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Why War?
Series: Pelican Books
Brief Description
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...
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Why War?
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Description
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.
Series: Pelican Books
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Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780241567616
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 19 June 2025
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Pelican
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 22.0mm
Width: 110.0mm
Height: 180.0mm
Weight: 231g
Pages: 400
About the Author
Richard Overy is Honorary Research Professor of History at the University of Exeter and one of Britain's most distinguished historians. His 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.
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