A World History of War Crimes: From Antiquity to the Present

by Michael S. Bryant

Overview

The greatly expanded and enhanced 2nd edition of A World History of War Crimes provides an authoritative and accessible introduction to the global history of war crimes and the laws of war. Tracing human efforts to limit warfare, from codes of war in antiquity designed to maintain a religiously conceived cosmic order to the gradual use in the modern age of the criminal trial as a means of enforcing universal humanitarian norms, Michael S. Bryant's book is a masterful one-volume account of the subject.

This new edition includes, for the first time:

* Two chapters providing extensive coverage of the Americas, Africa and the Middle East
* Strengthened chronological boundaries – a new chapter on the Incas, Aztecs, Mayan, and North American Indian tribes, as well as more material across all regions in ancient times; discussion of contemporary war crimes committed in Afghanistan, Iraq, Myanmar and Syria
* A historiographical essay to broaden your understanding of the field
* An added final chapter focusing on the social, cultural and psychological aspects of the subject

A World History of War Crimes is vital reading for anyone needing to understand the history of war in one of its most significant contexts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781350106628
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	01/28/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	424
File size:	11 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Michael S. Bryant is Professor of History and Legal Studies at Bryant University, USA. He is the author of Eyewitness to Genocide: The Operation Reinhard Death Camp Trials, 1955-1966 (2014), and co-author of Global Legal Traditions: Comparative Law for the 21st Century (2021) and Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' and the Holocaust (Bloomsbury Academic, forthcoming), amongst others.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Introduction
1. The Roots of the Law of War in World History
2. The Law of War in Pre-Columbian America
3. The Law of War in Rome, the Islamic World, and the European Middle Ages
4. Making Law in the Slaughterhouse of the World: Early Modernity&the Law of War
5. The Law of War in 18th and 19th Century Europe
6. Colonialism and the Law of War: The Western Hemisphere
7. Colonialism and the Law of War: Africa and the Middle East
8. The First World War and the Failure of the Law of War
9. The Second World War and the Triumph of the Law of War
10. Into the 21st Century: War Crimes&their Treatment since the Second World War
11. The Causes of War Crimes: Theoretical Perspectives
Conclusion: The Future of the Law of War
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

A World History of War Crimes is an ambitious project superbly carried through. The grand historical scale and sweep is complemented by Bryant's established expertise at the micro-level of legal history. The result is a clearly-written, authoritative, and ultimately optimistic account of the capacity of humanitarian law to curb some of the worst excesses of conflict. This excellent books merits a wide readership among jurists, political scientists and historians.

Donald Bloxham

Michael Bryant's excellent global history of the evolution of the laws of war from antiquity to the present is an outstanding contribution to this emerging field of history and law. Because of his training in these fields, Prof. Bryant brings fresh interpretations to his analysis of the vast collection of primary and secondary sources that he uses throughout this study. It is a must read for anyone interested in the evolution of the laws of war throughout history.

David M. Crowe

A World History of War Crimes is an ambitious project superbly carried through. The grand historical scale and sweep is complemented by Bryant's established expertise at the micro-level of legal history. The result is a clearly-written, authoritative, and ultimately optimistic account of the capacity of humanitarian law to curb some of the worst excesses of conflict. This excellent books merits a wide readership among jurists, political scientists and historians.” —Donald Bloxham, University of Edinburgh, UK

“Michael Bryant's excellent global history of the evolution of the laws of war from antiquity to the present is an outstanding contribution to this emerging field of history and law. Because of his training in these fields, Prof. Bryant brings fresh interpretations to his analysis of the vast collection of primary and secondary sources that he uses throughout this study. It is a must read for anyone interested in the evolution of the laws of war throughout history.” —David M. Crowe, Professor of History and Law, Elon University, USA

From the Publisher