¿Por qué la guerra?

In this illuminating essay, the renowned historian Richard Overy explores the causes and motives underlying a phenomenon present in all eras and human societies: war. Taking as a starting point the exchange of ideas on this subject between Sigmund Freud and Albert Einstein in the 1930s, Overy traces the origins of aggression and the resort to violence to two possible sources: the individual and society. If violence is indeed encoded in our genes—or if, as Freud posited, a death instinct is rooted in our unconscious—then the prospects for ending war are slim. Conversely, if—as Einstein believed—war is not natural and its origins lie instead in the struggle of societies for power, resources, or security, is it possible to hope for a future peaceful resolution of conflicts? In this compelling essay, the author—a leading authority on twentieth-century military history—guides us from the Neolithic era to the ongoing war in Ukraine, compares the bellicosity of certain tribal groups with that found in modern industrial societies, and sheds light on little-known aspects of figures such as Julius Caesar, Napoleon, and Hitler.