The Gun, the Ship and the Pen: Warfare, Constitutions and the Making of the Modern World
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- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Linda Colley
- ISBN：1846684986
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Summary
'If there were a Nobel Prize in History， Colley would be my nominee'
Jill Lepore， New Yorker
'One of the most exciting historians of her generation， but also one of the most interesting writers of non-fiction around' - William Dalrymple， Guardian
'Colley takes you on intellectual journeys you wouldn't think to take on your own， and when you arrive you wonder that you never did it before' - David Aaronovitch， the Times
'A global history of remarkable depth， imagination and insight' Tony Barber， Financial Times Summer Books
Starting not with the United States， but with the Corsican constitution of 1755， The Gun， the Ship， and the Pen moves through every continent， disrupting accepted narratives。 Both monarchs and radicals play a role， from Catherine the Great of Russia， with her remarkable Nakaz， to Sierra Leone's James Africanus Horton， to Tunisia's Khayr-al-Din， a creator of the first modern Islamic constitution。 Throughout， Colley demonstrates how constitutions evolved in tandem with warfare， and how they have functioned to advance empire as well as promote nations， and worked to exclude as well as liberate。
Whether reinterpreting Japan's momentous 1889 constitution， or exploring the significance of the first constitution to enfranchise all adult women on Pitcairn Island in the Pacific in 1838， this is one of the most original global histories in decades。
Jill Lepore， New Yorker
'One of the most exciting historians of her generation， but also one of the most interesting writers of non-fiction around' - William Dalrymple， Guardian
'Colley takes you on intellectual journeys you wouldn't think to take on your own， and when you arrive you wonder that you never did it before' - David Aaronovitch， the Times
'A global history of remarkable depth， imagination and insight' Tony Barber， Financial Times Summer Books
Starting not with the United States， but with the Corsican constitution of 1755， The Gun， the Ship， and the Pen moves through every continent， disrupting accepted narratives。 Both monarchs and radicals play a role， from Catherine the Great of Russia， with her remarkable Nakaz， to Sierra Leone's James Africanus Horton， to Tunisia's Khayr-al-Din， a creator of the first modern Islamic constitution。 Throughout， Colley demonstrates how constitutions evolved in tandem with warfare， and how they have functioned to advance empire as well as promote nations， and worked to exclude as well as liberate。
Whether reinterpreting Japan's momentous 1889 constitution， or exploring the significance of the first constitution to enfranchise all adult women on Pitcairn Island in the Pacific in 1838， this is one of the most original global histories in decades。
Reviews
Jim
，
Ms。 Colley takes us on a world tour in The Gun， the Ship， and the Pen where she traces the global history of written constitutions across many different countries。 A well researched， introspective on the different forms of constitutions and their different strengths in the country of their origin。 A worthwhile read for historians everywhere。
Henry
，
8/10
Andrew Clough
，
Histories that connect different times and places in unusual ways are generally good。 This goes through the spread of the modern idea of the written constitution from Corsica of all places and looks at how it spread around the world both in terms of the borrowing of elements and ideas and the pressures that led to the adoption of constitutions。
Laurent
，
The book succeeds in addressing “some of the forces that once helped these instruments to function and command attention。” This is by no means an exhaustive book and as such suffers from absences （the impact of the humanists is woefully absent especially when looking at France and italy）， and the relevance of certain examples （the constitution of Pitcairn） can seem irrelevant in light of the broader argument。 Nevertheless， the book demonstrates that legal-philosophical considerations were not th The book succeeds in addressing “some of the forces that once helped these instruments to function and command attention。” This is by no means an exhaustive book and as such suffers from absences （the impact of the humanists is woefully absent especially when looking at France and italy）， and the relevance of certain examples （the constitution of Pitcairn） can seem irrelevant in light of the broader argument。 Nevertheless， the book demonstrates that legal-philosophical considerations were not the sole bedrock of constitution-building， the important cross-cultural exchanges that took place in the thinkers that produced these documents and the flexibility which they conveyed。 In an era of “constitutional originalism” this book makes a case for considering constitutions as living documents。 I will definitely take pleasure in rereading parts and parcels of the book and perhaps， time provided， the whole thing。 。。。more
Eli
，
Would have made a good short article or book， but this book was too long relative to the ideas in it。
Jonathan Dine
，
