A Brief History of Torture

Torture has persisted for thousands of years, sometimes out in the open, sometimes in secret. From the torture of prisoners of war in ancient Greece to the witch hunts of the Middle Ages and interrogations after 9/11, torture has always been with us.

A Brief History of Torture tells the story of torture throughout history. It covers every era, from ancient Greece to 9/11, and from ancient societies to the modern-day prisons of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. It spans the globe, from Spain to England and from Algeria to Northern Ireland, from the Inquisition in Europe to official torture in ancient China and Japan. It surveys every method, from the rack and thumbscrews to the electric chair and drugs, from physical torment to psychological abuse...

Although torture has been condemned and reviled throughout history, humanity has never stopped tormenting its own kind to obtain information, and has tried every method imaginable. Why is this? What should the police do if refusing to use torture could lead to a catastrophic terrorist attack? Where is the line between “simple violence” and “extracting information to save others”? What kind of punishment is “unpleasant but acceptable,” and where is the boundary between that and what is “unacceptable”? These questions have always accompanied the history of torture, which has never died out. A Brief History of Torture examines and explores them in meticulous detail, with more than one hundred prints, paintings, and photographs. In particular, it offers a compelling account of “man’s inhumanity to man,” as well as the distinction between the lawful use of power and its unlawful abuse.