More than 7,000 assaults were reported to the magistrates of Portsmouth, England, between 1700 and 1781. Time-series analyses were run to see (1) what effects, if any, war had on levels of aggression and (2) whether overall levels of aggression decreased over time. Aggression was measured in two ways: (1) the extent to which assailants ganged up on adversaries and (2) levels of violence in individual confrontations (whether a weapon was used, and if so, what type; whether assailants refrained from using a weapon; and whether they stopped short of physical violence and instead merely insulted or threatened their enemies). Neither measure showed a significant variation over time. The participation of women in brawls decreased, but the aggressiveness of those who continued to brawl actually increased. Complaints about insults and threats declined, while complaints of a more serious nature showed a modest increase, reflecting, among other things, the emergence of new definitions of actionable behavior.For nearly a generation the eighteenth century has been identified as a turning point in the history of interpersonal violence, as the century when Europeans began to master their tempers. Outbursts, whether measured by homicides, physical assaults, or the mere threat of violence, are supposed to have declined during this time, reflecting new values and new standards of conduct. Self-control is supposed to have become a virtue and a social marker, a change helped along by a narrowing of the ways personal honor was defined and could be challenged (Ingram 2000: 160; Shoemaker 2004: 71-74).
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