History

War: How Conflict Shaped Us

War: How Conflict Shaped Us

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-07-09 09:56:16
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Margaret MacMillan
  • ISBN：1984856138
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Summary

The internationally renowned historian and bestselling author of Paris 1919 contemplates the existence of war: why it occurs， and what it says about human nature。

War is always with us， even in peace。 It has shaped humanity， its institutions， its states， its values and ideas。 Our very language， our public spaces， our private memories， some of our greatest cultural treasures reflect the glory and the misery of war。 War is an uncomfortable and challenging subject not least because it brings out the most vile and the noblest aspects of humanity。

Margaret MacMillan looks at the ways in which war has shaped human history and how， in turn， changes in political organization， technology， or ideologies have affected how and why we fight。 The book considers such much-debated and controversial issues as when war first started; whether human nature dooms us to fight each other; why war has been described as the most organized of all human activities and how it has forced us to become still more organized; how warriors are made and why are they almost always men; and how we try to control war。

Drawing on lessons from classical history as well as analysis of modern warfare from all parts of the globe， MacMillan reveals the many faces of war--the way it shapes our past， our future， our views of the world， and our very conception of ourselves。

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Reviews

Cheriee Weichel ，

Make this 3。5 stars。 Maybe this isn't really my kind of book。 MacMillan looks at the history of war and how it has shaped the kind of cultures and societies we live in。 It's big picture overarching in it's scope。 Make this 3。5 stars。 Maybe this isn't really my kind of book。 MacMillan looks at the history of war and how it has shaped the kind of cultures and societies we live in。 It's big picture overarching in it's scope。 。。。more

Masseyalum ，

My first reaction was that this book reads as if it were dictated。 I discovered later that indeed it is taken from a lecture series。 If this book had been edited for the eye rather than remaining in syntax for the ear， it would be a masterpiece。 My advice: slow your reading speed and pretend Dr。 MacMillan is speaking to you。 The book is chockablock with learned facts and observation。 Too bad those get lost often among the lines。

Alexa ，

While I was interested in what this book was trying to do， I ultimately don't think it was accomplished。 While I was interested in what this book was trying to do， I ultimately don't think it was accomplished。 。。。more

Janis ，

Historian Macmillan takes a long view of the nature of war and how it has shaped human society。 Using examples from across centuries， she explores the various reasons people have gone to war， how nations develop and train their soldiers， the rules of war， and its impact on civilians （with a chapter on art and memory）。 I really appreciated the ideas and questions posed and the depth of knowledge brought to the topic by the author。

Mudit Sharma ，

Wide ranging collection of ideas about all aspects of war。 I liked the even handed approach and coverage of diverse views。

Richard Anderson ，

Excellent account of the concept of war through the ages。

Duncan Rice ，

Well written and easy to read。 It follows the format of proposing an idea and then giving anecdotal evidence。 There is nothing really new or novel in the analysis。

William ，

By far， not her strongest book， but still worth a read。 More on the philosophical side of her observations than the concrete "aha" moments of some of her previous works。 Mild criticism aside， MacMillan is one of the strongest and most readable historians of our age！ By far， not her strongest book， but still worth a read。 More on the philosophical side of her observations than the concrete "aha" moments of some of her previous works。 Mild criticism aside， MacMillan is one of the strongest and most readable historians of our age！ 。。。more

John Lawson ，

A broad overview of human of human conflict that she argues has always been a part of human culture – and therefore we better understand it。 As with any overview it feels very general and does not have the depth， for example， of Paris 1919。 Still I found it provocative and informative。

Doug Caldwell ，

I read the author's earlier book on WWI Paris peace treaty 1919 so I picked up this one。 She has something different to say about war and humanity from the earliest days of civilization to modern times。 I read the author's earlier book on WWI Paris peace treaty 1919 so I picked up this one。 She has something different to say about war and humanity from the earliest days of civilization to modern times。 。。。more

Cody ，

This was basically an all encompassing book of everything about war。 It talks about why wars happen， the ethics of war， what war is like for soldiers as well as everyone else involved， and the impact war has on culture。 It looks at trends from the Trojan war all the way to the present。 I didnt really learn much I didn't already know as someone who has studied this sort of thing and she didn't really break any new ground but its very informative for anyone interested in the topic who hasn't studi This was basically an all encompassing book of everything about war。 It talks about why wars happen， the ethics of war， what war is like for soldiers as well as everyone else involved， and the impact war has on culture。 It looks at trends from the Trojan war all the way to the present。 I didnt really learn much I didn't already know as someone who has studied this sort of thing and she didn't really break any new ground but its very informative for anyone interested in the topic who hasn't studied it much。 。。。more

