“In this book, I tried to impartially cover the war - a phenomenon to which I had previously been completely indifferent, seeing in it something alien to me. Now I know what the power of the demons of the past is even over us, people of modern times,” writes Georg Nicolai (1874–1964), a German professor, physiologist, doctor of medicine. In his study, G. Nicolai cites facts from the history of the wars of Ancient Greece and Rome , medieval and modern Europe, Russia and China. He tries to find out how warlike instincts awaken in people, leading them to war; how war affects the state, society and individuals; why are entire nations, under the influence of militarism, turning, as Nikolai says, “into a semi-idiotic breed of cavemen.” Is it possible to overcome these consequences of war, and is a world possible without wars at all? The author answers such questions based on the physiological, social and moral qualities of a person.