WAR: How Conflict Shaped Us

University of Oxford and Professor of History, University of Toronto, Margaret Macmillan's book is based on her 2018 Reith Lectures, The Mark of Cain. Despite the 'long peace' enjoyed by much of the world since 1940, there has been war somewhere in the world every year. Is war an essential part of being human? Macmillan explores the deep links between society and war and the questions they raise. As societies have changed and technologies have developed, we have fought wars differently and often over greater distances and for longer periods of time. In turn, war has brought huge changes to society, for better and worse. Economies, science, technology, medicine, culture - all are instrumental in war and have been shaped by it. Without war we would not have had centralised states, penicillin, radar or rockets. Throughout history, writers, artists, composers and philosophers have been inspired by war and we have tried again and again to limit and even outlaw war, but if we want to understand our own history and create a peaceful world, we must think about war. The writing style is crisp and there is an enviable clarity of thought as Macmillan cogently explains via colourful historical anecdotes how we understand what war means, our emotions, our ideas and capacity for good as well as cruelty. Winner of the Sunday Times Best Book for Autumn 2020. 328pp, colour and other photos.