Enlightenment, modernity and war

This article examines the emerging pattern of 19th-century warfare against the backdrop of Modernity's expressed optimism regarding social and economi c progress. The author argues that in the modern period western countries h ave been insufficiently conscious of the consequences of weapons of mass de struction and of their own involvement in acts of mass violence. The articl e identifies a modernist culture radically different from that articulated by Enlightenment narratives.