Twentieth Century War And Conflict

This book examines the causes, course and consequences of warfare in twentieth century Africa, a period which spanned colonial rebellions, both World Wars, and the decolonization process. Timothy Stapleton contextualizes the essential debates and controversies surrounding African conflict in the twentieth century while providing insightful introductions to such conflicts as: African rebellions against colonial regimes in the early twentieth century, including the rebellion and infamous genocide of the Herero and Nama people in present-day Namibia; The African fronts of World War I and World War II, and the involvement of colonized African peoples in these global conflicts; Conflict surrounding the widespread decolonization of Africa in the 1950s and 1960s; Rebellion and civil war in Africa during the Cold War, when American and Soviet elements often intervened in efforts to turn African battlegrounds into Cold War proxy conflicts; The Second Congo Civil War, which is arguably the bloodiest conflict in any region since World War II; Supported by a glossary, a who’s who of key figures, a timeline of major events, a rich bibliography, and a set of documents which highlight the themes of the book, Africa: War and Conflict in the Twentieth Century is the best available resource for students and scholars seeking an introduction to violent conflict in recent African history.

TWENTIETH-CENTURY WAR AND CONFLICT “With rich entries that highlight the political context, strategic significance, and tactical detail of each conflict, this encyclopedia is an essential reference for students of military history and strategic studies.” Theo Farrell, King’s College London Drawn from the award-winning five-volume Encyclopedia ofWar (Choice Outstanding Academic Title 2013), the single-volume Twentieth-Century War and Conflict provides an essential guide to the conflicts and concepts that shaped warfare in the twentieth-century and up to the present day. This concise reference contains a range of entries from 1,000 to 6,000 words long, each written by a leading international scholar. This concise encyclopedia provides full coverage of global conflicts and themes in twentieth-century war. World Wars I and II are covered by 10 separate entries. Lesser conflicts are also incorporated in this volume, including the Russo-Japanese War, the Greco-Turkish War, the Falklands War, the Soviet War in Afghanistan, the Gulf Wars, and more. Issues such as chemical warfare, ethnic cleansing, psychological warfare, and women and war also receive substantial treatment, making this an invaluable resource for students and general readers alike.

Acclaimed New York Times journalist and author Chris Hedges offers a critical -- and fascinating -- lesson in the dangerous realities of our age: a stark look at the effects of war on combatants. Utterly lacking in rhetoric or dogma, this manual relies instead on bare fact, frank description, and a spare question-and-answer format. Hedges allows U.S. military documentation of the brutalizing physical and psychological consequences of combat to speak for itself. Hedges poses dozens of questions that young soldiers might ask about combat, and then answers them by quoting from medical and psychological studies. • What are my chances of being wounded or killed if we go to war? • What does it feel like to get shot? • What do artillery shells do to you? • What is the most painful way to get wounded? • Will I be afraid? • What could happen to me in a nuclear attack? • What does it feel like to kill someone? • Can I withstand torture? • What are the long-term consequences of combat stress? • What will happen to my body after I die? This profound and devastating portrayal of the horrors to which we subject our armed forces stands as a ringing indictment of the glorification of war and the concealment of its barbarity.

