The Transformation of European Social Democracy Book

This is a history of legal torture--torment inflicted by a public authority for osetensibly public purposes. Within the narrow definitions Peters has created for himself he does an excellent job of describing the history of torture from when it was first mentioned in fifth century Greece until the late twentieth century.

From the introduction: "Paradoxically, in an age of vast state strength, ability to mobilize resources and possession of virtually infinite means of coercion, much of state policy has been based upon the concept of extreme state vulnerability to enemies, external and internal".

This was written in 1985, long before the 9/11 attacks allowed the reckless national security/homeland defense measures that have been imposed since then. The manipulation of fear has been one of the hallmarks of making torture acceptable in so-called civilized society.