When the first world war ended on Nov. 11 1918, David Lloyd George, Britain’s prime minister, told Parliament: “I hope we may say that thus, this fateful morning, came to an end all wars.” History proved him wrong. But 100 years on, the world is far more peaceful. Fewer than one in 100,000 people have died in combat per year since 2000—one-sixth the rate between 1950 and 2000, and one-fiftieth of that between 1900 and 1950. Why?
The Economist: Which countries are most likely to fight wars?
Picture of a post card released by the Historial de Péronne, Museum of WW1, shows a Street in Saint-Mihiel, eastern France after it was destroyed by German shelling during the First World War. Saint-Mihiel was captured by the Germans in 1914, and was re-captured during the Battle of Saint-Mihiel from Sept. 12 to Sept. 19, 1918.
