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War! What Is It Good For?
- Conflict and the Progress of Civilization from Primates to Robots
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 16 hrs and 56 mins
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Publisher's summary
"War! . . . . / What is it good for? / Absolutely nothing," says the famous song - but archaeology, history, and biology show that war in fact has been good for something. Surprising as it sounds, war has made humanity safer and richer. In War! What Is It Good For?, the renowned historian and archaeologist Ian Morris tells the gruesome, gripping story of 15,000 years of war, going beyond the battles and brutality to reveal what war has really done to and for the world. Stone Age people lived in small, feuding societies and stood a one-in-ten or even one-in-five chance of dying violently. In the 20th century, by contrast - despite two world wars, Hiroshima, and the Holocaust - fewer than one person in a hundred died violently. The explanation: War, and war alone, has created bigger, more complex societies, ruled by governments that have stamped out internal violence. Strangely enough, killing has made the world safer, and the safety it has produced has allowed people to make the world richer too. War has been history's greatest paradox, but this searching study of fifteen thousand years of violence suggests that the next half century is going to be the most dangerous of all time. If we can survive it, the age-old dream of ending war may yet come to pass. But, Morris argues, only if we understand what war has been good for can we know where it will take us next.
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- By Steven Glover on 10-31-19
By: Dan Carlin
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History of Germany
- A Captivating Guide to German History, Starting from 1871 through the First World War, Weimar Republic, and World War II to the Present
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Germany is one of the richest and most influential countries in the world, which is amazing when you consider that the nation is only about the size of the US states of Oregon and Washington combined. It’s even more astounding when you consider that at the end of World War II, every major German city (and many minor ones) had been flattened by the Allied bombing campaign. Still more amazing is that the country has gone from international pariah and home of the Holocaust to one of the most well-regarded and humanitarian nations on Earth.
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Concise
- By J Stewart on 04-09-24
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How to Hide an Empire
- A History of the Greater United States
- By: Daniel Immerwahr
- Narrated by: Luis Moreno
- Length: 17 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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We are familiar with maps that outline all 50 states. And we are also familiar with the idea that the United States is an "empire", exercising power around the world. But what about the actual territories - the islands, atolls, and archipelagos - this country has governed and inhabited? In How to Hide an Empire, author Daniel Immerwahr tells the fascinating story of the United States outside the United States. In crackling, fast-paced prose, he reveals forgotten episodes that cast American history in a new light.
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How to beat a straw man to death
- By Susan on 01-25-20
By: Daniel Immerwahr
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The Future of Geography
- How the Competition in Space Will Change Our World (Politics of Place)
- By: Tim Marshall
- Narrated by: Tim Marshall
- Length: 6 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Humans are venturing up and out, and we’re taking our competitive spirit with us. Soon, what happens in space will shape human history as much the mountains, rivers, and seas have impacted civilizations around the world. It’s no coincidence that Russia, China, and the USA are leading the way. The next fifty years will change the face of global politics and the world order as we know it. In this must-listen work, bestselling author Tim Marshall navigates the new astropolitical reality to show how we got here and where we’re heading.
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Insightful Map for the Space race
- By Rafael Hiciano on 09-20-24
By: Tim Marshall
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What If? Part 1
- Reshaping the 20th Century
- By: Stephen E. Ambrose, John Keegan, more
- Narrated by: John Cunningham, Janet Zarish
- Length: 4 hrs and 45 mins
- Abridged
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What if Hitler had won the war, if Japan had another sneak attack, or if the cold war turned hot? What If? provides a fascinating new perspective on history's most pivotal events. Featuring today's foremost historians speculating on what could have happened, we discover where we might be if history had not unfolded the way it did.
