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The characteristic act of men at war is not dying, but killing. Politicians and military historians may gloss over human slaughter, emphasizing the defense of national honor, but for men in active service, warfare means being —or becoming— efficient killers. In An Intimate History of Killing , historian Joanna Bourke asks: What are the social and psychological dynamics of becoming the best ”citizen soldiers?” What kind of men become the best killers? How do they readjust to civilian life? These questions are answered in this groundbreaking new work that won, while still in manuscript, the Fraenkel Prize for Contemporary History. Excerpting from letters, diaries, memoirs, and reports of British, American, and Australian veterans of three wars (World War I, World War II, and Vietnam), Bourke concludes that the structure of war encourages pleasure in killing and that perfectly ordinary, gentle human beings can, and often do, become enthusiastic killers without being brutalized.This graphic, unromanticized look at men at war is sure to revise many long-held beliefs about the nature of violence.
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Previews available in: English
Subjects
Homicide, First World War, Oorlogvoering, Vietnam War, Psychology, Combat, World War I, Violence, Second World War, World War II, Psychological aspects, Military Psychology, War, History, Warfare--history, Psychology, military, Combat--psychological aspects, Homicide--psychological aspects, War--history, War--history--20th century, World war, 1914-1918, World war, 1939-1945, Vietnam war, 1961-1975, Violence--psychology, U21.2 .b6725 1999, U22.3 b774 1999Showing 4 featured editions. View all 4 editions?
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1
Sed de Sangre: Historia íntima del combate cuerpo a cuerpo en las guerras del siglo XX
2008, Crítica
Tapa blanda
in Spanish
849892054X 9788498920543
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2
An Intimate History of Killing: Face-to-Face Killing in Twentieth-Century Warfare
October 1, 2000, Basic Books
in English
0465007384 9780465007387
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3
An Intimate History of Killing
March 6, 2000, Granta Books
Paperback
- New Ed edition
186207321X 9781862073210
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4
An Intimate History of Killing: Face-To-Face Killing in Twentieth-Century Warfare
1999, Basic Books
in English
0465007376 9780465007370
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Book Details
First Sentence
"The characteristic act of men at war is not dying, it is killing."
Table of Contents
Edition Notes
First published by Granta Books 1999.
Includes bibliographies (pp. 457-499), index, and illustrations.
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The Physical Object
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Internet Archive item recordmarc_openlibraries_phillipsacademy MARC record
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Work Description
An explosive book that puts the killing back into military history.
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