Perilous glory : the rise of western military power / John France.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

France, John.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Military art and science--History.

Military art and science.

Military history.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (448 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New Haven : Yale University Press, c2011.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This expansive book surveys the history of warfare from ancient Mesopotamia to the Gulf War in search of a deeper understanding of the origins of Western warfare and the reasons for its eminence today. Historian John France explores the experience of war around the globe, in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. His bold conclusions cast doubt on well-entrenched attitudes about the development of military strength, the impact of culture on warfare, the future of Western dominance, and much more.Taking into account wars waged by virtually all civilizations since the beginning of recorded history, France finds that despite enormous cultural differences, war was conducted in distinctly similar ways right up to the Military Revolution and the pursuit of technological warfare in the nineteenth century. Since then, European and American culture has shaped warfare, but only because we have achieved a sense of distance from it, France argues. He warns that the present eminence of U.S. power is much more precarious and accidental than commonly believed. The notion that war is a distant phenomenon is only an illusion, and our cultural attitudes must change accordingly.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

List of Illustrations and Maps

Preface

1. The Many Faces of War

2. Many Worlds of War

3. Horses and Hoplites

4. The Glory of Empire, 336 BC-AD 651

5. Ideology and Warfare, 500-c.1200

6. The Steppe Supremacy, c.1200-1683

7. Discipline, c.1683-c.1860

8. The Military Revolution

9. Industrial Killing

10. Culture and Warfare in the Age of Total War, 1919-1945

11. A New Age of War

Notes

Further Reading

Appendix 1: Tables

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0-300-17744-5

OCLC:

994456520