Library

In this book, the well-known historian Ian Morris relies on a large historical perspective and a global perspective to clearly point out that what determines the rise and fall of Britain is its geographical elements, and the resulting issues related to identity, mobility, prosperity, security and sovereignty. The connection of sea routes promoted the exchanges and development between Britain and the European continent, and also opened up the grievances and grievances between the two sides that lasted for more than a thousand years. Whether to join the European Union for its own security and prosperity, or to safeguard sovereignty and people's identity and insist on independent development, has been a puzzle that has plagued this island for thousands of years. In the struggle and choice, Britain experienced the triangular trade, the establishment of the United Kingdom, the colonial world, and the industrial revolution... This small country gradually moved to the center of the world stage and realized its ambition to dominate the world. But in modern times, the Irish War of Independence, the depletion of two world wars, the wavering on whether to "Brexit", the rise of Eastern power... The empire, beleaguered internally and externally, became increasingly powerless, and gradually lost its way forward. The world stage and the core of development have shifted from the West to Asia, and the problems that have plagued Britain for more than a thousand years have quietly changed. Whether to firmly follow the United States, open up channels of cooperation with China, or become a hub connecting the United States, Europe and China has become a question that Britain in the 21st century has to think about. Looking back at the world, geographical relations have become the key to cooperation and conflict among countries. Perhaps we can also get a glimpse of China's next step on the world stage in this book.

For tens of thousands of years, war has been regarded as a nightmare for mankind. It can turn rich fields into barren land in an instant, and it can also overthrow a prosperous empire in an instant. Wherever the war passes, panic, poverty and death follow. In this book, the author uses objective academic research and subversive thinking to show us the unpleasant but undeniable fact: in the long run, although war brings death and blood, it makes mankind safer and more prosperous. This book combines history, archeology, anthropology, geography, evolutionary biology, as well as technology and military knowledge to trace the 15,000 years of struggle and violence from apes to the birth of robots. The author sharply pointed out that in the Stone Age, 10% of people might die from violence; but in the 20th century, despite the outbreak of two world wars and the invention of nuclear weapons capable of destroying the earth's ecology, the violent death rate has dropped by 90%. The Leviathan-style large centralized state created by the war gave the world a chance to develop and prosper in a longer period of peace. The author's research on 15,000 years of human war history shows that the next half century will be the most dangerous period in human history. If we can get through this phase, then the age-old dream of ending war may become a reality. This book will undoubtedly forever change the way we view war and our choices for dealing with conflicts in the future. Both those who view war as a disaster and those who are involved in the cause of peace should read this book.