The government’s use of violence for political purposes and for war has not diminished. In the twentieth century, the world experienced two of the bloodiest wars ever and Hitler, Mao, Stalin and other despots murdered around 120 million people. The Second World War stands out as the bloodiest war in history, with its estimated fifty-five million deaths. But despite this carnage, Steven Pinker argues that the twentieth century may not have been the bloodiest after all. Two things cloud our judgement. First of all, we suffer from historical myopia and remember mostly what is close to us in time.
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