The past is capricious enough to support every stance - no matter how questionable. In 2002, the Bush administration decided that dealing with Saddam Hussein was like appeasing Hitler or Mussolini, and promptly invaded Iraq. Were they wrong to look to history for guidance? No; their mistake was to exaggerate one of its lessons while suppressing others of equal importance. History is often hijacked through suppression, manipulation, and, sometimes, even outright deception. MacMillan's book is packed full of examples of the abuses of history. In response, she urges us to treat the past with care and respect.

• The Rhyme of History: Lessons of the Great War (The Brookings Essay)
• The War that Ended Peace: How Europe abandoned peace for the First World War
• Peacemakers: The Paris Peace Conference of 1919 and Its Attempt to End War
• In Defence Of History
• The Deluge: The Great War and the Remaking of Global Order 1916-1931