The designation by the author himself of the 20th century as the Century of Hatred is the central idea of this monumental work, which delves into the causes that made this period the bloodiest in human history. Two world wars, other interstate and civil conflicts, and a series of coldly organized and centrally planned population exterminations (ethnic cleansings) led humanity to the dawn of the 21st century. But how did the intellectual, technological, economic, and social period turn into an instrument of Genocide? In the two-volume book "The War of the World," Niall Ferguson explains the paradox of the Age of Hatred.