Why War? Richard Overy Examines Conflict Origins

Richard Overy's essay, titled Why War?, confronts the persistent issue of human violence. The text draws inspiration from the current reality of conflicts in Palestine and Ukraine, as well as over 110 other active armed conflicts worldwide. Rather than chronicling specific battles, Overy traces the history of intellectual attempts to understand the origins of war. He documents the evolution of this difficult question, highlighting that the query itself is not new.

The author identifies six distinct books published between 1934 and 2021 that share the exact same title. Among these, the most famous is a correspondence between Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud. Overy's work compiles copious details to examine the prevalence and continuity of war throughout human history.

The violence currently observed in regions such as Palestine and Ukraine inevitably leads to the inquiry explored in this ambitious essay: Why does war happen? The central premise is that understanding the causes of conflict could lead to conceiving the eradication of this phenomenon, which has accompanied humanity since the inception of its social organization. The problem is historical, and the question is recurring.

Richard Overy notes that the title itself is not original. He identifies six books with the same title published in English between 1934 and 2021. This repetition underscores the difficulty of providing a definitive answer to the problem. The essay suggests that periodically revisiting this question is necessary due to the challenging nature of finding a resolution.

Among the previous works cited by Overy, the most prominent is a collection featuring a letter from Albert Einstein to Sigmund Freud and Freud's subsequent response. This historical exchange highlights the long-standing intellectual effort to decode the drivers of aggression. Overy's research encompasses a wide array of studies on the origins and causes of war, even those with different titles.

The essay provides a caudal de detalles (abundance of details) to rastrear (trace) the history of these investigations. By doing so, Overy maps out how thinkers have grappled with the persistence of war over decades, offering a meta-analysis of the discourse surrounding conflict.

For those concerned with this painful reality, the text suggests reading Overy's work alongside Alfredo González Ruibal's Tierra arrasada (2023). Ruibal, an archaeologist, offers a distinct perspective by following the trail of bones from the Paleolithic era to the 21st century. While Overy focuses on the history of ideas and debates, Ruibal provides a physical, historical record of violence.

Together, these two works demonstrate that the question of war is not merely a modern concern. They highlight the necessity of asking why war occurs repeatedly. Both authors, through different methodologies, show that war is a phenomenon deeply embedded in the human timeline.

The essay is published by Tusquets in 2025. It consists of 384 pages and is priced at 22,90 euros. The translation into English was handled by Francisco García Lorenzana. The work stands as a significant contribution to the cultural and societal discourse on conflict.