The Shortest History Of War

Author : Gwynne Dyer
Publisher : Cormorant Books
Page : 281 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2022-09-09
Category : History
ISBN : 9781770866829

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The Shortest History of War by Gwynne Dyer Pdf

War has changed, but we have not. From our hunter-gatherer ancestors to the rival nuclear powers of today, whenever resources have been contested, we’ve gone to battle. Acclaimed historian Gwynne ­Dyer illuminates our many martial clashes in this brisk account, tracing warfare from prehistory to the world’s first cities — and on to the thousand-year “classical age” of combat, which ended when the firearm changed everything. He examines the brief interlude of “limited war” before eighteenth-century revolution ushered in “total war”— and how the devastation was halted by the nuclear shock of Hiroshima. Then came the Cold War and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which punctured the longest stretch of peace between major powers since World War II. For all our advanced technology and hyperconnected global society, we find ourselves once again on the brink as climate change heightens competition for resources and superpowers stand ready with atomic bombs, drones, and futuristic “autonomous” weapons in development. Throughout, Dyer delves into anthropology, psychology, and other relevant fields to unmask the drivers of conflict. The Shortest History of War is for anyone who wants to understand the role of war in the human story — and how we can prevent it from defining our future.

Author : Jeremy Black
Publisher : Yale University Press
Page : 269 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 2021-09-28
Category : History
ISBN : 9780300262957

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A Short History of War by Jeremy Black Pdf

A wonderfully engaging, accessible introduction to war, from ancient times to the present and into the future Throughout history, warfare has transformed social, political, cultural, and religious aspects of our lives. We tell tales of wars—past, present, and future—to create and reinforce a common purpose. In this engaging overview, Jeremy Black examines war as a global phenomenon, looking at the First and Second World Wars as well as those ranging from Han China and Assyria, Imperial Rome, and Napoleonic France to Vietnam and Afghanistan. Black explores too the significance of warfare more broadly and the ways in which cultural understandings of conflict have lasting consequences in societies across the world. Weaponry, Black argues, has had a fundamental impact on modes of war: it created war in the air and transformed it at sea. Today, as twentieth-century weapons are challenged by drones and robotics, Black examines what the future of warfare looks like.

Author : DK
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 931 pages
File Size : 48,5 Mb
Release : 2021-05-04
Category : History
ISBN : 9780744048315

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A Short History of the Vietnam War by DK Pdf

A gripping and informative visual guide to one of the bloodiest conflicts in US and world history Journey through the Vietnam War; exploring detailed accounts of the men and women that were there. Explore their stories of struggle, sacrifice, and bravery through the iconic events that defined this conflict. This visual guide is the perfect read for any military history enthusiast. Inside the pages of this retelling of America’s bloodiest conflict, you’ll discover: • A vivid, moving, and informative read, written in an engaging style • Offers a clear and compelling account of the conflict, in short, self-contained events from the Battle of Ia Drang to the Tet Offensive and The Khmer Rouge • Biography spreads highlight major military and political figures • Features on everyday life in the war offering additional context • Stunning image spreads display weapons, spy gear, and other equipment that defined the war • Maps and feature boxes provide additional information on major events during the conflict A carefully constructed, in-depth guide to Vietnam This definitive history of the Vietnam War was written in conjunction with the Smithsonian. SI A Short History of the Vietnam War showcases every aspect of the fighting and the wider political landscape from both the side of the Viet Cong and the US military. Compelling text, diagrams, and maps show exactly how decisive moments and battles unfolded to help the reader to visualize the conflict. Eyewitness accounts and iconic photographs bring events to life - from the creation of the Ho Chi Minh Trail to Operation Passage to Freedom and the evacuation of the US embassy in Saigon. From weapons and aircraft to armored vehicles and spy gear, explore the machinery used in the war through breathtaking photography. Lastly, biographical entries give a fuller insight into the minds of key figures and the decisions they made and include Henry Kissinger, President Nixon, Pol Pot, and more. More in the series Combining expert historical insight, eyewitness accounts, and archive photography, A Short History series seeks to summarise key historical events and provide a wider context to what was happening around these events. Titles include SI A Short History of World War II, SI A Short History of the American Civil War, and SI A Short History of Flying and are the perfect addition to any history enthusiast’s library.

