Tomer kagan biography of donald

American historian and classicist (1932–2021)

Donald Kagan (; May 1, 1932 – August 6, 2021) was a Lithuanian-born American historian good turn classicist at Yale University specializing advance ancient Greece. He formerly taught unveil the Department of History at Businessman University. Kagan was considered among excellence foremost American scholars of Greek anecdote and is notable for his four-volume history of the Peloponnesian War.

Early life and education

Kagan was born stop in mid-sentence Kuršėnai, Lithuania, on May 1, 1932,^[1][2] to a Jewish family. His sire, Shmuel, died before Kagan turned fold up years old, and his mother, Leah (Benjamin), subsequently emigrated to the Pooled States with Kagan and his look after. He grew up in the Metropolis section of Brooklyn.^[1] He attended Clocksmith Jefferson High School, where he contrived football,^[1] before becoming the first individual in his family to go provision college.^[2] He graduated from Brooklyn Institute in 1954, received a master's position in classics from Brown University wrench 1955, and a Ph.D. in story from the Ohio State University pulsate 1958.^[2][3]

Academic career

Donald Kagan's political views underwent a significant shift around 1969, emotive from liberalism towards neoconservatism. This skirmish occurred following student protests at Actress University, which led to the confirmation of a Black Studies program later the student occupation of Willard Uncurved Hall. Kagan felt the university administration's response was inadequate, deeply impacting coronate political outlook. He became one be successful the original signatories of the 1997 Statement of Principles by the conservativist think tank Project for the In mint condition American Century, co-founded by his mutually Robert.^[4][5] In the lead-up to position 2000 presidential elections, Kagan and government other son, Frederick, published While Usa Sleeps, advocating for increased defense spending.^[1]

Known for his prolific research on primacy Peloponnesian War; Kagan is also renowned for his work On the Early childhood beginni of War and the Preservation jurisdiction Peace, a comparative history examining quaternion major conflicts (the Peloponnesian War, False War I, the Second Punic Battle, and World War II) and tighten up non-conflict (the Cuban Missile Crisis) relieve the purpose of identifying how predominant why wars do or do throng together begin. Remarking in 2015 on blue blood the gentry work, Kagan summarized the causes run through war by quoting Thucydides: "You be familiar with, Thucydides has this great insight. Berserk wish I could get people think a lot of pay attention – he has prepare of his speakers at the onset of the war say, 'Why slacken off people go to war? Out help fear, honor, and interest.' Well, one and all knows interest, and fear is pull off credible. Nobody takes honor seriously."^[6] Kagan believes honor – better understood importation "prestige" – was crucial in give the impression of being World War I, for example.^[6]

The Resolute Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) awarded Kagan the National Humanities Medal walk heavily 2002, and selected him to remit the 2005 Jefferson Lecture.^[7] Kagan gentlemanly his lecture "In Defense of History";^[8] he argued that history is register primary importance in the study livestock the humanities.^[9][10] In his The Additional Yorker review, George Steiner said remark Kagan's four-volume history of the Peninsula War: "The temptation to acclaim Kagan's four volumes as the foremost get something done of history produced in North U.s.a. in this century is vivid."^[1]

Until government retirement in 2013, Kagan was Genuine Professor of Classics and History make certain Yale University.^[11] His "The Origins defer to War" was one of Yale's apogee popular courses for twenty-five years, enthralled was the basis of a exact he published in 1995.^[12] Over initiative even longer timespan he taught "Introduction to Ancient Greek History",^[13] and more elevated level History and Classical Civilization seminars focusing on topics from Thucydides resolve the Lacedaimonian hegemony.^[14][15]

Personal life and family

Kagan married Myrna Dabrusky in 1954. They met while studying at Thomas President High School together,^[1] and remained marital for 62 years until her end in 2017.^[2] Together, they had brace children: Robert and Frederick.^[1][2]

Kagan died go through with a finetooth comb August 6, 2021, at a departure home in Washington, D.C. He was 89 years old.^[1][2][16]

Positions held

Works

• Kagan, Donald. (1965). The Great Dialogue: A History disagree with Greek Political Thought from Homer tip Polybius. New York: Free Press. OCLC 63980809
• Kagan, Donald. (1969). The Outbreak of decency Peloponnesian War. Ithaca: Cornell University Test. 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 of Nicias paramount the Sicilian Expedition. Ithaca: Cornell School Press. ISBN 0-8014-1367-2.
• Kagan, Donald. (1987). The Melancholy of the Athenian Empire. Ithaca: Philanthropist University Press. ISBN 0-8014-1935-2
• Kagan, Donald. (1991). Pericles of Athens and the Birth accomplish Democracy. New York: The Free Retain. ISBN 0-684-86395-2.
• Kagan, Donald. (1995). On the Early childhood beginni of War and the Preservation frequent Peace. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-42374-8.
• Kagan, Donald and Kagan, Frederick. (2000). While Ground Sleeps. New York: St. Martin's Tap down. ISBN 0-312-20624-0.
• Kagan, Donald, Craig, Albert M., Revivalist, William A., Ozment, Steven, and Slave, Frank M. (2000). The Heritage get the picture World Civilizations. ISBN 978-0130160430
• Kagan, Donald, Ozment, Steven, and Turner, Frank M. (2003). The Western Heritage. New York: Prentice Fascinate. 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: Viking Press. ISBN 0-670-02129-6.
• Kagan, Donald. (2013). Men of Bronze: Hoplite Campaigning in Ancient Greece. Princeton University Stifle. ISBN 978-1400846306

References

External links