The Winds of Time, by Rich DiSilvio

Review by W. J. Rayment / ConservativeBookstore -- The "Winds of Time", by Rich DiSilvio is 736 pages of history and historical analysis. It is rooted in the idea that the Grecophiles of historical commentary are mistaken in their notions of the debt Western History owes to the Greeks. He posits that it was from the more stoical and practical Romans that Western Civilization owes its success. He lays out a good case for this notion, revealing how modern forms of government and economy are based more on the structure of the late Roman Republic and the Early Roman Empire.

Though he does not completely dismiss the Greek influence, Rich DiSilvio minimizes it. Yet I believe that there are two strains to Western History, one is the Roman strain that takes ideas and applies them to better society - it takes the practical and pushes it to the logical extreme. Meanwhile the Greek reflects the idealist notions and would attempt to impose the ideal (see Plato's Republic) in spite of all evidence that the ideal is impossible and, in the long run, detrimental to society as a whole. From Rome we get the scientific, engineering side of our culture. From the Greeks we get the compulsion to reason things out.

Rich DiSilvio uses some interesting forms throughout the book. It is rather a collection of "Commentaries, Biographies, and Narrative Vignettes" than a cohesive history. The biographies were informative, the commentaries interesting and insightful (sometimes insiteful as well). But I found the vignettes slightly distracting. Although they were full of information and ideas conveyed by actual historical characters, I found myself thinking that the dialogues were somewhat stilted. The events as described did not evoke reality.

Yet the value of the "Winds of Time" does not lie in its style, but in its perspectives. The revelations are not derived from new primary sources, but rather from a fresh view of events and how events more than a thousand years past can influence our lives today. Though I did not always agree with Rich DiSilvio, his writing made me think. I was especially interested in his views on Christianity, which are neither apologetic nor revisionist. (There are some intense passages on Constantine who made Christianity the religion of the Roman Empire.)

A single book encompassing the span from ancient to present can not possibly cover all history in-depth, and it is well that he largely adheres to a theme. Rich DiSilvio picks and chooses characters and events revealing a progress of ideas rooted in Roman pragmatism. He skips over much of the Medieval period. He does, however, dwell on the American founding, and his biographical review of the major players of this seminal event makes the knowledgeable reader pause.

Being politically attuned to the current culture, I generally read with an eye to the political tendencies of an author, looking for axes being ground, hunting for gratuitous asides and fatuous commentaries. Reading the "Winds of Time" I did not get the feeling that DiSilvio had a political agenda, even though he certainly has a perspective and perhaps an historical agenda (purging notions about Greek influences, for one thing). Yet there were little flaws that bothered me. One was a simple spelling error, I am sure it was one of those spell-checker things, "throne" was invariably spelled "thrown". Also, he makes an historical error stating that Henry VIII never had any male children. Henry had a son who even succeeded him for a short time, Edward VI. These are minor points.

On the whole, "The Winds of Time" is well written. The facts and analyses are interesting and thought-provoking. Worth a read.

The Winds of Time, by Rich DiSilvio is available at Amazon.