Soldiers' Lives through History - The Early Modern World

Dennis Showalter is Professor of History at The Colorado College and has been Mc Dermott Chair at the U. S. Military Academy, as well as a Distinguished Visiting Professor there and at the U.S. Air Force Academy and H.L. Oppenheimer Professor at the Marine Corps University. Among his publications are History in Dispute: World War I (2002) and History in Dispute: The Second World War (2000), The Wars of Frederick the Great (1996), and Tannenberg: Clash of Empires (1990).William J. Astore is Associate Provost and Dean of Students, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center. With Dennis Showalter, he is the co-author of Hindenburg: Icon of German Militarism (forthcoming).

The early modern entry in this series begins with the French invasion of Italy in 1949, chronicles the transition of the Western soldier from mercenary to professional, and ends with the French Revolution in 1789. Showalter and Astore chronicle changes in recruitment methods, weaponry, tactics, command structure, morale, daily life in camp, disease, discipline, religious considerations, and civilian attitudes. The final chapter follows Europe's soldiers overseas as they confront enemies waging warfare under new rules and conditions.