The Analysis of War

REVIEWS , THE ANALYSIS OF WAR* R. A. MAcKAY Most problems of social research are many-sided, and hen:ce_ the inadequacy of research by any single m~thod or discipline. The individual research worker, indeed, is constantly faced with the choice between the narrow approach .of his peculiar discipline and ,the broad approach involving disciplines with which he' is unfamiliar. The first may produce 'a logical but unrealistic result; the second may descend into sheer journ:alism. Co-operative ' research by specialists focusing on a single problem offers some hope that the advantage of specialization may be·combined withcomprehensive treatment but. only on the condition that the. resultant product can be an~lysed and syn thesized by a "master mind:' The study under revie~ is a unique instance of this s9rt. A Study of War was\carried on 'at the University of Chicago for over fifteen ' " years. Most of the special studies, many of which are already in print, were done by relatively junior workers under the general direction and encouragement of a committee of mature scholars representing different disciplines. The present study, written by Professor \Vright) who acted as chairman and general director of research, is largely an analysis and synthesis of the material. Volume I is essentially an historical !lnalysis of war as a social institution, volume II, an examination of the causes and cure of war.. .-. The text is accompanied by over forty appe!1dices. ' In reviewing a book of such scope and proportions it is possible only to i,ndicate its general nature and to comment on a few points in which the reviewer has a special interest. For the purposes of volume I a broad definition of war is provisionally accepted-"a violent contact of distinct but similar entities," a definition which admits of examination of animal "warfare ," as well as human warfare both among primitive and advanced ,peoples. The continuance in man of animal "drives," Professor Wright condudes, is no evidence of the biological necessity cif war, nor is the ex.isten.ce of war of some sort among all primitive peoples evidence of its social necessity. War has not been a constant social phenomenon; rather it has been intermittent. Moreover, the *A Study of War, by QUINCY WRIGHT. (2 vols.) Chicago, University of C;hic'ago Press [Toronto. W. J. Gage and Co.l, 1942, $16.50 the set. 497 498 THE UNIVERSITY OF_TORONTO QUARTERLY social conditions leading to war, the',method of warfare and military organi~atlon have differed profoundly at different stages of social development. 'That war is learned rather than "natural)) ,social behaviour is clearly supported by the evidence. The historic functions of war in socia:l development must not, however, be overlooked. In the long run it has been a means of effecting social change in s~me rough accord with social pressures; it has been an instrument in the expansion of states and civilizations , and frequ,ently in their destruction; and it has been a means · of promoting social solidarity within the group exposed to, or resorting to, wat-a state without an enemy tends to disintegrate. The organizatiop of pe~ce .must take account of these social functions of war and provide satisfactory alternatives. Volume II is. directed to the problem of controlling war. The elimination of all violent conflict between groups, 'Professor Wr~ght concludes is Utopian. If ,a. beginning is made, it must ,be on a na~'row front, as was done in the control of violence within the state. , For this purpose a much more restricted definition of war than 'in volume I is adopted-"the legal condition which ·equally permits two or more hostile groups to carryon conflict by armed force" (p. 8). I None of the accepted disciplines of social science, says Professor ,I Wright, has achieved a logical analysis of the causes of war generally acceptable even to scholars within the discipline concerned" Scientific analysis . begit~s with a working hypothesis, but, since the accepted disciplines have provided none satisfactory for the enquiry in hand, Professor Wright sets out to construct his own. This he does by examining briefl-y the causes of six' major wa~s since the fall of...