TY  - BOOK
AU  - Coker,Christopher
TI  - War and the 20th century: a study of war and modern consciousness 
SN  - 1857530551
AV  - CB481 .C67
PY  - 1994///
CY  - London, Washington
PB  - Brassey's
KW  - War and civilization
KW  - History
KW  - 20th century
KW  - fast
KW  - Wars
N1  - Includes bibliographical references (pages 262-300) and index; 1. War and the 20th Century -- 2. On Consciousness and Modernity in Modern War -- 3. War and the Human Condition -- 4. War and the Meaning of History -- 5. War and the Futility of History -- 6. 20th Century War and the Aesthetic Imagination -- 7. Waiting for the End of the World -- 8. Savage Wars of Peace: The West Encounters the Non-Western World -- 9. Not the End of the World News; Also issued online
N2  - "War has been the defining theme of the 20th century. It has dominated our imagination; it has influenced our political language; it has shaped and determined our view of history. This study sets out to look at the modern consciousness and war in terms of a number of themes: our view of the 20th century; our understanding of modernity; our attitude to the meaning or meaninglessness of history; our trust or distrust of science; our psychological presuppositions. Towards the end of the book the author also looks at the often tragic nature of the encounter between the western and non-western worlds." "Throughout the study the discussion is anchored to several seminal themes or works drawn from a wide spectrum of American and European authors in the fields of literature and philosophy." "Western culture has been deeply influenced - both consciously and unconsciously by its experience of conflict, in particular the two World Wars and the Cold War that followed them. This study illustrates why, in the course of the 20th century, war became the accredited theme of modern life."--Jacket
ER  -