Why War?

Richard Overy

$45

Hardback

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English

Penguin
17 September 2024

Peace studies & conflict resolution; History; Military history; International relations; Armed conflict; Theory of warfare & military science

Series: Pelican Books

A study of what leads humans to war, from one of our great military historians

There can be few more important but also more contentious issues than attempting to understand the human propensity for conflict. Our history is inextricably tangled in wave after wave of inter-human fighting from as far back as we have records.

How can we make sense of what Einstein called 'the dark places of human will and feeling'? Richard Overy draws on a lifetime's study of conflict to write this challenging, invaluable book. Studying every facet of war from biology to belief, psychology to security, Overy allows readers to understand the many contradictory or self-reinforcing ways in which warfare can suddenly appear a legitimate option.

Repeatedly humans have foresworn war, have understood its appalling risks and have wished to create more pacific, productive societies. And yet almost inevitably circumstances emerge under which war once more seems inevitable or even desirable.

By: Richard Overy
Imprint: Penguin
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 222mm, Width: 142mm, Spine: 33mm
Weight: 498g
ISBN: 9780241567609
ISBN 10: 0241567602
Series: Pelican Books
Pages: 400
Publication Date: 17 September 2024
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Richard Overy is one of Britain's most distinguished historians. His most recent book is Blood and Ruins- The Great Imperial War, 1931-45 which was a New York Times bestseller and winner of the Duke of Wellington Medal for Military History. His other major works include The Dictators, winner of the 2005 Wolfson Prize, The Morbid Age and The Bombing War, which was a finalist for the 2014 Cundhill Prize. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and a Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.

Reviews for Why War?

A richly absorbing book... Overy is unquestionably one of our finest living historians -- James Holland * The Daily Telegraph * PRAISE FOR BLOOD AND RUINS: 'Majestic and original ... Overy has written many fine books, but Blood and Ruins is his masterpiece. It puts all previous single-volume works of the conflict in the shade. -- Saul David * The Times * Monumental... [A] vast and detailed study that is surely the finest single-volume history of World War Two. * Wall Street Journal * This is a magnificent book that reflects the deep scholarship and humane judgment of a magisterial historian. * The Economist *