A History of Military Thought: From the Enlightenment to the Cold WarFrom the ideas of Clausewitz to contemporary doctrines of containment and cold war, this is a definitive history of modern military thought. A one-volume collection of Azar Gat's acclaimed trilogy, it traces the quest for a general theory of war from its origins in the Enlightenment. Beginning with a provocative critique of Clausewitz's classic work On War, the author unravels the endemic difficulties in Clausewitz's work that have baffled scholars for so long, clearly explaining the development of his ideas against the background of the Napoleonic revolution in war and the Romantic critique of the Enlightenment. He continues the story through the strategic ideas of the Prussian-German military school during the nineteenth century, the factors that shaped the 'cult of the offensive' in the French Army before the First World War, and the competing doctrines which dominated naval warfare during the ages of sail and steam. In the final part of the trilogy, he shows how theories of mechanized war emerged throughout the industrial world in the first decades of the twentieth century and explains why their leading exponents were associated with fascism. Drastically re-evaluating B.H. Liddell Hart's contribution to strategic theory, the author argues that in the wake of the trauma of the First World War, and in response to the Axis challenge, Liddell Hart developed the doctrine of containment and cold war long before the advent of nuclear weapons. He reveals Liddell Hart as a pioneer of the modern western liberal way in warfare which is still with us today. |
Contents
Machiavelli and the Classical Notion of the Lessons | 3 |
The Impact of ProtoScience on Military | 15 |
The Military | 27 |
Archduke Charles Jomini and | 97 |
The German Movement Clausewitz and | 139 |
Demolishing and Rebuilding the Theoretical | 158 |
The Nature of War | 201 |
Conclusion | 253 |
The Janus Face of Fascism | 521 |
J F C Fuller and Future Warfare | 531 |
The Sources of Douhetism | 561 |
German RightWing Radicalism Strategic Adventurism | 598 |
American Progressivism | 622 |
Marxist Modernism | 632 |
Conclusion | 640 |
Introduction | 645 |
Positivism Romanticism and Military Theory | 292 |
Its WorldView | 314 |
The Sources of French | 382 |
Naval Theory and the Military | 441 |
Marxism Clausewitz and Military Theory 1848 to | 494 |
Conclusion | 515 |
Common terms and phrases
Allies ancien régime argued armoured army's art of war attack attitude battle Berenhorst Berlin Britain British Bülow campaign Churchill cited Clausewitz Cold War command conception Corbett criticism cultural decisive doctrine dominated Douhet École de guerre economic eighteenth century enemy enemy's Enlightenment essay Europe European fascist Foch forces France Fuller German Germany's guerre Hans Delbrück Hart's historians Hitler Ibid ideas infantry influence intellectual Jomini Jominian King's Krieg later Liddell Hart Lloyd London Luftwaffe Mahan major manœuvre mechanized Memoirs militaire military school military theory military thinkers military thought mobilization modern Moltke Montecuccoli moral Napoleon nature naval navy nineteenth century offensive operations outlook Paret Paris period philosophy Picq Plan political principles Prussian radical regarded Revolution Scharnhorst Second World Second World War Seven Years War social society Soviet Union staff strategy tactics tank theoretical warfare wars Western wrote
References to this book
Encyclopedia of the Age of Imperialism, 1800-1914: [2 Volumes] Carl C. Hodge No preview available - 2007 |