How Civil Wars Start

And How to Stop Them

By: Barbara F. Walter

Narrated by: Beth Hicks

Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A leading political scientist examines the dramatic rise in violent extremism around the globe and sounds the alarm on the increasing likelihood of a second civil war in the United States

“Required reading for anyone invested in preserving our 246-year experiment in self-government.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)

WINNER OF THE GLOBAL POLICY INSTITUTE AWARD • THE SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Financial Times, The Times (UK), Esquire, Prospect (UK)

Political violence rips apart several towns in southwest Texas. A far-right militia plots to kidnap the governor of Michigan and try her for treason. An armed mob of Trump supporters and conspiracy theorists storms the U.S. Capitol. Are these isolated incidents? Or is this the start of something bigger? Barbara F. Walter has spent her career studying civil conflict in places like Iraq, Ukraine, and Sri Lanka, but now she has become increasingly worried about her own country.

Perhaps surprisingly, both autocracies and healthy democracies are largely immune from civil war; it’s the countries in the middle ground that are most vulnerable. And this is where more and more countries, including the United States, are finding themselves today.

Over the last two decades, the number of active civil wars around the world has almost doubled. Walter reveals the warning signs—where wars tend to start, who initiates them, what triggers them—and why some countries tip over into conflict while others remain stable. Drawing on the latest international research and lessons from over twenty countries, Walter identifies the crucial risk factors, from democratic backsliding to factionalization and the politics of resentment. A civil war today won’t look like America in the 1860s, Russia in the 1920s, or Spain in the 1930s. It will begin with sporadic acts of violence and terror, accelerated by social media. It will sneak up on us and leave us wondering how we could have been so blind.

In this urgent and insightful book, Walter redefines civil war for a new age, providing the framework we need to confront the danger we now face—and the knowledge to stop it before it’s too late.

©2022 Barbara F. Walter (P)2022 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“[A] bracing manual . . . Walter’s book lays out America’s possible roads to dystopia with impressive concision. Her synthesis of the various barometers of a country heading to civil war is hard to refute when applied to the U.S. . . . Indispensable.”—Financial Times

“I wish all the [January 6] committee members would read [How Civil Wars Start] if only to expand their imaginations. [Barbara F. Walter] demonstrates that the conditions for political violence are already all around us.”—David Brooks, The New York Times

“I’ve been skeptical of the notion that the United States is on the verge of another civil war. Walter has made me reconsider. . . . This is a book that everyone in power should read immediately.”—The Washington Post

Critical reading/listening for the times

This book is crucial and the themes in it are woefully underreported. We are careening toward disaster with fewer and fewer chances to change course and avert crisis every day. Awareness is a start, and a necessary ingredient in solving what feels like an unsolvable problem. This book needs to be your next read/listen. It is so incredibly vital.

Timely Commentary

I appreciated this review of the history of civil war within my lifetime. What occurred in the countries where civil war broke out and in those that skirted it. The polity scores and the concept of anocracy was well defined and eye opening.

Interesting and useful, but hindered by bias

I enjoyed listening to this book and found it useful. However, in the final 2 chapters I found the author got a bit off track and unacknowledged biases became much more prominent. Overall I would recommend this book, but would be frank about some of the biases and assumptions that don't seem to be recognized or acknowledged by the author.

Very Important Reading for Our Time

So worth it if all you give is a listen to the last 10 minutes.

One day they will call our time "The Madness". Professor Walter says we must regain control of Social Media's grip on our psyche and unite again as a people before we succumb to our enemies plans.

Birds Eye rationale view

This historical and current analysis of the factors impacting devolution of democracy and supporting it is a timely read

An academic view of our democratic decline.

A precise and academic view of the potential collapse of american democracy. Author provides detailed examples from many civil wars in other countries in the modern era and bring those points to comparison of the situation in the united states at the very end.

Several reviews are saying that the author is biased and doesn’t mention liberal involvement of the potential collapse. That is incorrect. At every point availed the author mentions research and facts pointing to how each political ideology contributes. Politics have become largely about identity. Conservatives are becoming a minority and therefore are more likely to do something about it, while Liberals are the majority and have more to lose if the system changes. The book explains why it isn’t biased, but proven fact the entire time.

Please Read This Essential Book

Excellent book. Highly recommended. But one apocryphal quote slipped through the fact checking. No one has provided reliable evidence that LBJ ever said, "We have lost the South for a generation," or anything similar.

America's future is literally in our votes

A frightening and sobering analysis of how factionalism can and often does lead to autocracy. I hope we Americans are paying close attention and voting accordingly.

I wish my civics class had been this great

Perfect balance of academia and real world. The narration really was helpful. It wasn't boring, kept moving between past examples and current world issues.

This Book Could Be Crucial For America

The future looms, we have a chance to change, this book could guide us to to and through that change. I guess we’ll see now what happens.