Author : Gwynne Dyer
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 54,8 Mb
Release : 2021-09-23
Category : Battles
ISBN : 0369374150

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The Shortest History of War by Gwynne Dyer Pdf

War has always been a defining feature of human society. This pacy, lively history explains why we do it - and how we can stop. Acclaimed historian and military expert Gwynne Dyer tells the story of war from its earliest origins up to the present age of atom bombs and algorithms. Gwynne Dyer chronicles the advent of warfare in the first cities; the rise of inequality and tyranny as humans multiply; the 1000-year classical era of combat until the firearm and the Thirty Years' War, which changed everything. He traces how the brief interlude of limited war before the popular revolutions of the eighteenth century ushered in total war - and how the devastation was halted, for now, by the shock of Hiroshima. We are in the longest stretch of peace between major powers in modern history. It marks a precarious balance, as the looming threats of nuclear proliferation, climate change and superpower rivalry threaten our world. This concise, vivid and clear-sighted book is vital reading for anyone who wants to understand the role of war in the long human story - and how we can stop it from dominating our future.

Author : Gwynne Dyer
Publisher : Vintage Books Canada
Page : 493 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 2005
Category : War
ISBN : 9780679313120

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War by Gwynne Dyer Pdf

A new and revised edition of Dyer's classic book, widely regarded as one of the most compelling analyses of the history of armed conflict. ""War is part of our history, but it is not in at all the same sense part of our prehistory. It is one of the innovations that occurred between nine and eleven thousand years ago when the first civilized societies were coming into being. What has been invented can be changed; war is not in our genes." With this provocative statement, Gwynne Dyer launches his brilliant discussion of the history and nature of war. He traces the growth of organized warfare through history, showing conclusively that the basic tenet has remained unchanged -- war is an act of mass violence applied against an enemy so that he will do what you want him to do. The only real change has been technological, permitting us to make war on a mass scale. At the height of the Cold War, just such a global conflagration seemed almost inevitable. But the collapse of the Iron Curtain and the ensuing political changes have forced a re-examination of the accepted fundamentals of history. Will open access to the channels of mass communication create enough shared values that we can move beyond mass warfare? Is the threat of terrorism a red herring designed to preserve the military status quo? Are our traditional military and administrative hierarchical structures still relevant? Now, more than ever in our post-September 11 world, we need Gwynne Dyer's expertise to understand the greatest and most human drama -- the act of war. Excerpt from "War "The Siamese twins, army and state, have never been separated since they were born some eight or nine thousand years ago --and most of the time the state is the stronger of the twins. Armies exist to serve the interests of the state that owns them and their legitimacy comes solely from the fact that they belong to states; similar groups of armed men, if self-employed, are generally known as rebels or bandits. This is the context in which warfare, as opposed to casual and illegitimate violence, must be seen: it is something states do, and have always done, because they believe it serves their interest. "From the Hardcover edition.

Author : James Hawes
Publisher : The Experiment, LLC
Page : 305 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2022-03-15
Category : History
ISBN : 9781615198153

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The Shortest History of England: Empire and Division from the Anglo-Saxons to Brexit - A Retelling for Our Times (Shortest History) by James Hawes Pdf

How the most powerful country in the UK was forged by invasion and conquest, and is fractured by its north-south divide. The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read. England—begetter of parliaments and globe-spanning empires, star of beloved period dramas, and home of the House of Windsor—is not quite the stalwart island fortress that many of us imagine. Riven by an ancient fault line that predates even the Romans, its fate has ever been bound up with that of its neighbors; and for the past millennia, it has harbored a class system like nowhere else on Earth. This bracing tour of the most powerful country in the United Kingdom reveals an England repeatedly invaded and constantly reinvented—yet always fractured by its very own Mason-Dixon Line. It carries us swiftly through centuries of conflict between Crown and Parliament (starring the Magna Carta), America’s War of Independence, the rise and fall of empire, two World Wars, and England’s break from the EU. We discover: why the American colonists of 1776 believed that they were the true Anglo-Saxons how the British Empire was undermined from within why Winston Churchill said the UK could only be saved by splitting up England itself and how populism spawned Brexit and its “new elite.” The Shortest History of England brings all this and more to prescient life—offering the most direct, compelling route to understanding the country behind today’s headlines.

