Question

In the hobbit How does Bilbo plan to stop a war from starting? How well does it work?

Answer 1

In "The Hobbit", by J.R.R Tolkien, in the later part of the book (or the third movie), the battle of the four armies, the humans under the leadership of Bard, and the Elvish soldiers under their king teamed up to drive Thorin & Co. into giving them their share of gold. However, as events transpire, the orcs under Bolg(?) invaded the mountains in an effort to defeat the rest of the races, prompting the people of the lake, the elves, and the dwarves to team up in the fight. Before the orcs arrived though, Bilbo was stuck with the dwarves in the mountain, and wishes for his home. To make all sides happy, he decided to steal the "Arkenstone" ( the stone that is precious to Thorin, and 'is his heart'), and give it to the humans and elves as a bargain for their share of gold. However, things do not happened as planned, as Bilbo is banished from the castle, and the orcs arrive, prompting the humans, elves, and dwarves, to fight together, in the battle of the three armies. So no, while Bilbo was able to somewhat stop the war between the dwarves and the humans & elves, he was not able to stop the larger war, the battle of the three forces combine vs the orcs.

Hope this helps