Linda Colley's book is an exemplary work of global history that shows how in the modern world the connections between new forms of warfare specifically its increase in scale and use of naval power starting in the eighteenth century， new methods of communication and transportation， to the development of constitutions。 This book moves from Corsica， Japan， the US， China， Venezuela， Sierra Leone， and many other places which would make the sweep of the book inherently complex （as its voluminous notes Linda Colley's book is an exemplary work of global history that shows how in the modern world the connections between new forms of warfare specifically its increase in scale and use of naval power starting in the eighteenth century， new methods of communication and transportation， to the development of constitutions。 This book moves from Corsica， Japan， the US， China， Venezuela， Sierra Leone， and many other places which would make the sweep of the book inherently complex （as its voluminous notes make clear）; but Colley makes this history accessible by employing human narratives and an elegant style lacking in jargon。 。。。more
Glendon McCreary
，
While I found the content and general thesis of the book to be fascinating， I thought the writing itself to be on the dry side。 It felt much like reading an academic paper。 The book started off slow， but as the author started to piece together her argument， I could see the thesis come together， the pace picked up a bit。 Overall， I liked the uniqueness of the focus on constitution-writing around the world， but as a cohesive narrative， it was a bit wanting。
Mark Allinson
，
A tour de force which opens up a dazzling array of new perspectives on constitutionalism。 The book is a great exponent of the welcome trend towards global and inclusive history writing from a transnational perspective。 Beautifully illustrated and expansively referenced。 A pity only that the 20th and 21st centuries were relegated to an epilogue。 A must read for an understanding of global political trends。
Stephen Harrison
，
Colley has two main arguments。 The first is that constitutions are usually at least partially driven by concern about war。 In order to get people to make sacrifices for war in blood and treasure， they need to feel they have a stake in society。 The other is that the written word was essential is the making of the modern world by allowing the promulgations of ideas and especially constitutions。Colley starts off looking at attempts in writing to codify laws and the form of government。 She starts ou Colley has two main arguments。 The first is that constitutions are usually at least partially driven by concern about war。 In order to get people to make sacrifices for war in blood and treasure， they need to feel they have a stake in society。 The other is that the written word was essential is the making of the modern world by allowing the promulgations of ideas and especially constitutions。Colley starts off looking at attempts in writing to codify laws and the form of government。 She starts out in Corsica in the mid-1700s with an early attempt at a constitution aimed at driving out the Genoese。 This was a constitution in the sense that Colley mainly uses it， meaning it binds both the governors and the governed to certain rules and responsibilities。 It failed fairly quickly， perhaps because there were no printing presses on the island。 She then goes to the Qing Dynasty， where one emperor tried to codify the structure of government， but without any restrictions on himself。 Catherine the Great did something similar with her Nakaz。 It was trying to create a rationale and orderly government， but also without limiting her power。 Gustav in Sweden tried something similar but at least claimed that he was bound by it also。 Colley uses these early attempts to show the interest in writing down how government should work to make it work more effectively。 She the switches to the American Constitution， but doesn't go into much detail on what it says。 Instead， she focuses on how it was formed a why。 Although armed threats were clearly a concern， Colley stretches the evidence here to fit her thesis。 She talks about the appeal of a federal state to later constitutions， but doesn't talk about the weaknesses of that system for war。 She also argues that the Declaration of Independence was less influential than the Constitution in the 19th century。 Again， I see her point in that it was rarely directly referenced， but it did directly inspire the French Declaration of the Rights of Man， which was cited constantly throughout the 19th and 20th centuries。 So she may be right on citations， but less so on overall influence。When she discusses Napoleon， she makes a lot of sense in showing that Napoleon was not interested in curbing his own power， but in getting the people to buy into making sacrifices for society。 Creating citizens meant creating more willing soldiers and tax-payers， which is one reason why only men were citizens most of the time。 Napoleon created countries and constitutions to go with them， with mixed results。 She also emphasizes his failure on the sea undermined his overall effectiveness is war and ultimately contributing significantly to his downfall。The French Revolution and Napoleon Wars sparked constitution writing across the world。 This was most immediately felt in Latin America， where main Spanish colonies declared independence as was weakened by Napoleon。 As Europe expanded outward in trade， the ideas of constitutionalism spread as well， but what spread it further was European conquest。 Some countries， such as Japan， saw constitutional government as a way to strengthen the country， but others used it as a defense against European aggression。 A constitution meant "civilization" to Europeans， so they could less easily justify aggressive acquisition of territory。 It was a nice idea， but Europeans were flexible in their rationalization for empire。 This include the United States， which swallowed up Hawaii （and other Pacific islands） despite its constitutional government。The overall argument is a good one and I will use it in my classes。 There are a few places where it gets stretched， but that is what historians do。 This was interesting and useful， so give it a shot if you are interested in the history of constitutions and how/why they were created。 。。。more
