The Shortest History of War
Gwynne Dyer
We send all orders via Royal Mail: within the UK, choose from 1st Class, 2nd Class or Special Delivery; for the rest of the world, International Standard or International Tracked. Delivery and packaging charges are calculated automatically at the checkout.
To collect orders in person from the Bookshop, choose Click and Collect at the checkout.
From the publisher
Updated paperback edition with new material on Afghanistan
In this addition to the bestselling ‘shortest history’ series, acclaimed historian and military expert Gwynne Dyer tells the story of war from its prehistoric – perhaps pre-human – origins up to the present age of algorithms and atom bombs.
Dyer chronicles the spread of warfare in the world’s first cities; the seemingly inexorable rise of inequality and tyranny as human societies expand; the millennium-long ‘classical age’ of combat ended by the firearm and the carnage of the Thirty Years’ War; the brief ensuing interlude of ‘limited war’ before the popular revolutions of the 18th century ushered in an era of total war – itself abruptly halted by Hiroshima.
The final chapters deal with the precarious equilibrium of the past 75 years – the longest period of peace between major powers in modern history – and with the looming threats of nuclear proliferation, superpower rivalry and climate change.