The history of the 20th century is one of confrontation and conflict. The technological advance which has transformed the quality of human life has brought a capacity for destruction on a scale scarcely conceivable in earlier times. It has been said that at every moment in the 20th century, somewhere in the world there has been armed conflict. This illustrated history of the 20th century looks at the cataclysmic wars and numerous local conflicts of the past 90 years. It covers, year-by-year, the turbulent events which made headline news around the world, from the Boer War to the Gulf War, presented in a journalistic form. There are, in addition, special feature spreads throughout, conveying background information in more detail, and chronologies for each year providing easily accessible facts.