Gordon Eldridge
，
This is popular history at its best。 I never imagined the story of how constitutions came into being and spread around the world could be so riveting。 The book follows a chronological sequence， but simultaneously builds a systematic argument as to why constitutions proliferated in certain parts of the world at certain times and what purposes they served。 The evidence is carefully presented and convincing。 The argument is lucid and immaculately woven together from the strands of evidence。 The boo This is popular history at its best。 I never imagined the story of how constitutions came into being and spread around the world could be so riveting。 The book follows a chronological sequence， but simultaneously builds a systematic argument as to why constitutions proliferated in certain parts of the world at certain times and what purposes they served。 The evidence is carefully presented and convincing。 The argument is lucid and immaculately woven together from the strands of evidence。 The book comes to life because for each of the constitutional developments described， the author provides fascinating contextual details， including details of the individual lives and motivations of the people who were involved in drafting the various constitutions。 This was truly a joy to read and has developed in me a fascination with constitutions as a political tool， which I will now follow up with more reading。 。。。more
Casey
，
Struggled to get through this one。 Lots of potential， but it felt like the author threw all of her research into the book rather than curate it for the salient examples。 This left the book disjointed and buried the thesis under superfluous detail。 Added to the excessive detail is an overly wordy writing style。 The editor needed to delete most of the adverbs and transition words， which seemed to appear at the beginning of every other sentence。 Only so many facts can be “important” or “notable” an Struggled to get through this one。 Lots of potential， but it felt like the author threw all of her research into the book rather than curate it for the salient examples。 This left the book disjointed and buried the thesis under superfluous detail。 Added to the excessive detail is an overly wordy writing style。 The editor needed to delete most of the adverbs and transition words， which seemed to appear at the beginning of every other sentence。 Only so many facts can be “important” or “notable” and most of those are inherently recognizable without the word placed in front of it。 。。。more
Thomas Foster
，
So， I guess this is a 3–3。5/5 rounded down。 I was already pretty interested in reading this given subject matter and the reviews it has already gotten。 Overall， it’s pretty readable and I definitely learnt a lot from reading the book — it’s also just generally refreshing the read something that doesn’t fetishise the 1787 American Constitution and tries to include some non-Western history。Frustratingly though， the whole thing just seemed a bit too thin and weak。 The book never really presented an So， I guess this is a 3–3。5/5 rounded down。 I was already pretty interested in reading this given subject matter and the reviews it has already gotten。 Overall， it’s pretty readable and I definitely learnt a lot from reading the book — it’s also just generally refreshing the read something that doesn’t fetishise the 1787 American Constitution and tries to include some non-Western history。Frustratingly though， the whole thing just seemed a bit too thin and weak。 The book never really presented an overwhelming load of new evidence for anything， and there were several claims which seemed very tenuous and unconvincing to me。 In particular， there was one place where the evidence was essentially “these two people were in Paris within a decade of each other”， and another where it seemed as though finding a concrete link was left as an exercise for the reader — it’s not as though other histories don’t also do this， but I hoped this one wouldn’t。The subject matter also felt very narrow in the end: it was literally just about the spread of written constitutions and their relationship with warfare （and even this relationship seemed secondary to the mere idea of written constitutions spreading）， with relatively little about the content of these constitutions besides who was enfranchised。 The evidence for direct influence of constitutions on one another was also rather patchy — it seemed as though the focus on the mere idea of a ‘written constitution’ and the people who came up with them， rather than what was included， rather limited the analysis here。The epilogue was also really strange; it felt like a really long conclusion to a high school essay， and sort of hinted at a （completely justified） critique of British political/legal thought which wasn’t really actually outlined anywhere else in the book。Overall — interesting， well-written， but a bit too thin and patchy。 。。。more
Steve Mayer
，
