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by: David A. Bell  List Price: $15.95 Amazon.com's Price: $10.85 You Save: $5.10 (32%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Binding: PaperbackDewey Decimal Number: 355 EAN: 9780618919819 ISBN: 0618919813 Label: Mariner Books Manufacturer: Mariner Books Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 432 Publication Date: January 16, 2008 Publisher: Mariner Books Studio: Mariner Books Related Items:
Browse for similar items by category: Click to Display Editorial Review: Product Description: The twentieth century is usually seen as "the century of total war," but as the historian David Bell argues in this landmark work, the phenomenon actually began much earlier, in the age of Napoleon. Bell takes us from campaigns of "extermination" in the blood-soaked fields of western France to savage street fighting in ruined Spanish cities to central European battlefields where tens of thousands died in a single day. Between 1792 and 1815, Europe plunged into an abyss of destruction, and our modern attitudes toward war were born. Ever since, the dream of perpetual peace and the nightmare of total war have been bound tightly together in the Western world—where "wars of liberation," such as the one in Iraq, can degenerate into gruesome guerrilla conflict. With a historian's keen insight and a journalist's flair for detail, Bell exposes the surprising parallels between Napoleon's day and our own in a book that is as timely and important as it is unforgettable. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Interesting, But with the Usual Academic FlawsMr VanGaalen's review is pretty much on point, but I rated this book somewhat lower due to several flaws. First, Total War of any definition is not a modern concept, whether it developed first under Napoleon or not. The Greeks of Ionia certainly fought multiple total wars against the Persians, as did many tribes and states in ancient history. One should remember the Jews against the Assyrians and Babylonians and the disappearance of the "Lost Tribes." In more modern times, ... Read More Rating: - Flawed but fascinatingAs a brief history of the late Enlightenment and the French Revolution: 4 stars As a brief history of the Napoleonic Wars (only 3 of 8 chapters): 3 stars As a coherent political theory: 2 stars On average, this amounts to 3 stars and makes for a light readable history accompanied by some often interesting theory. However, if you're getting the book based on its title, 2.5 stars might be more accurate. The history itself is fine, making for a broad overview with ... Read More Rating:  - The French Revolution and the Emergence of Modern WarfareThe role of War in human events has been discussed by political philosophers for centuries. David Bell describes the early French traditions in his book; today, the argument continues: Authors like John Mueller claim that war is on the road to extinction (Retreat from Doomsday: The Obsolescence of Major War), while others, "realists", think that it's very much here to stay (The Independence of Nations). In "The First Total War", Bell describes not only the conversation but its consequences - how ... Read More Rating: - An Intellectual History of the Napoleonic WarsWe have grown accustomed to viewing the World Wars of the 20th century as the first total wars in modern history, for they required the total mobilization and militarization of the societies involved. Their accompanying ideologies, fascism and communism, were appropriately called totalitarian since they left no aspect of society unaffected. Now historian David A Bell has written a new and different history of the Napoleonic Wars (1792 - 1815) arguing that they were in fact the first total wars. Read More Rating:  - ToshDavid A. Bell operates by trying to sneak ridiculous analogies past his readers, then treating them as true by definition. And what a convincing conclusion: dreaming of peace causes modern wars; if we all just accepted the necessity of war, then we'd be better off. 
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