Niall Ferguson on COVID, Lockdowns and Authoritarianism

The novel is set in a near-future New England in the Republic of Gilead, a patriarchal, totalitarian state that has overthrown the United States government. Offred, the narrator, is one of the 'Handmaids', women who are forcibly assigned to produce children for the ruling class, known as 'Commanders'. The story explores themes of powerless women, loss of female agency and individuality, and the suppression of women's reproductive rights. Offred's life is marked by her restrictive routine, her memories of her past life, and her interactions with the Commander, his wife Serena Joy, and other Handmaids, including her friend Ofglen who is part of an underground resistance movement. The novel is a scathing satire, an ominous warning, and a tour de force of narrative suspense.

In 'Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe', Niall Ferguson delves into the global history of disasters, analyzing why humanity consistently fails to prepare for catastrophes. The book covers a wide range of disasters, from pandemics and earthquakes to financial crises and wars, and argues that many disasters have man-made components. Ferguson critiques the responses of developed countries to the COVID-19 pandemic and highlights the role of bureaucratic failures and complex systems in exacerbating disasters. The book draws on various fields such as economics, epidemiology, and network science to offer a general theory of disasters and suggests ways to improve future responses to crises.

In 'The Pursuit of the Millennium', Norman Cohn examines the rise and fall of various millenarian cults and movements during the Middle Ages. The book covers topics such as the Brethren of the Free Spirit, flagellants, the Anabaptists, and the Ranters, and discusses their roles in historical events like the Crusades and the takeover of Münster by John of Leiden. Cohn also draws parallels between these medieval movements and later totalitarian ideologies, such as Nazism and Soviet communism, highlighting the recurring themes of millenarian expectation and social upheaval.