Why do people wage war? How can wars be won? How has warfare been an engine of change for human civilization—for better and for worse? In this book Paul Schuurman shows how some of the best Western minds between 1650 and 1900 tried to answer these questions in an epoch when European developments became a matter of global concern. In eight wide-ranging chapters he discusses the key concepts that philosophers and generals of this era developed to grasp and influence the dramatic phenomenon of war. Their concepts remain fresh and relevant down to the present day.