The great statistics of wars "hoax"

Expert InsightsPublished 1962

An exposition of the travels of a "fantasy" on war that has captured the imagination of editors and has been broadcast as reality throughout the world. The fantasy in question is: that since 3600 B.C. the world has known only 292 years of peace, that during this period there have been 14,531 wars, that since 650 B.C. there have been 1,656 arms races, and that only sixteen of them have not ended in war. These statistics are shown to be a hoax, and the appearance of this fantasy in barious publications throughout the world is traced from 1953 to the present.

Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web Only
  • Year: 1962
  • Pages: 5
  • Document Number: P-2661

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The great statistics of wars "hoax". Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1962. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P2661.html.
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