesting...always surprising and always thought-provoking in the places and entities it chooses to pause and examine, everything from the Mafia to the Soviet Union of Stalin.... The Square and the Tower, in addition to being provocative history, may prove to be a bellwether work of the Internet Age.” (Christian Science Monitor)

"Niall Ferguson has again written a brilliant book.... His short chapters are lucid snapshots of a world history of Towers and Squares, filled with gracefully deployed learning.... The Square and the Tower is always readable, intelligent, original. You can swallow a chapter a night before sleep and your dreams will overflow with scenes of Stendhal’s The Red and the Black, Napoleon, Kissinger. In 400 pages you will have restocked your mind. Do it." (The Wall Street Journal)

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    2 out of 5 stars

Not his best by a long chalk: Read Steven Pinker.

As much as I've enjoyed Niall Ferguson's other books, this one is a clunker. To begin with, he cherry-picks historical evidence worse than Michel Foucault in his prime. The core of his thesis appears to be based on network theory, but his actual analysis seldom seems to use it; he seems more like a social scientist waving a math book around from a podium. The exposition rambles badly; many times I found myself thinking, "Why is this germane?" I detected enough factual errors, particularly in his descriptions of the history of computer networks and the history of the Iraq war, to make me wary of any other interesting claims he might make. His anti-Islamic diatribes were not only shocking vitriolic but seemingly greatly in excess of what would be warranted to support his arguments.

All in all, read Steven Pinker, a scholar that Ferguson appears to take pot-shots at whenever possible.

Oh, and the narrator. His voice lacks what singers call a “point”, and every phrase is uttered with breathless intensity. His pauses for “air quotes” were long enough for cat-naps.

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23 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Ferguson's unique perspective of world history

As Ferguson states, this is an honest (and, IMO, successful) attempt to reclaim the framing of world history as the result of big men and bigger institutions from that told by conspiracy theorists to those with rational perspective. An expertly narrated and well told enjoyable read.

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22 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Power? Does it come from hierarchies or networks?

Niall Ferguson is a scholar and this is a serious work of scholarship. I recommend it, but you can probably use fast forward or set your device to 3X during chapter 5 where he explains the theoretical constructs of his attack upon historical process.

Ferguson argues that historians for a range of reasons, examine hierarchies to explain the past. Wrong! At least that's the author's persuasive argument and he instead looks at relationship management to instead understand why historical events occurred. No, he doesn't argue that hierarchical research is invalid, but that it merely explains only part of the engine that's led us to this moment in time.

It's a fascinating premise, and except for chapter 5, he's quite clear and interesting as he applies his theory to so many epochs and tipping points. It's a thesis that resonates with me now and I'll look for it as I listen to other books.

It does take 17 hours though for Elliot Hill to read us this book. And though he reads it very well, I think that some sharpened-pencil editing could have either removed or abridged some of Ferguson's examples to achieve the same end.

For me though, this is an important book and finishing it has rewarded me. Be prepared though to study Ferguson as you listen to Hill.

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21 people found this helpful

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Ferguson is always great but this narrator is zero!

I could not get into this book at all due to an overlong and boring introduction and mostly because of the very prissy voice of the reader. I love English voices. I prefer them. Ferguson’s own voice is terrific but this fellow made me return the book after half an hour listening.

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Very good but

Excellent material. I enjoyed the historical content and the thread of presentation for both homogeneous and hierarchical networks. However the narration is dry and without enthusiasm. For a long book the presentation overall is less than engaging.

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Niall F. develops brilliant insights into patterns of history

Whether you agree exactly with every element of his thesis, this book is a tour de force of the application of socio-historical understanding and interpretation to the analysis and assessment of broad contemporary trends. This work helps the reader developer the skills associated with strategic pattern and policy analysis that’s applicable today.

I had the privilege of meeting Prof. Ferguson once in Cambridge and observing his thoughtful and incisive thinking.

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Meandering

Left me searching for a broad conclusions about the meaning and grand way to address networks in society. Yet this never really happened.

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Pure elitist propoganda

the first part was interesting and educational, but then the book devolves into promoting the standard elitist propoganda. The Russians stole the election, climate change is getting world threat,and thus the only answer is the rule by the elite. book had so much promise, but just delivered the standard talking points. save your time

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Not a book on networks, power, Freemasons, or power

This was a history book about what the author felt like writing. It had the occasional reference to networks and power but they were disjointed and very little about Freemasons and Facebook. It was an enjoyable(ish) history book, just nothing like the title.

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Worth the effort

Interesting topic well handled by one of my favorite polymaths. Niall gets tangled up once or twice and this is not as good as my favorite of his (“The Assent of Money”). Well worth the thought and effort.

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