Cheryl ，

This is one of those books that I will be thinking about for a while。 MacMillan deals with a number of different ways societies shape and are shaped by war。 I thought her observation at the beginning of the book that today for most of us in Western countries we don't think about war that much because for the most part those wars are playing out in other places， but that it is still important for us to talk about because it still affects all of us， whether or not it is playing out where we live。 This is one of those books that I will be thinking about for a while。 MacMillan deals with a number of different ways societies shape and are shaped by war。 I thought her observation at the beginning of the book that today for most of us in Western countries we don't think about war that much because for the most part those wars are playing out in other places， but that it is still important for us to talk about because it still affects all of us， whether or not it is playing out where we live。 。。。more

Ivy Sitkoski ，

This book had a lot of information and raised very interesting questions， but I had trouble with the way it was organized。 Instead of chronological order， the author organized information by topic， with each chapter divided into subtopics。 I was able to follow the flow of facts but remembering them was very difficult。

Tom Walsh ，

Incredibly comprehensive， but sad tale。Macmillan has done an amazing job of tracing the sad， warts and all， history of Warfare from its earliest roots in the Human Community。 She looks at all its motivations and rationales and is unflinching in pointing them out in all their ugliness， cruelty， and venality。She looks at her subject from all sides: History， Politics， Religion， Arts， Culture， Impact on Society and Economics， etc。 If this work has a weakness at all， and I think it’s because of the A Incredibly comprehensive， but sad tale。Macmillan has done an amazing job of tracing the sad， warts and all， history of Warfare from its earliest roots in the Human Community。 She looks at all its motivations and rationales and is unflinching in pointing them out in all their ugliness， cruelty， and venality。She looks at her subject from all sides: History， Politics， Religion， Arts， Culture， Impact on Society and Economics， etc。 If this work has a weakness at all， and I think it’s because of the Author’s intent to write a complete historical analysis rather than a political screed， it is that it leaves out first-person accounts of the real victims of War: the soldiers and innocent civilians whose lives have been impacted or totally destroyed by their voluntary or involuntary participation in its horrible folly。To get the whole picture I would recommend reading War in combination with works by Chris Hedges， Tim O’Brian， Sebastian Junger， Dalton Trumbo or Michael Herr。But MacMillan has effectively done what she set out to do and for that I commend her and give War Four Stars。 We need to read and listen。 We could learn a lot。 。。。more

A H ，

3。0/5

Emily ，

“War is not an aberration， best forgotten as quickly as possible。”“So while we formally mourn the dead from our past wars once a year， we increasingly see war as something that happens when peace—the normal state of affairs—breaks down。 At the same time we can indulge a fascination with great military heroes and their battles of the past; we admire stories of courage and daring exploits in war; the shelves of bookshops and libraries are packed with military histories; and movie and television pr “War is not an aberration， best forgotten as quickly as possible。”“So while we formally mourn the dead from our past wars once a year， we increasingly see war as something that happens when peace—the normal state of affairs—breaks down。 At the same time we can indulge a fascination with great military heroes and their battles of the past; we admire stories of courage and daring exploits in war; the shelves of bookshops and libraries are packed with military histories; and movie and television producers know that war is always a popular subject。 The public never seems to tire of Napoleon and his campaigns， Dunkirk， D-Day or the fantasies of Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings。 We enjoy them in part because they are at a safe distance; we are confident that we ourselves will never have to take part in war。 The result is that we do not take war as seriously as it deserves。 We may prefer to avert our eyes from what is so often a grim and depressing subject， but we should not。” 。。。more

Miranda ，

Impressively researched - I feel like I learned quite a bit。

Rick ，

Impeccable scholarship addressing the maddening ubiquity of warfare。 Our knowledge of why and how people/ nations commit mass acts of violence is not likely to usher in prolonged periods of peace but it is naive not to recognize how war changes the world Macmillan makes this point eloquently and gifts the reader with lots of arcane but delightful knowledge。

Jeffrey ，

This book is like a very good book that was put into a blender。 I quit taking notes because it was difficult to find a structure to organize my notes。 Frequently a series of very interesting paragraphs。 Occasional parts I found quite well done， such as on war's impact on civilians or gender and war。I would give it 3 stars， except it really was interesting on a micro level。 Also， the topic is unique 。。。 there are many many books about wars but I can't think of one offhand that deals with the over This book is like a very good book that was put into a blender。 I quit taking notes because it was difficult to find a structure to organize my notes。 Frequently a series of very interesting paragraphs。 Occasional parts I found quite well done， such as on war's impact on civilians or gender and war。I would give it 3 stars， except it really was interesting on a micro level。 Also， the topic is unique 。。。 there are many many books about wars but I can't think of one offhand that deals with the overarching theme of War。 We all think （particularly since WWll） that war is the aberration for humans and peace is our natural state。 She makes a good case that war is as part of being human as eating and procreating。 。。。more

Silena ，

It presents interesting concepts about how the nature of war has changed throughout history and poses the question whether humans are capable of peace。

