The World Set Free

by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells

"The World Set Free" by H. G. Wells is a novel written in 1913 and published in 1914. Wells envisions a devastating future war in 1956 where both sides wield atomic bombs—crude but continuously burning weapons that leave battlefields radioactive for years. As civilization collapses under nuclear destruction, humanity faces a choice: descend into barbarism or unite under a world government. The novel explores how uncontrolled atomic energy forces mankind to abandon the nation-state system and embrace global cooperation to survive.