At the turn of the 21st Century, the world was immediately gripped by the War on Terrorism followed by the Iraq War. In reflection, the 20th Century was a period marked by tremendous technological and economic progress — but it was also the most violent century in human history. It witnessed two horrendous world wars, as well as the conflicts during the Cold War. Why do wars persistently erupt among nations, particularly the Great Powers? What are the primary factors that drive nations to violence — power, prestige, ideology or territory? Or is it motivated by pure fear and mistrust? Peering nervously at the 21st Century, we wonder whether American supremacy and globalization will help ensure peace and stability. Or will shifts in power with the emergence of new economic super-nations lead to further tensions and conflicts in this century? Together with 29 Peace Nobel laureates, an outstanding group of scholars gathered in Oslo, Norway, on December 6, 2001, for the three-day Nobel Centennial Symposium to discuss “The Conflicts of the 20th Century and the Solutions for the 21st Century”. Read this book for the scholars' candid insights and analyses, as well as their thought-provoking views on the factors that led to conflicts in the 20th Century and whether the 21st Century will be a more peaceful one. This is a rare — and possibly the best and only — book compilation of the highly intellectual analyses by world experts and Nobel Peace laureates on the perennial issues of War & Peace. Contents:Introduction: The Conflicts of the 20th Century and the Solutions for the 21st Century, Geir Lundestad & Olav Njølstad, The Norwegian Nobel InstituteDialogue and Cooperation to Achieve World Peace, Dae-Jung Kim, ex-President, The Republic of KoreaWar and Peace in the 20th Century, Eric Hobsbawm, Birkbeck College, University of LondonIdeologies and Polities: Liberal Democracy and National Dictatorship in Peace and, War Michael W Doyle, Princeton UniversityMaking Sense of Political Violence in Postcolonial Africa, Mahmood Mamdani, Columbia UniversityGlobal Inequality and Persistent Conflicts, Amartya Sen, University of Cambridge (UK), and the 1998 Nobel Prize winner in Economic SciencesThe Rise and Fall of Great Powers, Joseph S Nye, Harvard UniversityBeyond Militarism, Arms Races and Arms Control, Mary H Kaldor, London School of EconomicsRivalry over Territory and Resources and the Balance of Peace and War: The 20th Century, Louise Fawcett, St Catherine's College, Oxford UniversityMisperception, Mistrust, Fear, Akira Iriye, Harvard UniversityThe Nobel Peace Prize in Its Next Century: Old and New Dimensions, Geir Lundestad, The Norwegian Nobel Institute Readership: Students, researchers, academics, politicians, journalists, and anyone interested in 20th century history and peace and conflict studies. Keywords:War;Peace;20th Century;Conflicts and Solutions Nobel SymposiumReviews:“This beautifully produced and edited volume presents a fascinating collection of essays structured around the objectives engendered by the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize … this ensemble of contributions provides an excellent insight into the evolution of thinking about war and peace. As a reflection upon these crucial issues, it is readable, informative and highly recommended.”Journal of Peace Research

NATIONAL BESTSELLER SHORTLISTED for the 2021 Lionel Gelber Prize Thoughtful and brilliant insights into the very nature of war--from the ancient Greeks to modern times--from world-renowned historian Margaret MacMillan. War--its imprint in our lives and our memories--is all around us, from the metaphors we use to the names on our maps. As books, movies, and television series show, we are drawn to the history and depiction of war. Yet we nevertheless like to think of war as an aberration, as the breakdown of the normal state of peace. This is comforting but wrong. War is woven into the fabric of human civilization. In this sweeping new book, international bestselling author and historian Margaret MacMillan analyzes the tangled history of war and society and our complicated feelings towards it and towards those who fight. It explores the ways in which changes in society have affected the nature of war and how in turn wars have changed the societies that fight them, including the ways in which women have been both participants in and the objects of war. MacMillan's new book contains many revelations, such as war has often been good for science and innovation and in the 20th century it did much for the position of women in many societies. But throughout, it forces the reader to reflect on the ways in which war is so intertwined with society, and the myriad reasons we fight.

Human displacement has always been a consequence of war, written into the myths and histories of centuries of warfare. However, the global conflicts of the twentieth century brought displacement to civilizations on an unprecedented scale, as the two World Wars shifted participants around the globe. Although driven by political disputes between European powers, the consequences of Empire ensured that Europe could not contain them. Soldiers traversed continents, and civilians often followed them, or found themselves living in territories ruled by unexpected invaders. Both wars saw fighting in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Far East, and few nations remained neutral. Both wars saw the mass upheaval of civilian populations as a consequence of the fighting. Displacements were geographical, cultural, and psychological; they were based on nationality, sex/gender or age. They produced an astonishing range of human experience, recorded by the participants in different ways. This book brings together a collection of inter-disciplinary works by scholars who are currently producing some of the most innovative and influential work on the subject of displacement in war, in order to share their knowledge and interpretations of historical and literary sources. The collection unites historians and literary scholars in addressing the issues of war and displacement from multiple angles. Contributors draw on a wealth of primary source materials and resources including archives from across the world, military records, medical records, films, memoirs, diaries and letters, both published and private, and fictional interpretations of experience.

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.