This unique reference book introduces readers to the causes and effects of the 20th century's most significant conflicts—and explains how the impact of these conflicts still resonates today. The Roots and Consequences of 20th-Century Warfare: Conflicts That Shaped the Modern World introduces students to the causes and effects of the 20th century's most significant conflicts. Covering conflicts that occurred in all regions of the world, readers will gain knowledge on the causes and consequences of each conflict and become familiar with the historical context needed to understand the roots and consequences of these seminal events. The text also identifies key opponents in each conflict and illuminates the reasons why each country or group decided to fight, the scope of their involvement in the war, and the impact of the war. Reference entries on key battles are presented in chronological order, supplying engaging details on the events and people who shaped each war. The book also supplies maps of the key battles to illuminate the strategic movements of both sides of the conflict. A lengthy bibliography offers a wealth of options to readers seeking more sources of information on any of the conflicts.

This book introduces readers to the causes and effects of the 20th century's most significant conflicts and explains how the impact of these conflicts still resonates today. Introductory essays that provide detailed overviews of each conflict, as well as an in-depth look at the causes and consequences of these critical 20th-century events are presented.

“Eminently provocative and readable.”—The Wall Street Journal Sir Alistair Horne has been a close observer of war and history for more than fifty years and in this wise and masterly work, he revisits six battles of the past century and examines the strategies, leadership, preparation, and geopolitical goals of aggressors and defenders to reveal the one trait that links them all: hubris. In Greek tragedy, hubris is excessive human pride that challenges the gods and ultimately leads to total destruction of the offender. From the 1905 Battle of Tsushima in the Russo-Japanese War, to Hitler's 1941 bid to capture Moscow, to MacArthur's disastrous advance in Korea, to the French downfall at Dien Bien Phu, Horne shows how each of these battles was won or lost due to excessive hubris on one side or the other. In a sweeping narrative written with his trademark erudition and wit, Horne provides a meticulously detailed analysis of the ground maneuvers employed by the opposing armies in each battle. He also explores the strategic and psychological mindset of the military leaders involved to demonstrate how devastating combinations of human ambition and arrogance led to overreach. Making clear the danger of hubris in warfare, his insights hold resonant lessons for civilian and military leaders navigating today's complex global landscape. A dramatic, colorful, stylishly-written history, Hubris is a much-needed reflection on war from a master of his field.

This unique reference book introduces readers to the causes and effects of the 20th century's most significant conflicts—and explains how the impact of these conflicts still resonates today. The Roots and Consequences of 20th-Century Warfare: Conflicts That Shaped the Modern World introduces students to the causes and effects of the 20th century's most significant conflicts. Covering conflicts that occurred in all regions of the world, readers will gain knowledge on the causes and consequences of each conflict and become familiar with the historical context needed to understand the roots and consequences of these seminal events. The text also identifies key opponents in each conflict and illuminates the reasons why each country or group decided to fight, the scope of their involvement in the war, and the impact of the war. Reference entries on key battles are presented in chronological order, supplying engaging details on the events and people who shaped each war. The book also supplies maps of the key battles to illuminate the strategic movements of both sides of the conflict. A lengthy bibliography offers a wealth of options to readers seeking more sources of information on any of the conflicts.

This book offers a descriptive analysis of the Soviet/Russian wars in Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Georgia, as well as an in-depth exploration of the ways in which these wars are framed in the collective consciousness created by global popular culture. Russian and Western modalities of remembrance have been, and remain, engaged in a world war that takes place (not exclusively, but intensively) on the level of popular culture. The action/reaction dynamic, confrontational narratives and othering between the two “camps” never ceased. The Cold War, in many ways and contrary to the views of many others who hoped for the end of history, never really ended.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • An "extraordinary ... profoundly moving" history (The New York Times Book Review) of the American Civil War that reveals the ways that death on such a scale changed not only individual lives but the life of the nation. An estiated 750,000 soldiers lost their lives in the American Civil War. An equivalent proportion of today's population would be seven and a half million. In This Republic of Suffering, Drew Gilpin Faust describes how the survivors managed on a practical level and how a deeply religious culture struggled to reconcile the unprecedented carnage with its belief in a benevolent God. Throughout, the voices of soldiers and their families, of statesmen, generals, preachers, poets, surgeons, nurses, northerners and southerners come together to give us a vivid understanding of the Civil War's most fundamental and widely shared reality. With a new introduction by the author, and a new foreword by Mike Mullen, 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The world at the beginning of the 20th century seemed for most of its inhabitants stable and relatively benign. Globalizing, booming economies married to technological breakthroughs seemed to promise a better world for most people. Instead, the 20th century proved to be overwhelmingly the most violent, frightening and brutalized in history with fanatical, often genocidal warfare engulfing most societies between the outbreak of the First World War and the end of the Cold War. What went wrong? How did we do this to ourselves? The War of the World comes up with compelling, fascinating answers. It is Niall Ferguson’s masterpiece.