Century of War: Politics, Conflicts, and Society Since 1914

(Paperback)

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This volume is a history of the way in which war has transformed modern society and a political analysis of the ways in which wars have been waged. Professor Kolko takes a long view of the 20th century, focusing on World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, to show the degree to which leaders and generals have consistently misunderstood the battles on which they embarked. Kolko argues that time after time, generals have underestimated the implications of new military technology and have begun wars they were incapable of managing or ending. Since World War I, this technology has led to conflicts being more protracted and more destructive to civilian life and property than even the most pessimistic had predicted. As the generals have been slow to realize, war has become less a matter of strategy than a contest between differing social and economic systems. "Century of War" provides a synthesis of the effects of war on civilian populations and the political results of these traumatizing experiences. Kolko also provides a revisionist view of the post-World War II conflicts, from the Phillipine uprising to the Greek Civil wars. The book gives a reassessment of the nature of the communist parties that were born in opposition to World War I but changed drastically as the soviet governments were established.

Reviews

"Gabriel Kolko [is] the foremost modern historian of war and its political consequences." John Gittings, The Guardian

"The totality of his argument is persuasive. I hope that many leaders and formers of public opinion will take the trouble to read this book, as it makes a crucial contribution to thinking about the readiness of war and its aftermath." Toronto Globe & Mail

Author Bio

Gabriel Kolko (19322014) was Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus at York University in Toronto. He was the author of Anatomy of War, Century of War, and Another Century of War, all available from The New Press.