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The Causes of War Paperback – September 7, 1988

by Geoffrey Blainey (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 51 ratings
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The third edition of Geoffery Blainey’s highly acclaimed study on the causes of war has been expanded and updated to include a complete discussion of World War II and the road towards nuclear war.

Analyzing all international wars since 1700, Causes of War solves the riddle of why some wars are long and some are short and demonstrates how the “outbreak of peace” offers insight into the outbreak of war.

Proving that war and peace are alternating phases of a relationship between rival nations, this widely quoted work offers a crucial, new understanding of international armed conflict.
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  1. Print length
    344 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Free Press
  4. Publication date
    September 7, 1988
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0029035910
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0029035917
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Geoffrey Blainey is one of Australia’s best-known authors. Since 1968, he has been successively Professor of Economic History and Ernest Scott Professor of History at the University of Melbourne. In 1982–3, he was Professor of Australian Studies at Harvard University.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Free Press; 3rd ed. edition (September 7, 1988)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 344 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0029035910
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0029035917
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.7 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 51 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
51 global ratings
Great Book, terrible shipping condition
3 out of 5 stars
Great Book, terrible shipping condition
As an enthusiast in international relations, this book is a permanent addition and a must read for me. To my surprise, I found the book to have been shipped with fold marks all over. I’d rather suggest buying used versions than spend the extra money on a new one.
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Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2018
Verified Purchase
Purchased as a textbook. It was in pristine quality with no internal or cover markings.
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TommyBoy
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read for Anyone Specializing in International Relations
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2015
This is one of the classic works in its field, and one with practical applications in international relations and national security. Blainey, a conservative social historian, writes one of the best non-ideological, empirically based analyses of why nation-states go to war -- and peace. Logically, the causes for going to war should be mirrored in the reasons why nations make peace at the end of war. Blainey explains why Kissinger's "balance of power" notions are not rules, or even guiding principles. For anyone majoring in international relations, and especially for anyone who wants to become a practitioner, this book is a must-read.
5 people found this helpful
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Johann Tserclaes
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Work
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2004
It was the principal textbook for a Causes of War class I took. It is very well-written. If you want to understand what really causes war and what people think causes war but doesn't, you should read this book. Blainey provides a great deal of evidence for the claims he makes and gives the arguments of the notions he disputes.
11 people found this helpful
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Mathematician
4.0 out of 5 stars Good in its own right
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2019
Verified Purchase
The book is a good historical view of the occurrence of war. The model in the book alludes that continuous negotiation among political actors influences the occurrence of war (bargaining theory of war). The text enumerates that international relations have influenced governments to act liberally, which influences nations to take hardline positions. Therefore, liberalism and bargaining theory of war infers on the theoretical understanding of the occurrence of conflicts.
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Malhar Virda
3.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, terrible shipping condition
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2020
Verified Purchase
As an enthusiast in international relations, this book is a permanent addition and a must read for me. To my surprise, I found the book to have been shipped with fold marks all over. I’d rather suggest buying used versions than spend the extra money on a new one.
Customer image
Malhar Virda
3.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, terrible shipping condition
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2020
As an enthusiast in international relations, this book is a permanent addition and a must read for me. To my surprise, I found the book to have been shipped with fold marks all over. I’d rather suggest buying used versions than spend the extra money on a new one.
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E
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2014
Verified Purchase
He gives some good points that underline many conflicts. It is sometimes difficult to pull out what exactly he means, but when you find it most of the points are very good. He also presents empirical/statistical evidence for some of his cases along with numerous specific conflicts to further his point.

My only problem with the book was that he takes an opposing theory and finds one instance where the theory doesn't quite work and calls it dead. He then says presents his theory in the end and says it won't fit all situations. All in all, still a great read.
4 people found this helpful
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Melvyn Bowler
2.0 out of 5 stars This is a boring book, with too much pointless information
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2014
This is a boring book, with too much pointless information, packed too closely together.

His conclusions are not convincing, and it strikes me more as an exercise on how to cleverly use a whole lot of words to write a book that means very little.
One person found this helpful
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Jason Davis
3.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly insightful, but incredibly boring
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2000
In my senior history class, we had to read either this book or Why Nations Go to War by John Stoessinger. We've been discussing the causes of war and the commons misconceptions that different historians have held. I found Blainey to be precisely on the mark in his analysis. The information he presents is hard to refute. However, I felt he made his point a little too well, if you know what I mean. I found myself stuck in example after example. After an interesting first 150 pages, I found myself dreading finishing it. It's just too bland for my taste. If I were you, especially if you're in Dr. Igo's class like I am, I would read the first 7 or 8 chapters, read the first page and the last page of the other chapters, and read the summary at the end of the book. That's all you really need to know.
17 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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から
5.0 out of 5 stars オススメ
Reviewed in Japan on October 26, 2011
Verified Purchase
オーストラリアの歴史学者によって書かれた戦争原因論の古典。
ほかの人のレビューに詳しく書いてありますので詳細は省きますが
何と言っても合理決定論の戦争理論に大きな影響を与えたのが本書。
危機〜開戦〜終結までを交渉過程としてとらえており、その意味では
非常にクラウゼヴィッツ流であります。
Blaineyは歴史家であり、理論家ではないのでざっくばらんな説明（心理面にややウェイト）
に終始していますが、そのせいか？いろいろ示唆に富む内容であります。
日本ではあまり読まれていないようですが、海外では「読んでなきゃモグリ」レベルの
本です。オススメします。ペーパーバックでやすいですしね＾＾学生、研究者、一般の方も
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メタル学者
5.0 out of 5 stars 戦争原因研究についての現代の古典
Reviewed in Japan on November 14, 2010
Verified Purchase
なぜ戦争が起こるのか知りたいので、何を読めばよいかと聞かれたら、迷わず本書を勧める。本書で著者のブレイニーは、明確な理論的枠組みと豊富な歴史証拠をつかって、戦争の原因に鋭く切り込んでいる。著者は歴史学者であるが、通例の歴史書とは異なり、反実仮想を随所で使いながら、戦争原因を一般化している。本書が政治学・国際関係論の研究論文や図書で頻繁に引用されるのは、そのためであろう。

特筆すべきは、現在の戦争原因の先端で議論されていることのエッセンスのほとんどが、本書で既に論じられていることである。戦争に対する楽観主義、パワー分布に対する誤認、攻撃・防御バランス、国力の過信など、ほとんどすべて本書で論証されている。また、戦争原因に関する誤った仮説については、ズバッと反証して棄却している。もちろん、仮説の検証が粗いとの批判もあるのだろうが、こうした欠点を割り引いても、本書は戦争原因の研究書としての価値は極めて高いと言えるだろう。
3 people found this helpful
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