Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com
Summary:
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.
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Rating:
Comprehensive
Customer Rating:
This is a wonderfully comprehensive book. For a student of modern war, this book is my encyclopedia for papers.
A Survey of the Evolution of Modern War
Customer Rating:
"The Oxford History of Modern War" offers a series of scholarly essays on the changing nature of war from the late 18th century to the late 20th century. Among the principal themes are the effects of technological innovation and mass mobilization on the conduct of war. Other topics include the changing effects of international law on war, and the role of women in modern war. The level of discussion is generally at the strategic level of war.
The quality of the entries vary. Some commentators, such as John Childs on the Transition to Modern Warfare and Richard Holmes on the Experience of Modern Combat, manage to be both educational and highly readable. Some others, such as Mark Roseman's essay on The Social Impact of Total War, offer surprising but well supported conclusions on the effects of the two World Wars. A few essays focus on chronological recitation of facts and offer only limited analysis. A very few essays, unfortunately, are dry and dense to the point of being difficult to follow.
This volume is recommended to the student looking for a compact survey of the general nature of modern war and how it became that way. The casual reader without background in the study of war may find this book a challenging read.
A good basic book on the current state of war
Customer Rating:
This book, while detailed, offers a good, basic approach to the modern state of war. The best part of an essay approach to this sunject is that rarely one person is the "guru" for all things. The multiple points of view weave together to provide full understanding to a very complex subject.
No easy read
Customer Rating:
A collection of essays covering all periods of modern war as well as essays on the development of the different aspects of war, ie Navy, Army, Air Force. Being a casual reader with just a light interest in history, the book was far to detailed and at times quite difficult to read. This book is not an introducton to the subject and so I would only recommend this book to someone with previous knowledge of the subject and a very keen interest.
No easy read
Customer Rating:
A collection of essays covering all periods of modern war as well as essays on the development of the different aspects of war, ie Navy, Army, Air Force. Being a casual reader with just a light interest in history, the book was far to detailed and at times quite difficult to read. This book is not an introducton to the subject and so I would only recommend this book to someone with previous knowledge of the subject and a very keen interest.
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