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The Marcos Dynasty

The Marcos Dynasty

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  • Create Date：2022-05-12 06:59:35
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Sterling Seagrave
  • ISBN：1521045844
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Reviews

Bernie ，

I absolutely loved this magnifying glass on the Marcos' rise， and fall。 There are so many moving parts， it's hard to keep track of the different political alliances （and betrayals）， but it was fascinating， a great read， and I am now tackling other books by the same author。 I absolutely loved this magnifying glass on the Marcos' rise， and fall。 There are so many moving parts， it's hard to keep track of the different political alliances （and betrayals）， but it was fascinating， a great read， and I am now tackling other books by the same author。 。。。more

Tocotin ，

I thought Chiang Kai-Shek and his cronies from The Soong Dynasty were the foulest， most murderous swindlers in postcolonial Asia， but these clowns take the cake。 Seriously， there are just no words。“R。 B。 Wilson， of Australia’s Kerr & Associates， said he was contacted by C。 Troncoso in California with an offer to deliver 60 metric tons of Marcos gold per week for a five-year period， in a deal connected to the Mitsubishi Bank in Las Vegas， part of the Japanese giant。 Wilson became angry and talked I thought Chiang Kai-Shek and his cronies from The Soong Dynasty were the foulest， most murderous swindlers in postcolonial Asia， but these clowns take the cake。 Seriously， there are just no words。“R。 B。 Wilson， of Australia’s Kerr & Associates， said he was contacted by C。 Troncoso in California with an offer to deliver 60 metric tons of Marcos gold per week for a five-year period， in a deal connected to the Mitsubishi Bank in Las Vegas， part of the Japanese giant。 Wilson became angry and talked about the deal when the participants bypassed him and he lost his commission。 He said he understood that a total of 4，000 metric tons was involved […]”Yeah， it does sound like Marcos had found Yamashita’s gold。It's a fascinating book even to a layman like me， and I’m not all that interested in financial machinations all that much。 It's not for the faint-hearted， though; it's a supremely depressing read about the power of greed and its fruits， right there with The Soong Dynasty。The background seems to have been thoroughly researched; I especially appreciated all the details about the Ilocos Region and the Hukbalahap （the socialist/communist guerrillas）。 。。。more

Joelle ，

Joelle Reads Her Bookcase#6I did not want this book to be true。 We don't want to know these things about our intelligence agencies。 But， it is so very true。 The 60's through the 80's were a nasty time for the United States when it came to the CIA and Communism and East Asia/South America。 Beyond that， what we have caused to happen in the Philippines is a blight that will never be erased from our national conscience。 We failed。 Simple as that We failed from the beginning， when we refused to uphol Joelle Reads Her Bookcase#6I did not want this book to be true。 We don't want to know these things about our intelligence agencies。 But， it is so very true。 The 60's through the 80's were a nasty time for the United States when it came to the CIA and Communism and East Asia/South America。 Beyond that， what we have caused to happen in the Philippines is a blight that will never be erased from our national conscience。 We failed。 Simple as that We failed from the beginning， when we refused to uphold our promise of liberation after the Spanish War， because of greed over land and resources ripe for exploiting。 We failed during the 20's and 30's when we ignored Japanese aggression， worked to consolidate power and wealth in the hands of the few， and then fled， allowing the Japanese to exploit and destroy。 Then we came back as "heroes"， but destroyed so much in the process。 Once again， power and wealth were accumulated in the hands of the few - Japanese， Chinese， Filipino， American， Korean - and the masses were left to starve。 It was never about the people。 It was never about the least of these。 It was always about power and control。 Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos， and their cronies， accumulated massive amounts of money （gold）， because "he who has the gold makes the rules" - to quote Aladdin。 Ferdinand leveraged his islands' positions to curry favor with the US government， knowing that he could provide a favorable waypoint for military bases。 And because they were consumed with larger pictures， i。e where the Soviet Union might be penetrating， they allowed him free reign， never bothering to notice that his sugar workers were starving。 That in Manila they had THOUSANDS OF TODDLERS OFFERING ORAL SEX。 Manila was the world's largest supplier of sex slaves through the 70's and into the 80's， and age wasn't a problem。 Let that sink in a moment。 It's easy to look at these men and women who clamber up unto these thrones， and acknowledge that they're pond scum。 Imelda clearly had mental issues， and with the way her father treated her mother （sexual， physical， and psychological abuse， plus constant abandonment）， and the abject poverty she was forced to live in， it's not surprising。 Her father never showed her any amount of nurturing， and she was clearly abused as a baby。 Ferdinand was a psychopath。 What is harder to do is look at the role of our own government， and acknowledge that their is no excuse。 We are completely culpable， and we completely ruined the lives of the Filipino peasants。 I understand that there are always state secrets that us mere mortals will never be able to comprehend; but I also know what is right， and what is wrong。 And you can't tell me that there is a single instance， starting from when McArthur arrives and gets himself named field marshal。 。。。more

