Factology – Issue 20: War

FACTOLOGY – Open up a world of Information!

What is war? Movies usually picture it as two sides slugging it out with soldiers and weapons, until one of them – usually the ‘goodies’ – emerges as the winner. Real wars are a bit trickier. Not many of them have been decided by one big battle, for a start. Raiding, terrorism, spy craft, blocking access to food and supplies – all of these things and more play a large part. And the idea that at the end of a war there’s a clear victor who takes it all and a loser who has to honourably accept defeat is a myth. It can be difficult enough to work out when a war is over in modern conflicts, let alone who’s won or lost.

So if all that’s true, why do people go to war in the first place? From squabbles over French pastries to the reasons for the current conflict in Ukraine, we look to the history books to try and make sense of it. Secret armies, hi-tech weaponry, keyboard warriors and one unfortunate ex-pig – here’s everything you ever wanted to know about war.