Despite the catastrophic effects of war, wars have also proved to be instrumental to long-term change in world history This text is the first of its kind to survey how warfare has developed from ancient times to the present day and the role it has played in shaping the world we know. The periods discussed include:

* the pre-gunpowder era
* the development of gunpowder weapons and their rapid adoption in Western Europe
* the French Revolution and the industrialization of warfare
* the First and Second World Wars
* the Cold War and the wars of liberation fought across the...

Warfare and Society in Europe, 1898 to the Present examines warfare in Europe from the Fashoda conflict in modern-day Sudan to the recent war in Iraq. The twentieth century was by far the world's most destructive century with two global wars marking the first half of the century and the constant fear of nuclear annihilation haunting the second half.

Throughout, this book treats warfare as a function of larger political, cultural, social and economic issues and includes discussion of:

* the alliances that led to the outbreak of the First World War
* the First...