How Wars Begin

Eight wars figure in Taylor's examination of how wars begin. Six were major wars fought in Europe since the French Revolution; the seventh - the Second World War - was fought all over the world; the eighth - the Cold War - was a major conflict which without leading to actual war had many of its characteristics. What started them? Some had a long background, others were brought about by the overweening ambitions of a single man, Napoleon at the beginning of the period, Hitler towards the end. Public opinion, secret diplomacy, jingoism, armament manufacturers, even historians have not escaped censure. Often the actual declaration of a war bears little relation to its profound cause. Wars in fact have sprung more from apprehension than from a lust for conquest. Every Great Power is suspicious of any likely or even unlikely rival. What seems defence to one will always appear as an aggressive preparation to another...