As Europe descended into an epoch of total war and nineteenth-century hopes for peace based on co-operation faded, warfare itself was transformed by the growth of nationalism and rapid technological developments. World War I demonstrated how difficult it was for military and political leaders to take account of these changes. After surveying the situation in Europe in the lead-up to World War II and its aftermath, Brian Bond examines the military aspects of the Cold War between 1945 and 1970. This bold and trenchant survey shows the enormous influence war has exerted on European society since 1870, and in turn the major role civilian society has played in transforming the nature of armed conflict.