A magpie's nest of facts arranged more or less in chronological order intended to further a theme that constitution making is often the result of the stressors imposed by warfare and/or violence。 But the book is at once to long and too short。 It is too short because it devote only a few pages to each of its examples。 It's too long because there is a fair amount of repetition of its theme。 The author is a classic example of Isaiah Berlin's prototype of the person who knows a little about a lot of A magpie's nest of facts arranged more or less in chronological order intended to further a theme that constitution making is often the result of the stressors imposed by warfare and/or violence。 But the book is at once to long and too short。 It is too short because it devote only a few pages to each of its examples。 It's too long because there is a fair amount of repetition of its theme。 The author is a classic example of Isaiah Berlin's prototype of the person who knows a little about a lot of things。 Carlie seems to know at least a little， and undoubtedly more， about almost everything。 But it doesn't make the book more readable。 。。。more
Spencer
，
quit at 20%。 the part that i read was a somewhat tedious and only slightly informative description of 18c revolutions （assuming the reader is generally aware of that period of western history）
Monica Bond-Lamberty
，
It doesn't take that long to read， just had to return it in the middle and then it took a while to get it back。I listened to it and it was a good listen。It helps to know world history in some parts and it doesn't go in a necessarily chronological order but still enjoyable。 It doesn't take that long to read， just had to return it in the middle and then it took a while to get it back。I listened to it and it was a good listen。It helps to know world history in some parts and it doesn't go in a necessarily chronological order but still enjoyable。 。。。more
David C Ward
，
A detailed world wide survey of constitution making that shifts the focus from the ideological （and textual exegesis） to power politics， war and state organization （and reorganization）。 A lot of fascinating and unfamiliar detail （Pitcairn Island: who knew？） and the point is forcefully made that constitutions aren’t necessarily or ever just expressions of Enlightened reason and wisdom - frequently the American view。 Nor are they immutable - also the American view and Colley argues to our detrimen A detailed world wide survey of constitution making that shifts the focus from the ideological （and textual exegesis） to power politics， war and state organization （and reorganization）。 A lot of fascinating and unfamiliar detail （Pitcairn Island: who knew？） and the point is forcefully made that constitutions aren’t necessarily or ever just expressions of Enlightened reason and wisdom - frequently the American view。 Nor are they immutable - also the American view and Colley argues to our detriment。 。。。more
Eugene Procknow
，
An interesting but not well-developed thesis。 Her idea is that constitutions most often emerged after hybrid wars （land and sea）。 It seems logical that new constitutions would follow changes in states and rulers。The book meanders through history without a strong roadmap。 Colley selects some obscure events as seminal while not demonstrating their impact on other polities。 At times the author laments a large number of useless constitutions while at other times extolling their virtues。
Eric
，
Certainly there were elements of the work worth considering。 Perhaps the most revealing to me was the parts of the Constitution of the Confederate States of American that focused so exclusively on protecting slavery。 Lots of constitutions considered and a few even held up to some scrutiny。 In the end it was less than fulling satisfying to weigh the US Constitution in comparison to how well it has held up。
Jbondandrews
，
I had read one of Linda Colley's books before and this one was just as interesting。 Not having much of a background to constitutions it was a good starting point。 I had read one of Linda Colley's books before and this one was just as interesting。 Not having much of a background to constitutions it was a good starting point。 。。。more
William Pride
，
Really insightful book which made aware of new concepts that I didn't pick up on when studying some of the case studies mentioned in the book during my time at University。 I recommend it to anyone interested in political history。 Really insightful book which made aware of new concepts that I didn't pick up on when studying some of the case studies mentioned in the book during my time at University。 I recommend it to anyone interested in political history。 。。。more
Janine
，
Linda Colley certainly "goes big" in this book that explores warfare and constitutions and the making of the "modern world"。 It's a big modern world， that includes Corsica， Tahiti， Japan， Tunisia as well as Britain， France， Russia and America。 It's only when I read such an expansive book as this that I realize how rarely I read a history that spans such a broad canvas。。。。 Each of her chapters starts up close with an individual or an episode before she draws back to take a wider perspective。 The Linda Colley certainly "goes big" in this book that explores warfare and constitutions and the making of the "modern world"。 It's a big modern world， that includes Corsica， Tahiti， Japan， Tunisia as well as Britain， France， Russia and America。 It's only when I read such an expansive book as this that I realize how rarely I read a history that spans such a broad canvas。。。。 Each of her chapters starts up close with an individual or an episode before she draws back to take a wider perspective。 These individuals， each with their own lived history and cultural context， form a touchstone in that chapter and she returns to them at various stages throughout the text to highlight the distinctions and commonalities between different constitutional responses。。。What a journey across time and place！ Who would have thought that a history of constitution-writing could take us across so much territory？ I must confess that I find it hard to become exercised over constitutional discussions - although we are often glad of robust constitutions and rules when they are challenged。 I feel that historians have to use their very best narrative skills to breathe life into a study of constitutions， as Colley has here。For my complete review， please visit:https://residentjudge。com/2021/08/12/。。。 。。。more