Hank ，

Too scattered across eras。 There are interesting observations in War， but also plenty of banalities。 I'm not sure about MacMillan's belief that historians are ignoring warfare。 I'm also not sure about her myopic focus on World War I。 Alas。。。 Too scattered across eras。 There are interesting observations in War， but also plenty of banalities。 I'm not sure about MacMillan's belief that historians are ignoring warfare。 I'm also not sure about her myopic focus on World War I。 Alas。。。 。。。more

Kristina ，

Seeping with facts and history with compelling tidbits but the connecting story wasn't there to make me want to pick this up every night。 Well-researched and well laid out arguments。 Seeping with facts and history with compelling tidbits but the connecting story wasn't there to make me want to pick this up every night。 Well-researched and well laid out arguments。 。。。more

Michael Chepesiuk ，

A good overview of the history of warfare。 Some parts repetitive and other parts were reminders of what most who know history already knew。 There were some critical parts， however more could have been spent analyzing warfare post-ww2， especially nuclear weapons， war criminals， and the UN。

Mark ，

War mostly sucks。。。but some are excited by it。 Informative but exhausting。

Catherine Woodman ，

Remembering those who died in combat， whether they be soldiers or civilians， is the work of the living on Memorial Day。 In MacMillan's book on war， which is one of the New York Times top five works of non-fiction from 2020， the author questions the wisdom of doing that， and posits that we might be better at avoiding war if we didn't remember so much。 On the other hand， she also professes that war is both ingrained in our DNA and inextricably linked to human progress。 It is complicated。I have to Remembering those who died in combat， whether they be soldiers or civilians， is the work of the living on Memorial Day。 In MacMillan's book on war， which is one of the New York Times top five works of non-fiction from 2020， the author questions the wisdom of doing that， and posits that we might be better at avoiding war if we didn't remember so much。 On the other hand， she also professes that war is both ingrained in our DNA and inextricably linked to human progress。 It is complicated。I have to say that while I commited to reading some highly rated non-fiction this year， I was not wildly enthusiastic about reading this， and thought this would be a good way to spend the holiday。 I was surprised to find that this is an enjoyable and somewhat superficial trek through many aspects of war: its origins in the struggle for resources or for power or simply for what philosopher Thomas Hobbes called “trifles，” its portrayal in popular culture （especially cinema）， and the tactics and technology now transforming the way wars are fought。 The book is light on political theory but rich in factual detail; entirely devoid of polemic， yet full of sober analysis。 War and Peace， The Iliad， and Henry the Fifth are quoted as often as historians and political theorists are。 Humans are described as they are， not as they ought to be。There are difficult parts of this book to both read and think about。 The history of raising and training warriors， the challenge and ultimate failure of warriors to keep civilians out of the fight， that those in the path of war are treated the worst， the economic and the psychological costs of war are all dealved into。 The book covers a mammoth amount of ground in a short number of pages， and it stands as a great general reference， a rich starting point for lively discussion and further study， as well as an introduction to the subject of war for those， like I， who have never thought much about it。 。。。more

Christopher ，

Lacked a cohesive message。。。interesting historical anecdotes to illustrate the themes of each chapter， but even then over reliant on references to WWI and the Western wars more broadly。

Kathryn ，

A solid book that does exactly what I think it was trying to do without a lot of frills。 I would have given it more stars if I hadn’t set it down around page 100 for three months before I found the dedication to finish it。

Margaux Tatin Blanc ，

Interesting book。。。 and depressing。。。 it shows how the world does things for war that it does not do for peace or for humans。。。。Everything from the Roman roads to penicillin seems to have been developed for war。。。 not for peace。。。 Pax Romana is definitely a lure。。。Aaaaaaaah

Luke Hosford ，

Really really enjoyed this， despite there being so much in it， and quite academic in style。 It started off trying to explain how all of human history can be framed in terms of war， but then quickly moved on to some really interesting insights， mostly using example from World War I。 There were some great facts but the most illuminating was just how much of our societies trace their origins to war。 Some of the best and most revered artists， movies， books， pieces of art depict or are about war。 The Really really enjoyed this， despite there being so much in it， and quite academic in style。 It started off trying to explain how all of human history can be framed in terms of war， but then quickly moved on to some really interesting insights， mostly using example from World War I。 There were some great facts but the most illuminating was just how much of our societies trace their origins to war。 Some of the best and most revered artists， movies， books， pieces of art depict or are about war。 The cultural， economic and social output is ramped up massively during these times of national solidarity。 Currents of economic and social progress and revolution can thank wars for their impetus。 Some of the personal accounts into how war takes over their entire human experience yet it coupled with a profound futility was fascinating。 。。。more

Judy Masters ，

Did not finish。 It was seriously boring

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=War: How Conflict Shaped Us

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=War: How Conflict Shaped Us&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,War: How Conflict Shaped Us&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0