In this episode of The History Files we take a look at “war fever” and what drives world leaders to take up arms against each other. Sometimes it’s justified, as in defense, but sometimes it doesn’t seem very legitimate, as in the case of imperialist expansion. Then there’s the whole problem of dealing with the conundrum of wishing for victory, the harsh reality being that one is of course wishing death and destruction on the losing side.

War: What is it good for?

Show notes and links:

* Evacuation Day (Nove. 25, 1783) (en.wikipedia.org)

* Amistad revolt (1841) (law.cornell.edu)

* Gold Rush: 1848–1860: “I Saw the Elephant” 

* John Brown (abolitionist) hanged (1859) (en.wikipedia.org)

* UN grants a Homeland for the Jewish people (1947) (en.wikipedia.org)

* Jack Ruby shoots Lee Harvey Oswald (1963) (en.wikipedia.org)

* Amistad (1997) (imdb.com)

* Amazon.com: The Man In The High Castle (amazon.com)

* Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument with Historical Illustrations , by Michael Walzer (amazon.com)

* Tales of Tinfoil: Stories of Paranoia and Conspiracy , various authors (amazon.com)

* Zaporozhian Cossacks , an awesome painting. Seriously, go look at it. (en.wikipedia.org)

* Greek War of Independence (1827) (en.wikipedia.org)

* Crimean War (1850s) (en.wikipedia.org)

* Russo-Turkish War (1877–78) (en.wikipedia.org)

* Hermann Goering on what drives a people to war.

* HL Mencken on practical politics (izquotes.com)

* The War Prayer, by Mark Twain , complete text.