Hannah Arendt wrote this book, first published in 1970, in the context of the Vietnam War and under the influence of global student unrest. In this essay, she delineates and overlaps the political key concepts of power and violence. She analyzes the theoretical justifications for violence and the violent actions in Vietnam, the racial conflicts in the United States, and the student revolts around the world. The old theory of war and violence as the ultima ratio of power has been rendered absurd—at least in the inter-state realm—by nuclear weapons. Hannah Arendt sharply and provocatively articulates insights gained from our reality regarding the functions of power and violence in politics.