
War and Democracy
Peter T. Manicas(Author)
Wiley (Publisher)
Published on 2. November 1989
Book
Hardback
500 pages
978-0-631-15836-3 (ISBN)
Description
Few words are more familiar than war and democracy. It is also arguable that few are more ambiguous. What exactly is meant by these words, and what are the relations between them? Developing several of the arguments of his pioneering History and Philosophy of the Social Sciences Peter T. Manicas here interrogates the historical meanings of 'war' and 'democracy', and traces the pattern of their interconnections within a variety of exemplary contexts, including ancient Greece, renaissance Italy, revolutionary America, France and Russia, and Weimar Germany.
In so doing, the author contributes to an explanation of our present situation, in which entire populations who have no say in the decision to war may be subject to enormous suffering and sacrifice. The problem of 'democracy', construed as an ideal, cannot be solved, it is argued, until there is a solution to the problem of war. Conversely, the human blight of war will not be eliminable until mankind achieves some significant steps in the direction of greater democracy.
War and Democracy is more than a history of two ideas. It is also a challenging and humane attempt to make political theory concrete, urging that the attempt to understand the past can have genuine practical applications.
In so doing, the author contributes to an explanation of our present situation, in which entire populations who have no say in the decision to war may be subject to enormous suffering and sacrifice. The problem of 'democracy', construed as an ideal, cannot be solved, it is argued, until there is a solution to the problem of war. Conversely, the human blight of war will not be eliminable until mankind achieves some significant steps in the direction of greater democracy.
War and Democracy is more than a history of two ideas. It is also a challenging and humane attempt to make political theory concrete, urging that the attempt to understand the past can have genuine practical applications.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Hoboken
United Kingdom
Publishing group
John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
822 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-631-15836-3 (9780631158363)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Content
Part 1 War and democracy in ancient Greece: the invention of politics; war, stasis and empire. Part 2 Early modern war and state formation: Machiavelli and the imperatives of modern politics; monarchies, despotisms and peaceful republics. Part 3 Modern war and modern democracy: the American war of independence; the invention of modern democracy; politics and war in the New United States; Jefferson and the revolution of 1800. Part 4 Absolute war and social democracy: the revolution in France and the revolution in war; revolution and war - Marx and Engels. Part 5 The Great War and the mass state: Bolshevism and the question of democracy; Weimar Germany and the great war; American democracy - a new spirit in the world.