Certainly, war involves bloodshed and tragedy, but there are positive aspects that are often overlooked when the focus is on how horrible the battles are. Humans have always waged war. Sometimes it is for territory, sometimes for revenge, and sometimes for ideals. Like the many reasons for conflict there are many ways war is waged from primitive societies with spears to advanced technological warfare in the present day.
In addition to the question of why we fight wars, there is the question of who fights. It is primarily men and many of them, particularly in the past fought not only for country, but also for glory. The economic advantages of war are not often dwelt on, but war encourages production, enlarges the workforce often including women as in WWI and WWII, and brings cohesion to a country.
These and many other aspects of war are discussed in this book. It’s not an easy read being more scholarly than for the general public, but the arguments are cogent and the examples used to illustrate the concepts are well described.
I enjoyed the book. It provided a framework for much of my reading of history. Many books are written about wars: Napoleonic Wars, the Civil War, WWI and WWII among others. This book presents a more comprehensive look at the impact on civilization. I particularly enjoyed the way MacMillan brought in the economic and psychological factors. If you enjoy history, I highly recommend this book.
I received this book from Net Galley for this review.
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