Politics and War European Conflict from Philip II to Hitler [Paperback]

David Kaiser looks at four hundred years of modern European history to find the political causes of general war in four distinct periods (15591659, 16611713, 17921815, and 19141945). He shows how war became a natural function of politics, a logical consequence of contemporary political behavior. Rather than fighting simply to expand, states in each war fought for specific political and economic reasons. The book illustrates the extraordinary power of politics and war in modern Western civilization, if not in history as a whole.

In a provocative and original new preface and chapter, Kaiser shows which aspects of four past areas of conflict do, and do not, seem relevant to the immediate future, and he sketches out some new possibilities for Europe.

Praise for the previous edition:
This is an ambitious book which takes a large subject and tackles it boldly...A stimulating book which spurs its readers to consider wide and difficult issues and deserves to be widely read.

A wide-ranging, intellectually provocative, well-written discussion of the impact which the structure of the domestic politics of major European countries has had on their international conduct over the last few centuries...Kaiser's book is likely to awaken much interest beyond the narrow circle of historical scholars.Kaiser looks at 400 years of modern European history to find the political causes of war in four distinct periods, and shows how war became a natural function of politics. In a new preface and chapter, he shows which aspects of four past areas of conflict doand do notseem relevant to the near future, and sketches out new possibilities for Europe.