Lauren Benton, a Yale historian and legal scholar, dives deep into the dark legacies of imperial violence. She discusses how European powers masked their violent conquests as efforts for peace, revealing the brutal mechanics of colonial expansion. Benton examines the paradox of 19th-century peace movements, which relied on organized violence. The conversation also touches on the cyclical nature of imperialism, the moral complexities of indigenous resistance, and how the rhetoric of power continues to shape modern conflicts today.
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insights INSIGHT
Small Wars Reveal Perpetual Violence
Small wars represent a constant, pervasive drumbeat of violent conflicts rather than rare exceptions.
Traditional global history focuses too much on large wars, missing the ongoing small scale violence of empires.
insights INSIGHT
Privatized Violence Fueled Empire
Early European empires relied heavily on licensed private actors to conduct raids and violence.
This privatization was crucial to imperial expansion and control in far-flung territories.
insights INSIGHT
Lawful Extreme Imperial Violence
Imperial powers used legal justifications to unleash extreme violence after small conflicts, framing it as lawful.
Failure to surrender often led to mass killings justified as necessary for order.
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A sweeping account of how small wars shaped global order in the age of empires
Lauren Benton
Lauren Benton's 'They Called It Peace: Worlds of Imperial Violence' explores the history of imperial violence through the lens of 'small wars.' The book examines how European powers maintained their empires through cycles of raiding, slaving, and plunder, portraying their conquests as missions of order and peace. Benton uncovers the blurred lines between war and peace, and how fragile truces paved the way for endless conflict. The book challenges the perception of imperial violence as an aberration, suggesting it set the stage for perpetual wars. It confronts the uncomfortable truths about power, violence, and the myths that continue to shape global order.
The Wealth of Nations
Adam Smith
Published in 1776, 'The Wealth of Nations' is Adam Smith's magnum opus that laid the groundwork for modern economics. The book critiques mercantilist economic theories and introduces the concept of the 'invisible hand,' which describes how individual self-interest leads to societal benefit. It emphasizes the division of labor, the accumulation of capital, and the importance of free markets. Smith argues that a nation's wealth is not measured by its gold and silver reserves but by the stream of goods and services it produces. The book also outlines the core functions of government, such as maintaining defense, enforcing civil law, and promoting education, while advocating for limited government intervention in market activities.
Join Professor Jeffrey Sachs and American historian Lauren Benton for a discussion on the hidden histories of empires and the lasting impact of imperial violence. In her book, They Called It Peace: Worlds of Imperial ViolenceBenton uncovers how European powers built and maintained their empires through relentless cycles of raiding, slaving, and plunder—while portraying their conquests as missions of order and peace.
Together, they explore the brutal mechanics of colonial expansion, the blurred lines between war and peace, and how fragile truces paved the way for endless conflict. Was imperial violence an aberration, or did it set the stage for the perpetual wars that define our world today? With insights spanning centuries and continents, this episode confronts the uncomfortable truths about power, violence, and the myths that continue to shape global order.
The Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs is brought to you by the SDG Academy, the flagship education initiative of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Learn more and get involved at bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org.
Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs 
