Synopses & Reviews
According to General J.F.C. Fuller, "the musket made the infantryman and the infantryman made the democrat." In short, modern war and modern society are inextricably linked. But how has war changed over the centuries?
This highly informative and engaging work investigates the techniques, technology, and theory of warfare. From the military revolution of the seventeenth century to the present day battalion of high-tech weaponry and satellite technology, expert contributors explore major developments and themes, including air and sea warfare, combat experience, technology, and opposition to war. Specific topics include the extraordinary achievements of Napoleon's armies, the role of nationalism in battlegrounds, colonial wars, and the concept of "total war." One thought-provoking essay points out that today's armies face an range of low-intensity conflicts--from civil protests to domestic terrorism--that can not be won by any purely military approach. As a result, the military professionalism that evolved to foster modern war is beginning to erode.
Highlighting a wide range of information with expert insights and historical analysis, The Oxford History of Modern War leaves no aspect of modern warfare unexplored. This volume will fascinate everyone from casual readers and history buffs, to scholars, political thinkers, and historians.
Synopsis
Offering a comprehensive overview of military conflict over several centuries, this book consists of fascinating thematic chapters covering air and sea warfare, combat experience, technology, and even opposition to war.
Synopsis
How has war shaped modern society and vice versa? How has it changed over the centuries between the introduction of firearms and the invention of the atomic bomb? How is war waged today?
This highly informative work examines the techniques, technology, and theories of warfare from the 'military revolution' of the seventeenth century to the present day. Expert contributors explore major developments and themes, including: the extraordinary achievements of Napoleon's armies; the role of nationalism in battlegrounds as various as the American Civil War and the former Yugoslavia; colonial wars; the concept and reality of 'total war;' guerrilla warfare and 'people's wars.'
A History of Modern War offers a comprehensive overview of military conflict over several centuries, with fascinating thematic chapters covering air and sea warfare, combat experience, technology, and even opposition to war. It is the ideal supplementary text for courses on modern history and it is especially useful for anyone broadly curious about modern war.
About the Author
Charles Townshend is Professor of History at the University of Keele. His books include
Making the Peace: Public Order and Public Security in Modern Britain and
Political Violence in Ireland: Government and Resistance since 1848.
Table of Contents
Part I: The Evolution of Modern War
1. Introduction: The Shape of Modern War, Charles Townshend
2. The Military Revolution I: The Transition to Modern Warfare, John Childs
3. The Military Revolution II: Eighteenth Century Warfare, Jeremy Black
4. The Nation in Arms I: The French Wars, Alan Forrest
5. The Nation in Arms II: The Nineteenth Century, David French
6. Imperial Wars: From the Seven Years War to the First World War, Douglas Porch
7. Total War I: The Great War, John Bourne
8. Total War II: The Second World War, Richard Overy
9. Cold War, Philip Towle
10. People's War, Charles Townshend
Part II: Elements of Modern War
11. Technology and War I: to 1945, Martin van Creveld
12. Battle: The Experience of Modern Combat, Richard Holmes
13. Sea Warfare, John B. Hattendorf
14. Air Warfare, Richard Overy
15. War and the People: The Social Impact of Total War, Mark Roseman
16. Women and War, Jean Bethke Elshtain
17. Against War, Adam Roberts
18. Technology and War II: From Nuclear Stalemate to Terrorism, Martin van Creveld