War and the Rise of the State: The Military Foundations of Modern Politics

In War and the Rise of the State,  Bruce Porter  teaches us that, contrary to the views of most hawks and doves, the most important effects of war may not be who wins, loses, or suffers.  Rather, war's deeper consequences concerns its long-term impact on the very type of society we live in, consequences that are felt generations after the guns  have ceased firing.  A broad, thoughful, and elaborately researched treatment of an underappreciated issue.