Sly Reference ，

I haven't found many books that cover Marcos' rule in the Philippines， which is why I read this one。 Boy， was I disappointed。 It was so gossipy， and dug up all sorts of ridiculous scandals to the point that I'm not sure how much I believe the contents。 It reminds me of Gus Russo's The Outfit， more interested in a good story than making things sound true。 It sounds more like the raw stories gathered from old enemies and the rumor mill than the fruit of research。 This is made worse by the author's I haven't found many books that cover Marcos' rule in the Philippines， which is why I read this one。 Boy， was I disappointed。 It was so gossipy， and dug up all sorts of ridiculous scandals to the point that I'm not sure how much I believe the contents。 It reminds me of Gus Russo's The Outfit， more interested in a good story than making things sound true。 It sounds more like the raw stories gathered from old enemies and the rumor mill than the fruit of research。 This is made worse by the author's insistence of making Yamashita's Gold a central feature of the narrative。 This pushes it into the Graham Hancock realm， taking tantalizing speculation and assuming it's true。 It's a ridiculous， overstuffed book。 It was at least mostly readable， though I had to take long breaks from it to get through the whole thing。 Not recommended for people interested in serious history。 。。。more

Alicia Fox ，

Most people who know anything about the Philippines know it has a history of corruption， that Imelda Marcos had 1000+ pairs of shoes， etc。Most people don't know that the U。S。 played a pivotal role in supporting this corruption。 That General MacArthur was a crooked ass who made money off U。S。-backed initiatives。 That the CIA pushed for Marcos to become president， knowing he'd been a criminal， murderer， and Japanese collaborator。 That every president knew Marcos was pilfering U。S。 aid but went alo Most people who know anything about the Philippines know it has a history of corruption， that Imelda Marcos had 1000+ pairs of shoes， etc。Most people don't know that the U。S。 played a pivotal role in supporting this corruption。 That General MacArthur was a crooked ass who made money off U。S。-backed initiatives。 That the CIA pushed for Marcos to become president， knowing he'd been a criminal， murderer， and Japanese collaborator。 That every president knew Marcos was pilfering U。S。 aid but went along with it because U。S。 corporations and wealthy investors benefited and Marcos stopped "communists" （i。e。， those fighting to end greed and corruption）。 That the CIA obtained weapons for operating illegal war in Central America by having Marcos buy U。S。 weapons on its behalf。 That the Philippines was the conduit for the heroin which was consumed by American soldiers in Vietnam， and Americans in the U。S。， in the 60s and 70s。There's a lot more in this book。 Definitely worth reading for not just the history of the Philippines in the twentieth century， but a terrific overview of the modern history of American foreign policy。 。。。more

Adele Harrop ，

MarcosThe book was excellent but difficult to digest in one reading。 It is so convoluted with its many contributing references。 For me， it offered only the tip of an extremely complicated glimpse of Phillipine's statistically sad history during WW II。 MarcosThe book was excellent but difficult to digest in one reading。 It is so convoluted with its many contributing references。 For me， it offered only the tip of an extremely complicated glimpse of Phillipine's statistically sad history during WW II。 。。。more

Caesar Palacios ，

InformativeVery good book to read。 Well researched。 It exposes the Marcoses and it's connections。 Important reading for the Filipino Nation。 InformativeVery good book to read。 Well researched。 It exposes the Marcoses and it's connections。 Important reading for the Filipino Nation。 。。。more

Don ，

Detailed and Very InterestingDemocracy in the Philippines was a joke but what's worse is how our government of all persuasions collaborate with the corruption。 Disgraceful。 These are people lecturedlied to us about right and wrong while acting in the way they did。 I will be even less trusting of our so-called democratic leaders in future。 They are all as bad as each other and those they talk down to。 Detailed and Very InterestingDemocracy in the Philippines was a joke but what's worse is how our government of all persuasions collaborate with the corruption。 Disgraceful。 These are people lecturedlied to us about right and wrong while acting in the way they did。 I will be even less trusting of our so-called democratic leaders in future。 They are all as bad as each other and those they talk down to。 。。。more

