| HIST 240 War & the Modern World | Instructor: Ranson E | ||
| CRN: 15698 | Office Hours | ||
| Time/Location: 10:00-10:50 MWF / 133 GIL |
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| This course will examine the conduct of war since c. 1789, with particular reference to the way in which war and western society have inter-acted. The stress will therefore be upon the European (including British) and North American experiences. After a brief review of the uses and abuses of military history, of the different types of warfare, of the perennial problem of professional versus conscript amiies, we will then look at the Anglo-American military tradition and warfare before the French Revolution. The course will then consider the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and the concept of the nation in arms. The role of naval power will be discussed in the age of Nelson and in the War of 1812. In Europe in the nineteenth century the course will examine the Crimean War, the wars of German unification, especially the Franco-Prussian War and the overseas colonial wars waged by the European powers. In the same period in North America the course will embrace the Mexican War, Civil War and Spanish-American War as well as the frequent Indian wars. In the twentieth century the focus will be on two world wars, and in the post-1945 period on Korea, Vietnam and the Gulf conflicts. |
| At appropriate points consideration will be given to changes in military thought and doctrine and to the impact on the conduct of war of such events and developments as: the agrarian and industrial revolutions; the transport and communication revolutions; technological and scientific and medical developments; as well as advances in weaponry. Although most stress will be on land warfare the changing role of navies will be examined and the impact of air power and inter-service rivalries (often seen as the real enemy). We will also look at peacetime controversies over the size, shape and perceived missions of armed forces, and the predictions of 'experts' regarding the nature of future wars. Attention will also be paid to the economic and financial impact of wars, to the roles of women, ethnic and religious groups, anti-war movements and to the influence of the media. |
| Each member of the class will write a ten page essay on a topic before 1900 by the end of week five (worth 50% of the final grade), and there will be an examination at the end of the course on the twentieth century topics (worth 50% of the final grade). |
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Larry H. ADDINGTON, The Patterns of War Since The Eighteenth Century |
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Richard A. PRESTON, Alex ROLAND and Sydney F. WISE, Men in Arms: A History of Warfare & Its Interrelationships with Western Society |
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*Clark G. REYNOLDS, Navies in History |