1. An Ad Hoc Navy: The Revolutionary War (1775–1783)
Craig L. Symonds
in American Naval History: A Very Short Introduction
‘An ad hoc navy: the Revolutionary War (1775–1783)’ describes the Patriots’ response to the British Royal Navy strongholds in Boston and New York and the role of armed vessels during the ...
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8. Aerostats to algorithms 2001–2020
Frank Ledwidge
in Aerial Warfare: A Very Short Introduction
Aircraft and air forces continue to play central roles in conventional battlefields in the early years of the 21st century. However, despite superior Western military power over forces in ...
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8. Allied victory, 1944–5
Gerard L. Weinberg
in World War II: A Very Short Introduction
The Western Allies intended to fight until the Axis powers surrendered unconditionally. ‘Allied victory, 1944–45’ considers the Allied strategy, agreed at a conference in Tehran, that there ...
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3. An American Navy Confirmed: The War of 1812
Craig L. Symonds
in American Naval History: A Very Short Introduction
When America declared war against the British in 1812, most U.S. Navy ship captains hoped to conduct independent cruises against British commerce, but John Rodgers lobbied successfully for ...
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7. The apotheosis of air power 1983–2001
Frank Ledwidge
in Aerial Warfare: A Very Short Introduction
The period immediately after Vietnam saw little new thinking in the application of air power. ‘The apotheosis of air power 1983–2001’ looks at how this changed. After examining briefly the ...
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1. ‘At my signal unleash hell’: the Western Way of War?
Harry Sidebottom
in Ancient Warfare: A Very Short Introduction
Popular culture depicts the Romans fighting the ‘Western Way of War’ where the aim is an open, decisive battle, which is won with courage and discipline. The other side are portrayed as ...
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4. Barbarossa: the German invasion of the Soviet Union
Gerard L. Weinberg
in World War II: A Very Short Introduction
‘Barbarossa: The German invasion of the Soviet Union’ outlines Germany's attack on the Soviet Union, which began in the early hours of June 22 1941 with an army of over three million men ...
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2. Beginnings: the First World War 1914–1918
Frank Ledwidge
in Aerial Warfare: A Very Short Introduction
Once powered aircraft had taken to the air in the early 20th century, it did not take long for their potential as a military instrument to be realized. The First World War demonstrated that ...
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2. The big three (or maybe four)
Michael S. Neiberg
in The Treaty of Versailles: A Very Short Introduction
In the early months of 1919, David Lloyd George, Woodrow Wilson, and Georges Clemenceau together held as much influence over world affairs as any three men in history. They had the power to ...
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2. Causation
Richard English
in Modern War: A Very Short Introduction
What causes modern war to start? ‘Causation’ looks at the reasons for groups going to war with each other and analyses the inter-linked roles of nationalism, the state, empire, religion, ...
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1. Citizen soldier and sailor vs. standing armed forces
Joseph T. Glatthaar
in American Military History: A Very Short Introduction
“Citizen soldier and sailor vs. standing armed forces” covers the establishment of the first militias in the colonies. Colonists inherited a British sense of military obligation but were ...
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6. Cold War 1945–1982
Frank Ledwidge
in Aerial Warfare: A Very Short Introduction
In August 1945, a new conflict began between the largely liberal and capitalist West, led by the USA, and the Communist bloc led by the USSR. ‘Cold War 1945–1982’ describes how during the ...
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Conclusion
Alex Roland
in War and Technology: A Very Short Introduction
Technological change continues at an increasing pace, especially for military technology, with its widespread, institutionalized research and development. Near-future technologies include ...
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Conclusion
Gerard L. Weinberg
in World War II: A Very Short Introduction
The ‘Conclusion’ shows how the world was changed forever by World War II, during which around sixty million people had been killed, the majority of them civilians. There were huge losses in ...
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Conclusion: The armed forces and perennial problems
Joseph T. Glatthaar
in American Military History: A Very Short Introduction
Since the 1970s, the United States has struggled to accept that its economic and military powers are finite. The Conclusion looks at ways the American military might make progress while ...
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Conclusion: war, terrorism, and future research
Richard English
in Modern War: A Very Short Introduction
The Conclusion sets out three important difficulties when researching the topic of modern war today: the unhelpful fragmentation of the research field on modern war, how to reconcile what ...
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9. Confronting the Soviets: The Cold War Navy (1945–1975)
Craig L. Symonds
in American Naval History: A Very Short Introduction
At the end of World War II, the U.S. Navy was more than twice as large as all the rest of the navies of the world combined. The inevitable contraction that followed was less draconian than ...
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4. A Constabulary Navy: Pirates, Slavers, and Manifest Destiny (1820–1850)
Craig L. Symonds
in American Naval History: A Very Short Introduction
After 1820, the day-to-day duties of the United States Navy involved dealing with smugglers, pirates, and the illegal slave trade and so deploying the large ships of the line was deemed ...
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1. Definition
Richard English
in Modern War: A Very Short Introduction
What, in essence, is ‘war’? ‘Definition’ considers various concepts of what war actually is and how commentators have tried to define it. There exist many different types of war, such as ...
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7. Developments on the home front and in technical and medical fields
Gerard L. Weinberg
in World War II: A Very Short Introduction
‘Developments on the home front and in technical and medical fields’ describes the social, political, and economic impacts of World War II on each of the countries that participated. There ...
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