Debjit Sengupta ，

Power corrupts but absolute power corrupts absolutely。 The statement was made by Lord Acton， a British historian of the nineteenth century。 A person’s sense of morality lessens as his power increases。 The history is repleted with countless example of men， who had misutilized their power for their own selfish need。 They have plundered their nation’s economy ， indulged in human right abuses and at times made a mockery of democracy。 This book includes one of them。 This book is about Ferdinand Marco Power corrupts but absolute power corrupts absolutely。 The statement was made by Lord Acton， a British historian of the nineteenth century。 A person’s sense of morality lessens as his power increases。 The history is repleted with countless example of men， who had misutilized their power for their own selfish need。 They have plundered their nation’s economy ， indulged in human right abuses and at times made a mockery of democracy。 This book includes one of them。 This book is about Ferdinand Marcos， ex-President and dictator of Philippines。 This book is about few men ， whose avarice had completely pauperized and paralyzed nation’s economy。Prior to the presidential election in 1965， there was a populist campaign where Ferdinand Marcos was projected as a decorated war hero emerging from World War-II。 He claims that he had garnered every medal and decorations that U。S and Filipino government can give to a soldier。 He won the election by a huge margin。 In 1969， he won again for the second time。 However， there was a discontentment and anger as most citizen felt the result was doctored。 What followed one month later was the most violent demonstration in nation’s history。 After three years， under the crumbling economy and increasing corruption， there was a student protest。 At the same time， threat of communism and Muslim insurgencies loomed large。 To restore public order ， martial law was declared。 He lifted it after 9 years and declared elections again。 In 1981， he was duly elected and proclaimed president。 He called for a snap election early in 1986 and was declared the winner。 However， this election was marked by violence and charges of fraud。 Public demonstration supported by rebellions in military followed， which compelled Ferdinand Marcos along with family to flee。Why Ferdinand Marcos is known in the history for the wrong reasons？ Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda Marcos were once one of the richest couple in Asia。 How did they amass such huge wealth， of gargantuan proportion？ The constitution allow a given President only two terms。 Still Ferdinand Marcos survived for two decades。 Was martial law really an inevitable option available？ What was the one key event that enraged most Filipinos and affronted them？ Why US support for him lessened in his later years？ Let’s find out。Later research shows that Ferdinand Marcos war exploits were incorrect and inaccurate。 US army records show that his medals were fraudulent。There were huge influx of money pouring from IMF， World Banks， USA and other friendly nations as loans and aids to Philippines。 However not every penny reached intended beneficiaries。 Some of these money were deposited discreetly in Swiss banks， some of them went to the pockets of their friends and cronies。 The flood of money was not due to miss-judgments on the part of IMF and World Bank。 American and Private banks too were pouring money with absolutely no guarantees。 He was also involved with the two main components of organized crimes on the Pacific region- the Japanese and Chinese underworld。 Prostitution， narcotics， gambling and money-laundering were turned into a syndicate。 It was also alleged that he had stumbled upon Yamashita’s gold- large metric tonnes of treasures hidden by Japanese defense during world war II。 There were extraordinary evidence of Marcos’ involvement in corruption， embezzlement， extortion， theft， torture， murder and organized crime。 He connived at everything illegal。One of the key reasons for declaring martial law was the spread of communism ， which made it imminent and inevitable。 This Communist menace was manufactured rather than actual。 So， to meet the imminent danger of Communist subversion， the defense establishment needs more authority and hence， martial law needed to restore pubic order。 At least that’s how it was made to look like。One event that enraged Filipinos was the assassination of Benigno Aquino Jr- the main political rival of Ferdinand Marcos。 He was killed when he arrived at the Manila airport after spending 3 years in the USA。 The event also alienated USA。 They began to envision collapse of Marcos’ regime amid eroding Philippine economy。 The person who was formerly guarantor of the American bases， was now placing them in jeopardy。Coming back to US again。 What role US had played in unabated and unprecedented growth of Ferdinand Marcos？ US for a century had an influential presence in the region。 So it’s impossible to believe that US could not catch the caveats of his wrongdoings or had no inkling of the happenings。 Philippines was an important location from strategic point of view ， especially in cold-war era。 It was a staging area for jumping off points for US naval and air base， which helps in keeping track of the adjoining areas comprising of Indonesia ， Malaysia， Vietnam ， Laos ， Cambodia and erstwhile Burma。 Ferdinand Marcos had a horrendous human right records。 He along with his wife Imelda plundered the country with billions of dollars。 Still US continued to appease them， just for the sake of this base。 He too desperately required US support for his own survival。 He flourished unchecked under the aegis of US， under whose blessing Manila under him became a center for money laundering， narcotics， arms trafficking ， gambling， slavery and even child prostitution。 Then the specter of Communist takeover posed a threat to US base， albeit exaggerated but made to look as imminent。 So， it was a win-win situation for both the parties， where it was a courtship of favors。Albeit not much is written about post Marcos’ regime but still few questions do strike my mind。 One such question is where does Philippines stand now？ The ignominious Marcos regime ， economically was projected as a golden age during his time。 However， it's success was debt driven。 On the contrary， he had turned the economy into a abysmal and deplorable state， which was moving in a wobblier fashion。 The country’s debt grew exponentially in the 1970’s and the debt management burst into a full blown crisis in 1983。 Has the economy dawned yet or still struggling with chronic deficiencies ？ Do the prospects looks bright or ominous times are still there ？ It took two decades to recover to the level of 1983。 Marcos’ regime ensured that Philippines was called the “Sick man of Asia”。 Despite decent growth ， the country could not benefit from “East Asian Miracle”。 The author deserves appreciation for the research done on the subject。 He has a profound knowledge。 He has substantiated each fact。 The subject matter is vast ， extensive and far-reaching， so much so that including them here are outside the ambit of this review。 A chapter is exclusively written that don’t find much mention here are Imelda’s ostentatious display of wealth， Marcos’ philandering ways and already mentioned Yamashita’s gold。 The last one requires exclusive studies。 There are informative documents available in YouTube。 There are maps to find the treasure， which are inscribed in ancient and esoteric Japanese script。 This is wealth of information on the nation and the dictator。 This is recommended。 。。。more