Author : Desmond Seward
Publisher : Hachette UK
Page : 304 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 2013-07-25
Category : History
ISBN : 9781472112200

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A Brief History of the Hundred Years War by Desmond Seward Pdf

For over a hundred years England repeatedly invaded France on the pretext that her kings had a right to the French throne. France was a large, unwieldy kingdom, England was small and poor, but for the most part she dominated the war, sacking towns and castles and winning battles - including such glorious victories as Crecy, Poitiers and Agincourt, but then the English run of success began to fail, and in four short years she lost Normandy and finally her last stronghold in Guyenne. The protagonists of the Hundred Year War are among the most colourful in European history: for the English, Edward III, the Black Prince and Henry V, later immortalized by Shakespeare; for the French, the splendid but inept John II, who died a prisoner in London, Charles V, who very nearly overcame England and the enigmatic Charles VII, who did at last drive the English out.

Author : Gwynne Dyer
Publisher : The Experiment, LLC
Page : 277 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2022-08-02
Category : History
ISBN : 9781615199310

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The Shortest History of War: From Hunter-Gatherers to Nuclear Superpowers - A Retelling for Our Times (Shortest History) by Gwynne Dyer Pdf

A brisk account of this defining feature of human society, from prehistory to nuclear proliferation and lethal autonomous weapons. The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read. War has changed, but we have not. From our hunter-gatherer ancestors to the rival nuclear powers of today, whenever resources have been contested, we’ve gone to battle. Acclaimed historian Gwynne Dyer illuminates our many martial clashes in this brisk account, tracing warfare from prehistory to the world’s first cities—and on to the thousand-year “classical age” of combat, which ended when the firearm changed everything. He examines the brief interlude of “limited war” before eighteenth-century revolution ushered in “total war”—and how the devastation was halted by the nuclear shock of Hiroshima. Then came the Cold War and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which punctured the longest stretch of peace between major powers since World War II. For all our advanced technology and hyperconnected global society, we find ourselves once again on the brink as climate change heightens competition for resources and superpowers stand ready with atomic bombs, drones, and futuristic “autonomous” weapons in development. Throughout, Dyer delves into anthropology, psychology, and other relevant fields to unmask the drivers of conflict. The Shortest History of War is for anyone who wants to understand the role of war in the human story—and how we can prevent it from defining our future.

Author : Linda Jaivin
Publisher : The Experiment, LLC
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 53,9 Mb
Release : 2021-09-28
Category : History
ISBN : 9781615198214

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The Shortest History of China: From the Ancient Dynasties to a Modern Superpower - A Retelling for Our Times (Shortest History) by Linda Jaivin Pdf

Journey across epic China—through millennia of early innovation to modern dominance. The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read. As we enter the “Asian century,” China demands our attention for being an economic powerhouse, a beacon of rapid modernization, and an assertive geopolitical player. To understand the nation behind the headlines, we must take in its vibrant, tumultuous past—a story of “larger-than-life characters, philosophical arguments and political intrigues, military conflicts and social upheavals, artistic invention and technological innovation.” The Shortest History of China charts a path from China’s tribal origins through its storied imperial era and up to the modern Communist Party under Xi Jinping—including the rarely told story of women in China and the specters of corruption and disunity that continue to haunt the People’s Republic today. A master storyteller and exacting historian, Linda Jaivin distills this vast history into a short, riveting account that today’s globally minded readers will find indispensable.

Author : Adam Rutherford
Publisher : The Experiment, LLC
Page : 303 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 2020-05-12
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781615195329

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The Book of Humans: A Brief History of Culture, Sex, War, and the Evolution of Us by Adam Rutherford Pdf

“Rutherford describes [The Book of Humans] as being about the paradox of how our evolutionary journey turned ‘an otherwise average ape’ into one capable of creating complex tools, art, music, science, and engineering. It’s an intriguing question, one his book sets against descriptions of the infinitely amusing strategies and antics of a dizzying array of animals.”—The New York Times Book Review Publisher’s Note: The Book of Humans was previously published in hardcover as Humanimal. In this new evolutionary history, geneticist Adam Rutherford explores the profound paradox of the human animal. Looking for answers across the animal kingdom, he finds that many things once considered exclusively human are not: We aren’t the only species that “speaks,” makes tools, or has sex outside of procreation. Seeing as our genome is 98 percent identical to a chimpanzee’s, our DNA doesn’t set us far apart, either. How, then, did we develop the most complex culture ever observed? The Book of Humans proves that we are animals indeed—and reveals how we truly are extraordinary.

