Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 256
•
Trim: 6 x 9
978-1-5381-1790-3 • Hardback • January 2019 • $109.00 • (£84.00)
978-1-5381-1791-0 • Paperback • January 2019 • $36.00 • (£30.00)
978-1-5381-1792-7 • eBook • January 2019 • $34.00 • (£25.00)
Jeremy Black is professor emeritus of history at Exeter University and a 2018 Templeton Fellow of the Foreign Policy Research Institute. His many books on modern war include The Age of Total War, A Century of Conflict: War, 1914–2014, and War and the World, 1450–2000.
Abbreviations
Preface
1 What Is War?
2 To 1500
3 War, 1500–1650
4 Limited War? 1650–1790
5 Imperialism and Revolutions, 1790–1913
6 World War I and Its Sequel, 1914–30
7 World War II and Its Origins, 1931–45
8 The Age of the Cold War, 1946–89
9 War since the Cold War, 1990–
10 Into the Future
11 Conclusions
Selected Further Reading
About the Author
A fascinating account of war as an institution by one of the preeminent students of the subject. By examining wars in their evolving cultural, political, and technological settings, Black offers important insights into the current practice of the use of force by states and intelligent speculation about the future.— Richard Ned Lebow, King's College, London
A wide-ranging, ambitious, and thought-provoking account of the history of war as a concept and a phenomenon. Jeremy Black sheds new light on a question of ongoing relevance, using the past to help us understand war today—and in the future. — David G. Morgan-Owen, King's College, London
From Thucydides to Mary Kaldor, from Ming and Qing China to Donald Trump’s America, from the ‘Great Mutiny’ of 1857–59 to the July crisis of 1914, Jeremy Black offers the first treatment on a universal scale of a major historical problem. By one of the most accredited historians of war, this is a work rich in thoughts and information.— Luigi Loreto, University of Naples
Jeremy Black’s War and Its Causes is a sweeping and highly informed history of war from pre-history to the present with a detailed analysis of wars from 1500 on. It brings in the latest diplomatic history, as well as insights from social and cultural history. While not everyone will agree with his views, they are always thought-provoking and illustrated with many examples. Social scientists, in particular, will find this book very useful in their research and teaching. It is highly readable but well documented. Another gem!— John Vasquez, Mackie Scholar in International Relations, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
War can range from tribal conflict to global conflagration. The benefit of such a broad definition is its explanatory power, but its lack of clarity can erode its usefulness. Jeremy Black’s most recent book looks to provide some clarity and thus better understand war. He also seeks to place this understanding of war in a global context, not limited by geography or chronology.. . . . Black effectively argues that some historical models are too narrow, in terms of both geography and time.
— The Journal Of Military History
Sherman was right: War is hell. If we accept and take Sherman’s comment at face value, we should consider Black’s book, War and Its Causes, as valid without being questioned. Black started his book with a blank canvas but has left us with an image that is carefully crafted and offers a needed perspective on the causes of war. And, if we substitute reality for perception, we also might have a better idea about the effects of war. No one really wins. Indeed, war is hell.
— Army History
Sherman was right: War is hell. If we accept and take Sherman’s comment at face value, we should consider Black’s book, War and Its Causes, as valid without being questioned. Black started his book with a blank canvas but has left us with an image that is carefully crafted and offers a needed perspective on the causes of war. And, if we substitute reality for perception, we also might have a better idea about the effects of war. No one really wins. Indeed, war is hell.
— The NYMAS Review
Listen to the author talk about where Russia's invasion of Ukraine leaves American and European strategic priorities here.
Global coverage of modern warfare from 1500 to the presentCompares civil wars and international conflictsPlaces present and future conflicts in broader theoretical and chronological contexts