Jamie ，

I'll finish this one sometime soon， just really struggling with it。 I'll finish this one sometime soon， just really struggling with it。 。。。more

Samuel Gombe ，

because of the insatiable greed of the political class，our former president mr Daniel Moi formed a commission on inquiry on Devil Worship。What came out was that due to the immorality of corruption it has a common link with devil worship。。i never expected this magnitude of corruption outside Africa

Dominic ，

If Americans know anything about Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos， it's that Imelda had an extravagant wardrobe with thousands of of shoes。 However， in "The Marcos Dynasty，" Sterling Seagrave shows that the shoes were just the tip of the iceberg。 The book chronicles the rise of Ferdinand Marcos and his wife to the pinnacle of Philippine politics。 It also details their excessive corruption， human rights abuses， and madness。This is history at its most exciting。 Seagrave has a flair for playing up the d If Americans know anything about Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos， it's that Imelda had an extravagant wardrobe with thousands of of shoes。 However， in "The Marcos Dynasty，" Sterling Seagrave shows that the shoes were just the tip of the iceberg。 The book chronicles the rise of Ferdinand Marcos and his wife to the pinnacle of Philippine politics。 It also details their excessive corruption， human rights abuses， and madness。This is history at its most exciting。 Seagrave has a flair for playing up the dramatic and sensational aspects of the Marcos regime。 Seagrave really brings Philippine politics to life， with a cast of larger than life characters who engage in unimaginable corruption and abuses of power。 Ferdinand Marcos found brilliant ways to loot the public treasury and hang on to power。 The bitter infighting between Ferdinand and Imelda makes American politics look positively tame。 I shuddered to think that the fate of millions of Filipinos hinged upon a marital dispute between the unhappy couple。Unfortunately， Seagrave sometimes veers a bit too far into sensationalism。 His writing style comes across as hyperbolic and he constantly talks about how "others" don't accept some of his conspiracy theories。 This made me immediately suspicious。 Fortunately， most of the book seems well supported by the evidence， particularly when it came to the Marcos family。 With one exception。。。 Seagrave seems particularly obsessed with rumors of Yamashita's gold。 According to Seagrave， a Japanese general had attempted to ship thousands of tons of gold out of the Philippines near the end of World War II， but the ship carrying the gold sunk。 In this version of history， Marcos discovered the gold， which fueled much of his rise and contributed to the bulk of his wealth。 Seagrave spends several chapters primarily on Yamashita's gold， yet he never presents any compelling evidence that Marcos found the gold， much less that it exists beyond rumor （not to mention the fact that Indonesia's Suharto was estimated to have an even higher net worth without the benefit of hidden treasure）。 This was a major distraction throughout the book and I found myself wishing Seagrave would just ignore the gold and return to the Marcoses。 "The Marcos Dynasty" was written during the late 1980s， and so it seems to assume greater familiarity with political figures and events of the era than 21st century readers might possess。 I certainly remember when I was younger hearing quite a bit about Imelda's shoes， but my students know almost nothing about the Marcoses。 Nonetheless， the book does a sufficient job of conveying the most important parts of Philippine history so readers can follow along。 Ultimately， I do recommend this book for readers interested in learning more about the Philippines and Ferdinand Marcos' regime， with the caveat that readers should view some of Seagrave's bolder claims with skepticism。 。。。more

Boyet ，

Sterling's Seagrave account of Philippine politics and specifically the rise and fall of Ferdinand Marcos is masterful storytelling。 Sterling's Seagrave account of Philippine politics and specifically the rise and fall of Ferdinand Marcos is masterful storytelling。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Marcos Dynasty

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Marcos Dynasty&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Marcos Dynasty&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0