War, law and humanity, the campaign to control warfare, 1853-1914

摘要

This is a review in two parts, the first about the book's account of the various efforts to control warfare between 1853 and1914, and the second about the book's production. The long period of relative peace in Europe after the Napoleonic wars ended violently in 1853 with the Crimean War. During that period, little had been done to develop battlefield medicine; techniques for killing people had 'advanced' significantly; the peace movement had developed a powerful presence; and the press had become much more powerful, giving rise to 'the burgeoning force that was public opinion' (p16). This book gives a very detailed, often vivid, account of the complex way these factors interacted over the next 60 years, ending with the 'Great' War.