The Locomotive of War ─ Money, Empire, Power, and Guilt

An innovative exploration of the origins, impact, and consequences of the First and Second World Wars, from Peter Clarke, one of our foremost historians.

"War is the locomotive of history," claimed Trotsky, a remark thought to acknowledge the opportunity the First World War offered the Bolsheviks to seize power in Russia 1917. Here, Peter Clarke broadens the application of this sentiment in order to explore how war, rather than socioeconomic forces or individuals, is the primary mover of history.

Twentieth-century warfare, based on new technologies and larger armies, saw the locomotive power of war heightened to an unprecedented level. Through the unique prism of this vast tragedy, Peter Clarke examines the most influential figures of the day: David Lloyd George who, without the strains of war, would never have become prime minister in 1916; Winston Churchill who, except for the war crisis of 1940, would have been unlikely to be recalled to office; and John Maynard Keynes who, if not for the same, would hardly have seen his own economic ideas and authority so suddenly accepted. Other figures who benefited similarly include Gladstone, Woodrow Wilson, Asquith, and Roosevelt.

By following the trajectories of these influential lives, Peter Clarke illuminates the crucial issues of the period: not only leadership and the projection of authority, but also military strategy, war finance, and the mobilization of the nation's personnel and economic resources. The Locomotive of War is a fascinating examination of the interplay between key figures in the context of unprecedented all-out wars starting in 1914 and 1939 and the broader dynamics of history in an extraordinary period.

Peter Clarke was formerly a professor of modern history and Master of Trinity Hall at Cambridge. He has been a contributor to the Times Literary Supplement, the London Review of Books and the Financial Times. His books include Mr Churchill's Profession, Keynes: The Twentieth Century's Most Influential Economist, The Last Thousand Days of the British Empire, and the acclaimed final volume of the Penguin History of Britain, Hope and Glory, Britain 1900-2000. He lives with his wife, the Canadian writer Maria Tippett, in Cambridge, England, and Pender Island, British Columbia.