John Ferejohn

“This densely argued but readily accessible book is full of fascinating asides worthy of books of their own. . . . A book of big ideas backed by fine-grained analyses, worthy of attention by readers with an interest in history and contemporary events alike.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“This isn’t the story we’re taught in high-school civics. But it’s a compelling one, powerfully told by two scholars with mastery of their subject. The authors walk the reader through 2,500 bloody years of Western history, from the Peloponnesian wars to the war in Vietnam, highlighting, again and again, a brutal trade-off: The emergence and consolidation of democracy depends on warfare, and a particular kind of warfare, at that…Their magisterial volume makes the case in persuasive and explicit detail.” — Rosa Brooks, Wall Street Journal

“llluminating…The book begins with fascinating chapters about war and democracy in classical Athens and Rome; later chapters explore the nineteenth century’s grand armies and the emergence of “total war” in the twentieth century, which had profound effects on the expansion of democratic life in the West.” — G. John Ikenberry, Foreign Affairs