A Review of Niall Ferguson’s “the War of The World”
by The main purpose of Niall Ferguson’s book was to examine the reasons for why the conflicts of the 20th century, particularly the First and Second World Wars were so bloody. Therefore “The War of the World” starts its narration in the latter part of the 19th century examining the factors, which provided considerable influences over the courses and the outcomes of the First World War, the Second World War and also the Cold War.
Ferguson begins his wide – ranging analysis by explaining how various factors such as capitalism, imperialism, nationalism, racism alongside anti – Semitism had substantial impacts across the globe by the dawn of the 20th century. The world was changing at a rapid pace with expanding empires, widespread economic growth or development, and rival ideologies affecting global stability. These early chapters explore how the major powers did not foresee the outbreak of the First World War, or the unprecedented damage that conflict was to cause. The First World War is shown to have shaped not only the Inter-war period but also the rest of the 20th century as well.
Ferguson contends that the sheer scale and length of the First World War was responsible for instigating widespread upheavals and revolutionary changes, particularly in Europe. The Russian Revolution, the demise of empires, and resentment of the peace settlements undermined international stability. The League of Nations, Britain, and France were left to maintain peace during the Inter-war period, with the Soviet Union, Germany, Italy, and Japan all wanting to overturn the wrongs actually or allegedly done to them. The evaluations of what went wrong in the 1930s and the reasons for Anglo – French appeasement is well argued, not to mention astute.
The final chapters of this fine analysis deal with the Second World War, and pays particular attention to the unprecedented slaughter of civilians especially on the Eastern Front as well as Axis war crimes most notably the Holocaust. Finally the book explains how the end of the Second War World led to the Cold War.
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