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For history buffs
- By Charles Elmore on 05-11-04
By: Stephen E. Ambrose, and others
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Justinian's Flea
- Plague, Empire, and the Birth of Europe
- By: William Rosen
- Narrated by: Barrett Whitener
- Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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The emperor Justinian reunified Rome's fractured empire by defeating the Goths and Vandals. At his capital in Constantinople, he built the world's most beautiful building, married the most powerful empress, and wrote the empire's most enduring legal code, seemingly restoring Rome's fortunes for the next five hundred years. Then, in the summer of 542, he encountered a flea. The ensuing outbreak of bubonic plague killed 5,000 people a day in Constantinople and nearly killed Justinian himself.
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More history than Disease
- By joan on 06-25-07
By: William Rosen
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Marathon
- The Battle That Changed Western Civilization
- By: Richard A. Billows
- Narrated by: Jeremy Gage
- Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Published to coincide with Marathon's 2500th anniversary, a riveting history of the historic battle. The Battle of Marathon in 490 B.C. is not only understood as the most decisive event in the struggle between the Greeks and the Persians, but can also be seen as perhaps the most significant moment in our collective history. 10,000 Athenian citizens faced a Persian military force of more than 25,000.
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Effectively evokes the world of ancient greece
- By Aaron on 11-02-10
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Walls
- A History of Civilization in Blood and Brick
- By: David Frye
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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With Frye as our raconteur-guide, we journey back to a time before barriers of brick and stone even existed - to an era in which nomadic tribes vied for scarce resources, and each man was bred to a life of struggle. Ultimately, those same men would create edifices of mud, brick, and stone and with them effectively divide humanity: On one side were those the walls protected; on the other, those the walls kept out. The stars of this narrative are the walls themselves - rising up in places as ancient and exotic as Mesopotamia, Babylon, Greece, China, Rome, Mongolia, Afghanistan, the lower Mississippi, and even Central America....
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A boom that will transform how you view all of history.
- By BB on 08-04-24
By: David Frye
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The Fall of the Roman Empire
- A New History of Rome and the Barbarians
- By: Peter Heather
- Narrated by: Allan Robertson
- Length: 21 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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The death of the Roman Empire is one of the perennial mysteries of world history. Now, in this groundbreaking book, Peter Heather proposes a stunning new solution: Centuries of imperialism turned the neighbors Rome called barbarians into an enemy capable of dismantling an Empire that had dominated their lives for so long. A leading authority on the late Roman Empire and on the barbarians, Heather relates the extraordinary story of how Europe's barbarians, transformed by centuries of contact with Rome on every possible level, eventually pulled the empire apart.
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A New HIstory but not a better history
- By Mario on 03-28-14
By: Peter Heather
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The Silk Roads
- A New History of the World
- By: Peter Frankopan
- Narrated by: Laurence Kennedy
- Length: 24 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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It was on the Silk Roads that East and West first encountered each other through trade and conquest, leading to the spread of ideas, cultures, and religions. From the rise and fall of empires to the spread of Buddhism and the advent of Christianity and Islam, right up to the great wars of the 20th century - this book shows how the fate of the West has always been inextricably linked to the East.
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An Absolutely SUPERB Book for Lovers of History
- By Dipam on 06-27-21
By: Peter Frankopan
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The British Empire
- By: Stephen W. Sears
- Narrated by: Corrie James
- Length: 30 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Here is the story of how the English acquired their vast domain; how they ruled, maintained, and exploited it; and how, within decades, they presided over its dissolution. Here are Britain's triumphs and also her stinging defeats, her heroes and her scoundrels. It is a full and fascinating chronicle of the growth of the British Empire and its people and of the impact that empire had on the rest of the world.
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Great presentation of a broad historical narrative
- By MiamiMe on 03-27-18
By: Stephen W. Sears
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Worthwhile with caveats
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a great but depressing book
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When Britain voted to leave the European Union in 2016, the 48 percent who wanted to stay and the 52 percent who wanted to go each accused the other of stupidity, fraud, and treason. In reality, the Brexit debate merely reran a script written ten thousand years earlier. Since 1900, however, thanks to rapid globalization, Britain has been overshadowed by American, European, and—increasingly—Chinese actors. Geography Is Destiny shows that the great question for the coming century is not what to do about Brussels; it's what to do about Beijing.
