ABSTRACT
It is arguable whether there is more or less interpersonal violence in the world today than at other times. Objective historical comparisons about violence are difficult to make because comparable statistics are seldom available in different areas of the world and for different historical periods. Furthermore, variations in levels of interpersonal violence between societies or even within segments of the same society have often exceeded variations across centuries. For example, how violent was Roman society? Certainly, violence was institutionalized in Roman society in ways that make us cringe today. Christians were thrown to the lions; gladiators routinely killed each other; criminals were regularly crucified. The Visigoths, Vandals, Huns, and other people whom the Romans called barbarians did themselves consider the institutionalized violence of the Romans cruel and uncivilized. However, at the height of Roman civilization, individual interpersonal violence was probably less than it has been in many socieities since then. Rome was a society of rule by law, and the laws and standards of the society limited interpersonal violence. As Rome declined in power, interpersonal violence seemed to increase. The lesson that has been repeated many times in history is that there is no necessary relation between institutionalized violence and individual interpersonal violence. Men who could never strike another man in anger can become instruments of violence toward multitudes in wars. Is the man in a missile silo who presses the button necessarily an aggressive man? Violent acts that a society would never condone if committed by an individual are accepted without qualm when ordered by the leaders of that society.
