Why Wars Happen
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272 pages
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5_1/4 x 9
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© 1998
Why Wars Happen is a groundbreaking inquiry into the crucial yet surprisingly understudied question of why wars occur. Jeremy Black, one of Britain's foremost military historians, presents an interdisciplinary study that draws on subjects such as history, political science, and international relations and marshals a vast range of material with global examples spanning from the fifteenth century to today.
Black examines several major modern wars in their historical contexts, taking into account cultural differences and various conflict theories. He analyzes the three main types of war—between cultures, within cultures, and civil—and explores the problems of defining war. Black's investigation inspires fascinating questions such as: Do wars reflect the bellicosity in societies and states, or do they largely arise as a result of a diplomatic breakdown? How closely is war linked to changes in the nature of warfare, the international system, or the internal character of states? Black also considers contemporary situations and evaluates the possible course of future wars. Offering a valuable and thought-provoking analysis on the causes of war and conflicts, Why Wars Happen will interest historians and readers of military history alike.
Black examines several major modern wars in their historical contexts, taking into account cultural differences and various conflict theories. He analyzes the three main types of war—between cultures, within cultures, and civil—and explores the problems of defining war. Black's investigation inspires fascinating questions such as: Do wars reflect the bellicosity in societies and states, or do they largely arise as a result of a diplomatic breakdown? How closely is war linked to changes in the nature of warfare, the international system, or the internal character of states? Black also considers contemporary situations and evaluates the possible course of future wars. Offering a valuable and thought-provoking analysis on the causes of war and conflicts, Why Wars Happen will interest historians and readers of military history alike.
“Cannot fail to give pause for thought . . . This book’s strengths include its rigorously non-Eurocentric approach . . . I know of no better short analysis of the outbreak of the First World War, and it is characteristic of the author’s sensible, non-doctrinaire approach that he stresses how ‘chance played a crucial role.’”--Literary Review
“Why Wars Happen is a rich, insightful study of war over the past half-millennium. Black grapples with the question of changing attitudes toward war, a worthwhile and understudied topic, and does so in the spirit of an interdisciplinary dialogue between diplomatic history and International Relations. Even if International Relations theorists might wish for greater development of its conceptual foundations, Black’s book is an edifying, thought-provoking read and is a welcome contribution.”--Millennium
“There are many books on the causes of wars, but comparatively few of these are written by historians. In a bold and imaginative approach, Jeremy Black has tackled this well-established question in Why Wars Happen. Whereas others have tentatively restricted themselves to a few selected choice case studies, the author strides boldly across one an a half millennia of world conflict. The approach is genuinely global.”--English Historical Review
Contents
List of Abbreviations
Preface
Introduction
1. 1450-1650: An Age of Expansion
2. 1650-1775: An Age of Limited War?
3. 1775-1914: Wars of Revolution and Nationalism
4. 1783-1914: Wars of Imperialism
5. 1914-45: Total War
6. 1945-90: Cold War and the Wars of Decolonization
7. 1990-: War Today
8. Conclusion
Selected Further Reading
References
Index
Preface
Introduction
1. 1450-1650: An Age of Expansion
2. 1650-1775: An Age of Limited War?
3. 1775-1914: Wars of Revolution and Nationalism
4. 1783-1914: Wars of Imperialism
5. 1914-45: Total War
6. 1945-90: Cold War and the Wars of Decolonization
7. 1990-: War Today
8. Conclusion
Selected Further Reading
References
Index
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History: General History | Military History
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