Author : James L. Stokesbury
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 420 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 1982
Category : World War, 1939-1945
ISBN : OCLC:1101848483

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A Short History of World War II. by James L. Stokesbury Pdf

Author : James Hirst
Publisher : The Experiment, LLC
Page : 268 pages
File Size : 50,5 Mb
Release : 2022-11-08
Category : History
ISBN : 9781615199150

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The Shortest History of Europe: How Conquest, Culture, and Religion Forged a Continent - A Retelling for Our Times (Shortest History) by James Hirst Pdf

Uncover the decisive moments that shaped a world-changing continent. The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read. Celebrated historian John Hirst draws from his own lectures to deliver this ultra-accessible master class on the making of modern Europe, from Ancient Greece through World War II. With over 600,000 copies sold worldwide, this brief history is a global sensation propelled by a thesis of astonishing simplicity: Just three elements—German warfare, Greek and Roman culture, and Christianity—come together to explain everything else, from the Crusades to the Industrial Revolution. Hirst’s razor-sharp grasp of cause and effect helps us see with sparkling clarity how the history of Europe—the crucible of liberal democracy—shapes the way we live today.

Author : Jeremy Black
Publisher : A&C Black
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 40,5 Mb
Release : 2014-03-04
Category : History
ISBN : 9781441179531

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War: A Short History by Jeremy Black Pdf

In this concise history of war, Jeremy Black ranges widely, giving due attention to non-western as well as western traditions. The history of war is inextricably bound to the history of the world. Through a detailed exploration of 'world-scale' issues of warfare, presented within a chronological framework that spans human history, Jeremy Black skilfully illustrates this fact whilst providing the reader with other astute insights and compelling interpretations of war. War: A Short History is a dramatic move away from the formulaic, western approach to military history. Too narrow in its focus on wars specific to the west and too simple because of an over-reliance on a technologically-deterministic reading of warfare, this approach has been rejected by Jeremy Black in favour of a global model that takes all factors into account when considering the strengths and weaknesses of a particular military tradition. This is a book that is as important for its relevance to current world issues of conflict as it is for its thorough consideration of a monumentally significant aspect of human history. http://history.black.continuumbooks.com

Author : James L. Stokesbury
Publisher : Harper Collins
Page : 386 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 2011-03-15
Category : History
ISBN : 9780062064783

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A Short History of the Civil War by James L. Stokesbury Pdf

The Definitive One-Volume History of the American Civil War The American Civil War (1861–1865) was the pivotal conflict of the nation’s history. It was a war defined by savage brutality, untold human costs, and monumental political crises that left the literal and social landscape of the nation forever changed. One hundred fifty years later, it continues to hold a powerful grip on the American psyche. In A Short History of the Civil War, noted historian James L. Stokesbury dramatically and concisely chronicles the important events leading up to the war and, using maps, recounts its decisive battles while describing the strategies and tactics of the North’s and South’s prominent commanders. Drawing on fascinating details and little-known facts, Stokesbury also brings to life the generals—Grant, Lee, Hooker, McClellan, Jackson—and the unsung heroes of this great struggle between the Union and the Confederacy.

Author : Sheila Fitzpatrick
Publisher : Columbia University Press
Page : 256 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2022-09-06
Category : History
ISBN : 9780231556842

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The Shortest History of the Soviet Union by Sheila Fitzpatrick Pdf

In 1917, Bolshevik revolutionaries came to power in the war-torn Russian Empire in a way that defied all predictions, including their own. Scarcely a lifespan later, in 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed as accidentally as it arose. The decades between witnessed drama on an epic scale—the chaos and hope of revolution, famines and purges, hard-won victory in history’s most destructive war, and worldwide geopolitical conflict, all entwined around the dream of building a better society. This book is a lively and authoritative distillation of this complex history, told with vivid details, a grand sweep, and wry wit. The acclaimed historian Sheila Fitzpatrick chronicles the Soviet Age—its rise, reign, and unexpected fall, as well as its afterlife in today’s Russia. She underscores the many ironies of the Soviet experience: An ideology that claimed to offer humanity the reins of history wrangled with contingency. An avowedly internationalist and anti-imperialist state birthed an array of nationalisms. And a vision of transcending economic and social inequality and injustice gave rise to a country that was, in its way, surprisingly normal. Moving seamlessly from Lenin to Stalin to Gorbachev to Putin, The Shortest History of the Soviet Union provides an indispensable guide to one of the twentieth century’s great powers and the enduring fascination it still exerts.