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Nothing new on the Eastern front basically!
- By philippe jacob on 03-28-20
By: David Stahel
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Klan War
- Ulysses S. Grant and the Battle to Save Reconstruction
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- By D. Littman on 12-12-23
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What listeners say about War! What Is It Good For?
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Giovanni Zuniga
- 02-13-24
A throughly researched case for the stated thesis, as scary as that may sound.
A strong reading of a well-versed, full, completely comprised case for stating that war, not of tools, but of a political systems that allow peace to proliferate. Less we forget, war is awful, but only through this mechanism have we allowed ourselves to make peace by always being ready for the next engagement. A lovely book for historians and political philosophers.
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- Logical Paradox
- 08-27-14
Provocative and Well-Argued.
Should be re-titled: "The Positive Side of War and Conflict and Their Role in History and Society". Whether or not you agree with Morris, he lays out his thesis clearly and with considerable evidence. His method is rigorous and scholarly. His conclusion is that war is the historical and sociological underpinning of the state, and that the state is responsible for creating a social, economic, and political reality in which the individual quality of life is dramatically better, and more peaceful, than it was in "traditional" societies. These are points bound to be controversial, and building a case and explaining all of his qualifications takes the entirety of the book. The presentation of that argument is solid, with a thorough analysis that is nonetheless engaging, interesting, and well structured.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Leonard
- 12-12-14
Not What I Expected At All!!!
When I first saw this listing on Audible, my mind went back to the Seinfeld episode where Elaine works for a publishing agency and during a conversation with a "famous" author tells him that Tolstoy originally wanted to call War and Peace - "War, What is it good for?" to which she adds "Absolutely Nothing"
I did not know what to really expect but this turned out to be a great sociological treatise and an insightful history into the results of war and warfare. His concepts of "productive" and "unproductive" war are interesting, but given that he is looking at events in hindsight, it appears man has stumbled into a success of sorts.
Overall, this is a very thought provoking book, a little long at times, but very enjoyable. The narration was excellent and really enhanced the audio experience. I am not familiar with any of his other works but will have to check them out.
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5 people found this helpful
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- rykms
- 07-01-15
Incredible, multidisciplinary worldview.
The amount of facts and dates listed in this book are staggering and they only make me wish I had a better memory for that type of detail, because the points made in the concepts delivered are incredibly insightful and well thought out.
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- Anonymous User
- 09-06-18
Good book but long
Nice idea and style but the last 3 hours of the book seems useless and just added to the book to connect it to the future but fine very bad
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- Gail N.
- 05-26-19
Repitious litany of factoids, disappointing
I hoped this would provide some insight into what the title promised, and answer to the question, "What is war good for." The author does make a general statement that wars may aggregate territory and end fighting between localities while perhaps conducting larger wars to gain more territory. But I found the jargon annoying: Lucky latitudes, Leviathans (for for governments), and a few others. The reader was a bit too professorial. Mainly, we get long lists of military technology and ancient wars around the world. I gave up before the end. So there may have been some kind of rousing finale but I lost patience.
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1 person found this helpful
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- WednesdayLA
- 09-25-17
Great story telling but leaves me skeptical
It was a great argument overall. I feel like his understanding of evolution is just enough to make his argument and even then it seems lacking in its limits. Instead it comes off as a well argued social Darwinism and attempted to remove or not discuss it's falsities (social Darwinism is not evolution at all but an argument to say that one group is better than another). It's also strange to me that a seemingly historical book provides predictions rather than just an interpretation of history. However they are interesting predictions.
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- James A. Bretney
- 12-26-16
not what I was expecting
I did not love it. I struggled to finish it. The futurism surprised me and stands as the most memorable moment. I feel the author doesn't understand human nature and feel he could have arrived it his points quicker. I also have problems with his argument. He argues for "productive war" and against "unproductive war." How can you discern that at the time when war strikes a nation at the most peculiar times and in strange and confusing circumstances.
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