Publisher's Synopsis
An examination of the spontaneous and organized mass cruelty in the conduct of war, revolution and military occupation. It is an historical - covering the period from classical times to the 20th century - as well as comparative study.;The book seeks to relate the criteria whereby humans make and have made moral judgements to particular sets of circumstances. This is done in a series of case studies, some familiar, many not. It is not preoccupied with the minutiae of specific atrocities but is concerned to achieve depth of analysis by examination of the theme in many social contexts.
