The Culture of War (Hardcover)

~ Martin van Creveld (Author)
Key Phrases: chivalrous classes, scant wonder, real life war, World War, United States, Middle Ages (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Hebrew University's van Creveld remains unsurpassed as a scholar of war. In this provocative volume, he challenges perhaps the subject's single greatest shibboleth—at least in Western culture. Since the Enlightenment, war has been described as a means to an end, serving essentially rational interests. Nothing, van Creveld asserts, could be further from the truth: war exercises a powerful fascination in its own right. To dismiss this is to overlook that war has generated a distinctive culture, from uniforms to war games to parades, that is despised and regularly denigrated as atavistic and irrational. Van Creveld demonstrates that war is an essential element of history, rooted in psychology. In a tour de force of scholarship and insight, he takes readers through the processes of preparing for, waging and commemorating war. That culture makes men face death willingly, even enthusiastically, because it is an end in itself. [T]o be of any use, the culture of war must be useless. Its traditions and rules are not constructions, but part of the fighter's soul—and as such, for better and worse, part of the human condition. Illus. (Sept. 30)
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From Booklist

From a respected military historian comes this probing inquiry of military culture. Marshaling evidence for its constancy, ranging from remote human history to the televised present, van Creveld asserts that group and societal reinforcements motivate soldiers to master fear and risk death. Van Creveld covers aspects such as training, military decoration, and commemoration of the dead, all of which are thought to motivate men to fight. A martial cultural tradition is vital, van Creveld argues, to cohesion at all levels; hence, the creation of martial music and war museums. But perhaps van Creveld’s most interesting discussions go against the derogation if not repudiation of martial values since World War II. Doubting that war will ever vanish from human experience, van Creveld emphasizes the intensity of its emotions, its centrality to the lives of those who endure and survive it, and the fascination its popularly exerts as reflected in war games, battle reenactments, collectibles, and military history and literature. A candid if uncomfortable appraisal of human nature, van Creveld’s astute analysis is a must-have on the military shelves. --Gilbert Taylor

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Presidio Press (September 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345505409
• ISBN-13: 978-0345505408
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #243,446 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Warrior's Way, March 26, 2009

By	Jason S. Taylor "Marco's Realto" (Portland Oregon) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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In Greek myth the jurisdiction over war is divided. Athena Nike, as governess over the arts, crafts, and sciences is in charge of victory as a corrallary to being in charge of strategy and statecraft. Ares is in charge of war in itself-he likes the fury of war for it's own sake. And while many historians, understandably prefer to study Athena Nike, this book is devoted to studying the ways of Ares.
It has been said that war is an extention of politics. That is in a sense true, in so far as the one who gives the orders for the commencement of hostilities is usually a politician and therefore inspired by political motives. However it is less true that people fight for politics. People fight for more important things like duty, honor, country, faith, friends, family, comrades-in-arms and so on. And if these things are "delusions" as cynics say, it might be pointed out that much of cynicism is itself a delusion and not the most pleasant of them.
The book gives an overview of the customs of warriors throughout history and the recuring themes. It shows how the culture of fighting men, the subtle(and not so subtle) ways in which they boast of their prowess and assert their right to be recognized as men-among-men is has much in common worldwide. It gives examples of such things as traditions, decorations, and what not, all designed to give the suspicion that people do to some degree like to fight. It shows how no matter how far apart cultures are in technology or customs, some things remain the same(this struck me in the Movie Zulu when the Zulus were singing their war songs and the Welsh were singing "Men of Harlech" in reply). Much of the points in the book of course I take for granted, have been a member of the "civilian" part of the culture of war sense the first time I read a war-story or played my first wargame. The book by the way sheds some light on this, telling about reenactors, wargamers and the like. Some would deplore the "culture of war" and say it should be removed. But it is part of life and not the worst part.
The disadvantage of the book from my point of view are twofold is that I desired cultural history and thus the authors personal opinions were an annoying distraction. Another disadvantage is that Crevald can be an annoying writter at times. One advantage it does have is it is lacking in cant. Crevald never states that he really, really hates war even though he makes a living off of it and writes about it with an obvious relish. In fact he gives a rather Pattonesque feeling which some might find irritating but is at least a change of pace. In any case his point is taken, that war has it's own culture and aspects of it cross through time and space.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, but not one of his better books, February 26, 2009

By	R. W. Levesque (Germany) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Van Creveld's book doesn't really present anything new but it makes for an interesting read. First you have to understand that he comes from the school of thought that war is part of, if not caused by, human nature. "It's culture, rooted as it is in human psychology, is largely impervious to change." And while the function of culture is to make men willingly face death, "it can do so only if it is understood not as a means to an end but an end in itself."

What makes the book interesting is his contention that the culture that surrounds war, from the way societies prepare for war, fight wars, commemorate war, and portray war in popular culture, is not only necessary to successfully win, but to keep it under control.

But I have to admit that he could have made his point in half the time. At times it seemed he was going for the word count and wandered from point to point. Wait 'till it comes out in paper or get it at the library -- it's not one of his best works.

3.0 out of 5 stars Why war matters, September 17, 2009

By	S. Kreuger (Haarlem, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As usual, van Creveld is strong in his opinions, some of them thought provoking, some of them on or over the edge IMHO. This goes for his statement that feminism is damaging society in that it lessens the culture of war. And we need a culture of war, for without it, there would only be a wild horde in wartime, with all gruesome effects of a wild horde running riot (he uses examples of the Balkan war in the 1990's) or automated robots killing and be killed indiscriminately.
Not his best book, but still a worthwhile read in this day and age where there is no "big" war anymore, but small wars are abound and western society has to learn to live with those small wars and the way it affects our peacefull way of life.