On the Origins of War: And the Preservation of Peace

A brilliant and vitally important history of why states go to war, by the acclaimed, award-winning author of The Peloponnesian War.

War has been a fact of life for centuries. By lucidly revealing the common threads that connect the ancient confrontations between Athens and Sparta and between Rome and Carthage with the two calamitous World Wars of the twentieth century, renowned historian Donald Kagan reveals new and surprising insights into the nature of war and peace. Vivid, incisive, and accessible, Kagan's powerful narrative warns against complacency and urgently reminds us of the importance of preparedness in times of peace.

Author: Donald Kagan
Publisher: Anchor Books
Published: 01/01/1996
Pages: 624
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.12lbs
Size: 8.04h x 5.38w x 1.33d
ISBN13: 9780385423755
ISBN10: 0385423756
BISAC Categories:
- History | Military | Strategy
- Social Science | Violence in Society

About the Author
Donald Kagan is Sterling Professor of Classics and History at Yale University. A former dean of Yale College, he received his Ph.D. in 1958 from The Ohio State University. His publications include On the Origins of War and the Preservation of Peace, The Peloponnesian War, and Thucydides: The Reinvention of History. In 2002 he was the recipient of the National Humanities Medal and in 2005 was named the National Endowment for the Humanities Jefferson Lecturer.