Larry Roberts
，
A very different and intersting study of the role of constitutions in history！
Paul
，
B: This is an excellent overview of global constitutional history。 The author has an agenda and I do not necessarily agree with all aspects of it but she does show many good points regarding the progress of human rights associated with the documentation of rights in the many documents reviewed in this book。 Top down and bottom up constitutions are addressed as well as the purposes to which they are used。 Just as said in Starship Troopers （1997） Directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Ne B: This is an excellent overview of global constitutional history。 The author has an agenda and I do not necessarily agree with all aspects of it but she does show many good points regarding the progress of human rights associated with the documentation of rights in the many documents reviewed in this book。 Top down and bottom up constitutions are addressed as well as the purposes to which they are used。 Just as said in Starship Troopers （1997） Directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier， “Join the Mobile Infantry and save the world。 Service guarantees citizenship。” Some constitutions were vehicles used to induce greater participation in war in exchange for buy in to government。 If all politics is local， as attributed to Tip O’Neil， then so are constitutions， reflecting the aspirations of the drafters and， if they succeeded， by sufficient powerful stakeholders to ensure it is followed。 These documents may be aspirational or a mission statement， but in all cases they deal with power， who holds it， and the constraints on it’s use。 。。。more
Katie Parsons
，
Excellent and new （to me） interpretation of the motivations behind the wave of written constitutions developed during the revolutionary years。 Well-written， too， which is always a nice surprise。
Larkin H
，
Good but not great。 Colley’s scope is impressively broad， spanning truly the entire world。 She pulls examples from the America’s， Europe， Tunisia， the Gold Coast of Africa， India， New Zealand， Japan， Tahiti， and I am likely forgetting a few others。 Her thesis that the combination of increasing hybrid warfare （land and sea）， the increasing manpower it required， and the devastation it caused helped lead to a spread of written constitutions is interesting but not surprising。 It is an enjoyable read Good but not great。 Colley’s scope is impressively broad， spanning truly the entire world。 She pulls examples from the America’s， Europe， Tunisia， the Gold Coast of Africa， India， New Zealand， Japan， Tahiti， and I am likely forgetting a few others。 Her thesis that the combination of increasing hybrid warfare （land and sea）， the increasing manpower it required， and the devastation it caused helped lead to a spread of written constitutions is interesting but not surprising。 It is an enjoyable read with enough details for even the most astute historian to learn something new。 She highlights some of history’s less remembered influencers such as Catherine the Great， and some completely forgotten including Khayr al-Dīn and James Africanus Horton。 The journey of further research on those characters that this book led me on is enough to recommend Colley’s work for anyone interested in the development of politics via written constitutions in 18th and 19th centuries。 。。。more
Michael Schafer
，
This is a fascinating book about the importance of constitutions。 It also explains how constitutions are the outgrowth of devastating acts of warfare。 However， there is a bit of an ominous note for the United Stated and it’s constitution left in the epilogue。 Colley writes， “It is arguable that one reason for the political dysfunctionality and hampering divisions that have characterized the USA in recent decades is that the iconic constitution that so many former men at arms labored over in Phil This is a fascinating book about the importance of constitutions。 It also explains how constitutions are the outgrowth of devastating acts of warfare。 However， there is a bit of an ominous note for the United Stated and it’s constitution left in the epilogue。 Colley writes， “It is arguable that one reason for the political dysfunctionality and hampering divisions that have characterized the USA in recent decades is that the iconic constitution that so many former men at arms labored over in Philadelphia back in 1787 is， by this stage， simply too old and too limited， and in need therefore of sustained and expert amplification and revitalization。 Yet， without the external massive pressures of something like a major war how are such alterations ever to be brought about and agreed upon？” 。。。more
Michel D。
，
A fascinating look at the intersectionality between constitutions and hybrid ware of the nineteenth century。
Nicholas Little
，
Linda Colley books always bring a new perspective， not just to the age they describe， but the assumptions of our own as well。 Clearly an academic historian， she able to tell a great story as well。
Patrick Riley
，
What struck me most was how wars led to constitutions， and how factors involving wars led to constitutional documents， e。g。， the need for men for armies led to rights for men to vote。 Printing and the ability to ship documents and advocates of constitutions helped spread ideas。 Very interesting and eye opening book that covered the globe， Europe， Pacific islands and nations， the near East， the far East and points in between。
Michael
，