This work investigates the historical tension between liberal political philosophy and the necessity of organized warfare. Michael Howard, a distinguished military historian and former Regius Professor at Oxford, examines how liberal thinkers from the Enlightenment to the mid-twentieth century have attempted to reconcile their commitment to peace and individual rights with the realities of global conflict. He argues that the liberal conscience has historically struggled to formulate a coherent policy toward war, often oscillating between utopian pacifism and the pragmatic use of force.

Scholars frequently cite this text as a foundational analysis of the intellectual history of modern warfare and political ideology. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which assumes a baseline familiarity with European political history and liberal theory.