War in the Modern World

Theodore Ropp is a professor of history emeritus at Duke University. He is the author of The Development of a Modern Navy: French Naval Policy, 1871-1904 and History and War. He was awarded the 1991 Samuel Eliot Morison Prize for his contributions to the field of military history. Alex Roland is chair of the History Department at Duke University and the author of Underwater Warfare in the Age of Sail, Model Research: The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, 1915-1958, and (with Richard Preston and Sydney Wise) Men in Arms: A History of Warfare and Its Interrelationships with Western Society.

• Contents: Preface Introduction to the Johns Hopkins Edition, by Alex Roland Introduction to the Original Edition Part I: The Age of the Great Captain sChapter 1: Land Warfare from the Renaissance to the Neoclassical Age (1415-1789) i. New Techniques and Types of Military Organization ii. The Wars for Italy and the Rise of Spain (1494-1559) iii. The Army of the Spanish Hapsburgs iv. Spain's Decline (1559-1659) v. The Age of Louis XIV (1643-1715) vi. The Age of Frederick the Great: Neoclassical Warfare vii. The Common Soldier in the Neoclassical AgeChapter 2: Naval Warfare from the Renaissance to the Neoclassical Age (1417-1789) i. The Command of the Sea ii. Portuguese and Spanish Sea Power iii. The Rise of English Sea Power iv. Navies in the Neoclassical AgeChapter 3: The Anglo-American Military Tradition i. The Weakness of the Standing Army ii. Problems of Imperial Defense iii. The Break with Britain iv. The Continental Army and Navy v. The British in the American RevolutionChapter 4: The French Revolution and Napoleon i. French Military Reformers ii. The Revolution iii. The Organizer of Victory iv. The Napoleonic Empire v. The Opposition to Napoleon: The Peninsula vi. The Opposition to Napoleon in Eastern EuropePart II: The Industrial Revolution and WarChapter 5: The First Half of Nineteenth Century (1815-1853) i. Britain and the Long Peace ii. Austria, Russia, and France iii. PrussiaChapter 6: The Wars of the Mid-Nineteenth Century (1854-1871) i. The New Weapons of the Industrial Revolution ii. The Crimean and Italian Wars iii. The Rise of Germany iv. The American Civil War: Men and Tactics v. The American Civil War: StrategyChapter 7: The Years of Uneasy Peace (1871-1914) i. Military Organization: The Spread of Prussian Doctrine ii. Mobilization and Intellectual Preparation of the Mass Army iii. The Race for Colonies and Sea Power iv. Land Tactics with the New Fire Weapons v. The War Plans of the Continental Powers vi. British Participation in a Continental WarPart III: The Age of Violence Chapter 8: The First World War i. The Opening Battles (1914) ii. Deadlock in the West (1915-1916) iii. German Victory in the East (1915-1916) iv. The United States and the War (1917) v. Years of Decision (1917-1918)Chapter 9: The Long Armistice (1919-1939) i. The Peace Settlements ii. The Totalitarian State: Bolshevik Russia iii. Italian Fascism and the Theories of Giulio Douhet iv. The Military Recovery of Germany v. The Three DemocraciesChapter 10: The Second World War i. The Opening Battles ii. Britain, the Mediterranean, and the Atlantic iii. The Russo-German War iv. Allied Deployment: Decision in Western Europe v. The East Asian and Pacific Wars: The Japanese Raid vi. The Allied Counterattack in the Pacific vii. The War for East AsiaEpilogue Index

Outstanding and penetrating outline of the processes of war and the means of fighting from 1415 onward. Chicago Tribune Far and away the best of the histories of military affairs. American Political Science Review Leaves the reader astonished by its combinations of brevity, clarity, and accuracy. Times Literary Supplement Surpasses any other general history of the subject. Library Journal The narrative flows easily, is illuminated by flashes of colorful detail, and relates the development of warfare to the political, technological, and economic changes of the modern era... Especially stimulating and helpful is Mr. Ropp's system of bibliographic footnotes. These are found on almost every page, directing the reader to a well-selected choice of historical and military writings which will provide more light and wider vistas whenever his interest is further stirred by what he is reading... This reviewer... has never seen anything quite as calculated to guide the beginner in further exploration of the subject or to serve as a quick reference index for the experienced analyst. New York Herald Tribune A substantial and scholarly history of modern warfare from the age of the 'great captains' through the innovations of the industrial revolution, to our age of unlimited violence. Foreign Affairs